text:
Ed Gebski

Ed Gebski is an artist from Amsterdam (born 1959 in Heerlen). His monumental canvasses are created in a darkroom where he works with silver-nitrate/oil paint. Only when the paintings are exposed to light do they reveal their colour and presentation. This process is akin to the development of photographs. The paint emulsion is removed after the painting process and then transparent colours remain on the canvas.

In 1994 Gebski won the first prize at the Dutch Prix de Rome. His work also was part of the exposition "Tot zo ver / Up to now", Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam at the end of December 2003.

1994
Koninklijke Subsidie voor vrije Schilderkunst, 1994, (cat)

Boogerd, Dominic van den, ’De mentale ruimte van de Prix de Rome’, HP/De Tijd, 23-10-1994.

Sütö, Wilma, Wel het gezicht, niet de ziel, De Volkskrant, 8 November 1994

Terborch, Lusette, 'Ed Gebski: 'Nonsens dat de schilderkunst op de intensive care ligt', NRC handelsblad, 10 November 1996.

Tegenbosch, Pietje, 'Prix de Rome, 12 November 1994.

Radio; Kunst & Cultuur -AVRO, vrijdag 18 November 1994.

Ophef en Vertier-VPRO Radio, Stedelijk Museum, Ed Gebski in gesprek met Joost Zwagerman.

TV: Kunstmest, NPS, Cultura, Gesprek met Ed Gebski

1995
Prix de Rome first prize for painting’ 94 (cat.)

Sütö, Wilma, De Volkskrant,’Couleur Locale’. 1-4-1995

Pieters, Din, NRC Handelsblad, ‘Galerie’, 12-5-1995

Fuchs, Rudi, Selected works from the collection of the ABN AMRO Bank, (cat)

1996
Hoet, Jan, De Rode poort, Luc Martens, Jan Hoet, Hans Martens, (cat) Rode Poort.

Depont, Paul, DE RODE POORT, De Volkskrant, donderdag 14 November 1996.

Sütö, Wilma, De Volkskrant, 'De olifant van de blinden', vrijdag 15 November 1996.

Hove, Jan, 'Puin en Parels in De Rode Poort', 15 November 1996.

De Standaard, 8 November 1996.

Velden, Ben van, 'Hier wordt energie samengebalt' NRC handelsblad, 8 November 1996.

Braet, Jan, 'Plaatsen van belang' 'Verzonken zelfportretten van Ed Gebski', Knack 27/4, 22 januari 1997.

Radio; Opium, AVRO, Live radio, interview Ed Gebski met Petra Possel en Matthijs van Nieuwkerk.

1997
Sütö, Wilma, Koninklijke Subsidie voor vrije Schilderkunst, 1997, (cat).

Romijn, Catharien, 'De Wonderlijke wereld van een hedendaagse alchimist', Limburgs dagblad, 15 oktober 1997.

Jansen, Peter, 'Anders onder de douche vandaan', Dagblad de Limburger, 16 oktober 1997.

1998
Tegenbosch, Pietje, 'Walking the tightrope', 'Het Zwarte Licht' 1998, Burret, T. (cat)

Terborch, Lusette, Ed Gebski in Galerie Loerakker, De Volkskrant, donderdag 8 oktober 1998.

Vermeijden, Marianne, 'Ed Gebski Het Zwarte Licht', 16 oktober 1998.

2003
Terborch, Lusette, ' De heksenkring van Rudi Fuchs', -Een afscheidstentoonstelling als zelfportret-, Vrij Nederland, 3 mei 2003.

2004
Spijkerman, Sandra, Trouw, Schilderen in de doka, 18 maart 2004.

2006
Fuchs, Rudi, Aanwinsten, (cat). Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, NL.

title: Ed Gebski


text:
RFA Robert Dundas

RFA Robert Dundas (A204) was the lead ship of her class of coastal stores carriers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Launched on 28 July 1938, the Robert Dundas was commissioned on 10 November 1938 and served until decommissioned on 8 December 1971. Laid up at Chatham, the ship arrived at Thos. W. Ward Grays, Essex, for scrapping on 3 June 1972.

