RFA Olmeda (A124)

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Career
Ordered:	4 February 1963
Laid down at Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson as Y.N. 2004	27 August 1963
Launched:	19 November 1964 named OLEANDER - the 2nd ship to bear this name
Commissioned:	18 October 1965
Decommissioned:	January 1994. Laid up at Portsmouth.
Fate:	Renamed OLMEDA on 4 December 1967.Renamed NIAXCO on 5 July 1994. Arrived off Alang for demolition on 17 August 1994.
Struck:
General characteristics
Displacement:	33,240 tons full load
Length:	648 ft 00 in - 185.9 m
Beam:	84 ft 02 in - 25.6 m
Draught:	24 ft 00 in - 11.9 m
Propulsion:	2 x Parmetrada steam turbines double reduction geared to a single shaft.
Speed:	21 knots (39 km/h)
Range:	10,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) at 16 knots (30 km/h)
Complement:	88 RFA 40 RN
Armament:	Two 20 mm guns Two chaff launchers
Aircraft:	Three Westland Wessex or three Westland Sea King helicopters
Motto:

RFA Olmeda (A124) was a fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The second of the Olwen-class fast oilers, Olmeda came into service in late 1965 as Oleander. As with its sister ships, Olmeda's early service was routine. However, the ship had to be renamed from Oleander to Olmeda to avoid confusion with HMS Leander.

Olmeda saw extensive service during the Falklands War, being one of the first ships to head south. The ship took part in the recapture of Thule Island. However, Olmeda did not play any part in the recapture of Kuwait in 1991, unlike the other two members of the class.

Olmeda's service came to an end a great deal earlier than Olwen and Olna. In 1993, the ship was decommissioned, and was sold for scrapping to an Indian company.