| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | RFA Regent |
| Ordered: | 24 January 1963 |
| Laid down: | 4 September 1964 |
| Launched: | 9 March 1966 |
| Commissioned: | 16 May 1967 |
| Decommissioned: | October 1992 |
| Fate: | Scrapped, 1993 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 22,890 long tons (23,257 t) full load |
| Length: | 195.1 m (640 ft 1 in) |
| Beam: | 23.5 m (77 ft 1 in) |
| Draught: | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Water-tube boilers 2 × AEI steam turbines DR geared to a single shaft |
| Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement: | 125 RFA + 44 RNSTS + 11 Naval Air Detachment |
| Aircraft carried: | 1 × Wessex HU5 helicopter until April 1987 |
RFA Regent (A486) was an ammunition, explosives, food, stores ship in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Commissioned in 1967. It took part in the Falklands War. Departing from Plymouth to head South on the 19th April, 1982, (after a hectic storing schedule at Glen Douglas and Plymouth), arriving in the Total Exclusion Zone (TEZ) on the 8th May. Spending much of her time with the Carrier Group. Replenishing many ships in the Carrier Group, night and day. On the 25th May, Argentina's 'National day', she was heading towards San Carlos / Falkland Sound, alongside the Atlantic Conveyor, on her port side,(and on the same track), also with the rest of the Carrier Group, when the Atlantic Conveyor was struck by 1 (possibly 2) Exorcet missle(s). 'Chaff' from several ships confused the Exocet(s) and it (they) took the biggest target available on the new course. RFA Regent at this time had a minimum of 6 (six) Nuclear weapons on board. Source; 'No Sea too Rough' by Geoff Puddefoot. On the 26th May RFA Regent replished RFA Resource, (which had just left San Carlos Water) also handing over 3 of the 'special weapons'. RFA Regent, went to Grytviken in South Georgia for the last week of the Conflict, to 'top up' from MV Avelona Star, MV Saxonia and MV Geestport. Just as she was to sail back to the Falklands, (as the ropes were untied from one of the 3 re-fridgerated STUFT ships), the white flag was raised in Port Stanley. South Thule still had to be recaptured, as it was British Territory with the South Sandwich Islands, and still occupied by Argentinians'. So RFA Olmeda, HMS Yarmouth and the Endurance were selected to go and reclaim the Island, in 'Operation Keyhole'. On RFA Regents' way back to the Falkland Islands she replenished with RFA Olmeda, giving her many pallets of food via 'jackstay' for the (possibly long operation). Endurance also crammed RFA Regent's Wessex in to their hanger with two wasps, for the operation. She continued on to the Carrier Group and Port Stanley. RFA Regent returned to the U.K (Rosyth) to a warm welcome under the Fourth Bridge on the 15th September, after 148 days at sea. She also took part in the first Gulf War.
Regent was decommissioned on October 1992, sailed from Devonport on 21 January 1993, and was renamed Shahzadelal for the delivery run to the Indian breakers, and arrived at Alang for scrapping on 19 February 1993.