RFA Derwentdale (A114)

Career (UK)
Name: RFA Derwentdale
Builder: Harland and Wolff, Govan
Laid down: 14 November 1939
Launched: 12 April 1941
Commissioned: 30 August 1941
Decommissioned: 19 May 1959
Fate: Sold commercially in December 1959 as Irvingdale 1.
Arrived at Ferrol for scrapping on 23 July 1966
General characteristics
Class and type: Dale-class fleet tanker
Displacement: 16,782 tonnes full load
Length: 483 ft 4 in (147.32 m)
Beam: 59 ft 4 in (18.08 m)
Draught: 27 ft 6.5 in (8.39 m)
Propulsion: Burmeister & Wain 8-cylinder diesels with a single shaft 6,800 hp (5,100 kW).
Speed: 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h)
Complement: 44

RFA Derwentdale (A114) was a Dale-class fleet tanker and landing ship (gantry) of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She served during the Second World War.

She was taken over by the Admiralty and completed as a Landing Ship Gantry carrying 15 LCMs with accommodation for 150 military personnel. She was present at the landings in Madagascar, North Africa, Sicily and Italy. She was damaged by bombing at Salerno and towed to the UK via Malta to be re-engined with engines from the Denbydale. She returned to service as a tanker in 1946, her extra accommodation was used for passengers whilst freighting oil on the Trinidad to UK run. She was decommissioned on 19 May 1959 and was laid up at Rosyth.

References

Captain E.E. Sigwart (1969). Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Adlard Coles. ISBN 229-98581-5. 

Adams/Smith (2005). The Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 10:1861762593.