Whilst in transit from Chatham, the ship was used by the BBC on 1–2 June 1972 as a filming location for the science fiction series Doctor Who. The vessel represented the fictitious SS Bernice in the story Carnival of Monsters.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: RFA Robert Dundas


text:
RFA Robert Middleton

RFA Robert Middleton (A241) was a Dundas-class coastal stores carrier of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Launched in June 1938 and commissioned in August 1938, Robert Middleton was active from 1938 until 1975. Decommissioned in March 1975 Robert Middleton was sold commercially the same year and renamed Myrina.

title: RFA Robert Middleton


text:
Talk:Ezequiel Martínez Estrada

"neurodermitis melánica"
Looking at a source for the article on Ezequiel Martínez Estrada, I have run into a Spanish-language term I do not know who to translate: "neurodermitis melánica". I have translated this conservatively as "a form of neurodermatitis", but I would like to be more precise. Does anyone know the English-language equivalent? -- Jmabel 22:16, 6 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * According to the Cancerweb dictionary, neurodermatitis is an extremely variable affliction of the skin caused by prolonged vigorous scratching, and expressing itself in lesion of the skin. Lesion is defined, by the same dictionary, as 'Any pathological or traumatic discontinuity of tissue or loss of function of a part.' So I'd suggest a definition like 'An affliction of the skin caused by prolonged vigourous scratching, the main symptom of which is the skin becoming dysfunctional, be it by flaking, or by ceasing to regenerate, or in any other way.'
 * Melánica appears to come from the Greek word for black. Compare melanism, which in Spanish is melanina; all three words share the same root. Putting these two together, I would guess that the concept in question is some sort of skin affliction which causes or leaves dark blotches on the skin. If you really want to know, I suggest you ask your physician: Spanish terms are close enough to Latin medical jargon for him to make an educated guess. You could also try to contact somebody at a hospital or university: just contact the medical faculty via the website, and ask "Can anybody help me, or else redirect me?" As it's a rather simple question, most people will be glad to help you.
 * Conclusion. I read your article, and personally, I do not think it imperative to actually say what form of dermatitis Mr. Estrada had - the article is very good as it is. However, I agree it's nice to be comprehensive, and if you would prefer to make this final touch, you had best ask a professional for a moment of his/her time.

Sietse

Propagandist writing
I've taken out "propagandist" from the description of the early revolutionary writings. They may seem propogandist in retrospect, but I don't believe that was the intention at the time of writing. Though I may be wrong on this.--Zleitzen 00:56, 29 August 2006 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Ezequiel Martínez Estrada


text:
RFA Rowanol

RFA Rowanol (A284) was a coastal tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Laid down on 27 September 1945, and launched on 15 May 1946 as Ebonol, she was the second ship to bear this name. Commissioned on 21 August 1946 as Cedarol, and renamed Rowanol on 18 September 1947. The ship was decommissioned on 3 December 1970 and laid up at Devonport. She arrived in tow at Zeebrugge for scrapping on 10 December 1971.

title: RFA Rowanol


text:
Uitlander

An uitlander, Afrikaans for "foreigner" (lit. "outlander"), was a foreign (mainly British) migrant worker during the Witwatersrand Gold Rush in the independent Transvaal Republic following the discovery of gold in 1886. The limited rights granted to this group in the independent Boer Republics was one of the contributing factors behind the Second Boer War.

Second Boer War
The vast Witwatersrand gold fields were discovered in 1886, and within ten years the uitlander (English) population of the Transvaal was thought to be double that of the ethnic Boer Transvaalers. These workers were primarily concentrated around the Johannesburg area.

