RFA Largs Bay (L3006)

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Career

Ordered:	18 December 2000
Laid down:	1 October 2001
Launched:	26 July 2003
Commissioned:	17 December 2006
Decommissioned:
Fate:	In service.
Struck:
General Characteristics
Displacement:	16 190 tonnes
Length:	176.6 m
Beam:	26.4 m
Draught:	5.1 m
Propulsion:	2 x Wartsila 8L26 engines, 2 x Wartsila 12V26 engines.
Speed:	18 knots
Range:	8000 nautical miles at 15 knots.
Complement:	59
Military Lift:	356 troops; 1200 Linear metres of vehicles (e.g. 32 Challenger 2 MBT's or 150 light trucks); 12 × 40 TEU or 24 × 24 TEU containers, 2 Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP) Mk.5 and 1 Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mk 10; two Mexeflote powered rafts.
Armament:	None, but fitted to receive military weapons and self defence systems, including Phalanx CIWS.
Aircraft:	Twin spot flight deck with limited facilities to transport and operate Merlin, Chinook and V22 Osprey.
Motto:

RFA Largs Bay (L3006) is an amphibious assault vessel of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). She is named for Largs Bay in Ayrshire, Scotland. In November 2006 Largs Bay underwent sea trials.

After a Service of Dedication on Sunday 17 December 2006, Largs Bay became the latest addition to the RFA. Captain Ian Johnson said;

After an intense but successful period of sea trials, my ships company are looking forward to getting this highly capable, state-of-the-art ship out to sea, doing what it was designed to do.^{[citation needed]}

Largs Bay joined RFA Mounts Bay as the second Bay-class vessel in the fleet. Largs Bay, in company with, HMS Albion and HMS Ark Royal, was involved in training exercises called South West Scimitar, between 26 February 2007 and 8 March 2007.