RFA Sir Galahad (1966)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | Galahad |
| Builder: | Alex. Stephen |
| Laid down: | February 1965 |
| Launched: | 19 April 1966 |
| Commissioned: | 17 December 1966 |
| Fate: | Destroyed 8 June 1982, during Falklands War. Sunk as a war grave post-war. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Round Table class LSL |
| Displacement: | 3,270 tons standard 5,674 tons fully loaded |
| Length: | 412 feet (126 m) |
| Beam: | 60 feet (18 m) |
| Draught: | 13 feet (4.0 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 Mirrlees National ALSSDM10 diesels. Power: 9,400 bhp (7010 kW) |
| Speed: | 17 knots (31 km/h) |
| Range: | 9,200 nautical miles (17,040 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 2,404 tons |
| Complement: | 68 crew, up to 340 passengers |
| Armament: | Two 40 mm Bofors AA guns. |
| Aircraft carried: | Up to 20 Wessex helicopters (1973) |
Sir Galahad (L3005) was the name of an LSL (landing ship logistic) belonging to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, part of the British fleet. She was a 3,270 ton LSL built by Stephens and launched in 1966. She could carry 340 troops comfortably or 534 in austere conditions. Beaching cargo capacity was 340 tons, and could include 16 tanks, 34 mixed vehicles, 120 tons of petroleum produce and 30 tons of ammunition. Landing craft could be carried in place of lifeboats, but unloading was mainly handled by three cranes.
Galahad was active during the Falklands War. On May 24, 1982 in San Carlos Water she was attacked by A-4Bs of the Argentine Air Force (FAA) and was hit by one 1000 pound bomb (which did not detonate) and strafed in a following wave of attack aircraft. On June 8 in Bluff Cove, together with Sir Tristram, she was hit again by two or three bombs and was very badly damaged while unloading soldiers from the 1st Welsh Guards. 48 were killed in the explosions and subsequent fire. Later the hulk was towed out to sea and sunk by HMS Onyx (S21); it is now an official war grave, designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act.
A significant proportion of the fatalities (32 out of the 48 dead) were from the Welsh Guards. See Casualties of the Battle of Bluff Cove for further details.
Guardsman Simon Weston, was among the survivors of the attack on Sir Galahad. He suffered 49% burns and his story has been widely reported in numerous television and newspaper coverage. Ten years after Sir Galahad was sunk, Mr Weston was awarded the OBE.
Other units affected include 3 Troop (of 20 Field Squadron, 36 Engineer Regiment) which was temporarily attached to 9 Independent Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers and was being transported on the Galahad to provide engineering support following the landings. Engineers feature prominently in contemporary footage showing two whalers landing survivors, with Captain Foxley (commander of 3 Troop) directing the rowers and Sapper Parslow being one of the first men to jump out to pull the boats on shore. 3 Troop comprised approximately 40 men and lost 2 dead and about 10 wounded in the attack on the Galahad.
[edit] References
- Raymond Blackman, Ships of the Royal Navy (Macdonald and Jane's, London, 1973)
|
||||||||