The Transvaal government, under President Paul Kruger, were concerned as to the effect this large influx could have on the independence of the Transvaal. The uitlanders were almost entirely British subjects. Therefore enfranchising the uitilanders, at a time when the Crown was keen to consolidate its colonial hold in South Africa, risked creating a powerful fifth column that could ultimately lead to a power shift and the Transvaal passing into British hands, eventually turning it into a British colony. As a result, beginning in 1890 the Transvaal government passed a series of laws refusing voting rights and citizenship to immigrants who had not both resided the republic for fourteen years and were over forty years of age. This successfully disenfranchised the uitlanders from any meaningful political role. This attitude was called, "Krugerism".

This policy, together with high taxation, gave rise to considerable discontent. Their treatment served as the pretext for the Jameson Raid in 1895; Cecil Rhodes planned an invasion of the Transvaal to coincide with an uprising of the uitlanders in Johannesburg. Dr Jameson's force invaded, but the expected uprising never took place; the invading force were quickly overpowered and arrested.

From 1897 onwards, the High Commissioner for South Africa, Sir Alfred Milner, and the Colonial Secretary, Joseph Chamberlain, used the denial of rights to the uitlanders as their main point of attack against the Transvaal. They encouraged uitlander agitation and pressed uitlander claims, with veiled threat of war, upon Kruger's government.

In the end, British insistence and Kruger's intransigence led to the outbreak of the Second Boer War in 1899.

Upon its defeat in 1902, the Transvaal became a British colony. All residents of the Transvaal thereafter became British subjects and so the term uitlander lost prominence.

With the election of a liberal government in Britain, everything was returned to the Boers in 1906.

title: Uitlander


text:
RFA Oakol (A300)

RFA Oakol (A300) was a coastal tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She was launched on 28 August 1946. She served until being decommissioned in February 1965, and then served briefly as a food storage ship. She was scrapped at Ghent from 14 November 1969 onwards.

title: RFA Oakol (A300)


text:
Rik Emmett

Richard Gordon Emmett (born July 10, 1953) is a vocalist, guitarist, and member of the Canadian hard rock band Triumph.

Career
In Toronto, during the mid 1970s, several local musicians formed a progressive rock group called Act III. One member of the group was Emmett, who left to join Triumph. This led to the break up of Act III. Other members formed Zon. Emmett says that one of the songs he performed with Act III was "The Blinding Light Show", a tune which he later recorded with Triumph.

Emmett left Triumph in 1988 to pursue a solo career. His first solo album, Absolutely, was released in 1990 and became a moderate hit across the United States and Canada thanks to the hits "When a Heart Breaks," "Big Lie" and "Saved by Love". He is also a writer for Guitar Player magazine and teaches song-writing and music business at Humber College in Toronto. For a time during the 1980s, Emmett contributed cartoons to Hit Parader magazine satirizing the music industry. Due to a production error by Gil Moore and Mike Levine on Triumph's first album, Emmett changed the spelling of his first name to "Rik" rather than have the album recalled or cause confusion with fans.

Although he is best known as a rock guitarist, his playing style incorporates rock, blues, jazz, classical, bluegrass, and flamenco techniques. Similarly, his songwriting and discography demonstrate his ability to employ and blend multiple genres. In April 2005, he won the Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for Guitarist of the Year.

Emmett is also a proficient singer, splitting lead vocal duties of Triumph with Gil Moore. Emmett's voice also has a noticeable resemblance to that of Geddy Lee of Canadian progressive rock band Rush, leading to the band's sound sometimes being compared to that of Rush.

In 2007, Emmett joined former Triumph bandmates Gil Moore and Mike Levine for their induction into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame. On Sunday April 6, 2008, at The 2008 JUNO Awards, Triumph was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS).

As a result of positive audience response to their dual guitar work in live shows, Emmett and guitarist Dave Dunlop formed the duo Strung-Out Troubadours. In 2007, they won 'Album of the Year' and 'Group/Duo of the Year' at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, where they were the most heavily nominated act. Both were also nominated for 'Best Guitarist'.

Emmett's 2018 tour with Dunlop may prove to be his last, citing an interest in retirement, or at least an extended break.

As of January 2019, Emmett is on hiatus from touring.

Emmett revealed that he is being treated for prostate cancer in 2024. He also has developed arthritis in his hands.

Solo albums

 * Absolutely (1990)
 * Ipso Facto (1992)
 * The Spiral Notebook (1995)
 * Ten Invitations from the Mistress of Mr. E. (1997)
 * Swing Shift (1997)
 * Raw Quartet (1999)
 * Handiwork (2002)
 * Good Faith (2003)
 * Then Again: Acoustic Selections from the Triumph Catalogue (2012)
 * Marco's Secret Songbook (2012)

Live albums

 * Rik Emmett LIVE at Berklee (2000)
 * ‘’Live at Hugh’s Room’’ (2007)

DVDs

 * One Night in Cinci (2005)
 * Live at 10 Gigs (2005)

with Triumph

 * Triumph (1976)
 * Rock & Roll Machine (1977)
 * Just a Game (1979)
 * Progressions of Power (1980)
 * Allied Forces (1981)
 * Never Surrender (1982)
 * Thunder Seven (1984)
 * The Sport of Kings (1986)
 * Surveillance (1987)

with Sam Reid

 * The Spirit of Christmas (1999)

with Strung-Out Troubadours

 * Strung-Out Troubadours (2006)
 * Push & Pull (2009)
 * reCOVERy room 9 (2011)

with Airtime

 * Liberty Manifesto (2007)

with Pavlo and Oscar Lopez

 * Trifecta (2009)

with RESolution9

 * RES9 (2016)

Soundtrack appearances

 * "Saved by Love" (from Problem Child 2) (1991)

title: Rik Emmett


text:
André Manuel

André Manuel (born 1966 in Diepenheim, Overijssel) is a Dutch singer and performer. Manuel sings in his regional dialect, and is known for his critical and sometimes cryptic lyrics.

His first band was called Fratsen (meaning antics in Dutch), formed in 1985. After that group disbanded, he formed Krang, in 1996; they were nominated for an Edison Award in 2000.

Krang split in 2004, and Manuel continued to perform as a solo artist, and published a book entitled Het Tragische Einde Van De Nederlander Zoals Wij Hem Kennen ("The Tragic End Of The Dutchman As We Know Him"). In 2015 Manuel won the Poelifinario Award, an important Dutch award for theatrical artists.

Fratsen reunited in 2014 and released the album Caspar. They went on tour, and released a second album, Spookt, in 2017.

title: André Manuel


text:
RFA Abbeydale

RFA Abbeydale (A109) was a fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and was originally one of six ships ordered by the British Tanker Co which were purchased on the stocks by the Admiralty. She was built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd and launched on 28 December 1936. Abbeydale served until being decommissioned on 18 September 1959 and laid up at HMNB Devonport. She was then sold for scrapping, arriving at the Thos. W. Ward breakers' yards at Barrow-in-Furness on 4 September 1960.

Career
Ordered by the British Tanker Company in 1936, Abbeydale was built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend and launched on 28 December 1936. She was taken over by the Admiralty on 4 March 1937 after completing her sea trials, and on 5 March 1937 sailed from the River Tyne bound for Trinidad on her maiden voyage. She made several voyages between Abadan on the Persian Gulf, and on the outbreak of the Second World War she was returning to the UK from Australia and New Zealand. She sailed to Trinidad in October 1939 and in December was at Kingston, Jamaica. On 29 December 1939 the German newspaper Bremer Zeituag falsely reported Abbeydale as one of a number of ships that had been sunk. Early 1940 was spent in the Caribbean and Pacific, calling at Callao, Colón, Kingston and Bermuda. On 30 March 1940 she caught fire at Bermuda while moored alongside RFA Orangeleaf. Both ships were damaged.

Abbeydale returned to the UK in May 1940. She was refitted on the River Clyde in November and December 1940, returning to the Caribbean in early 1941. From there she operated in the South Atlantic, calling at Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. She underwent repairs at Trinidad in September 1941 and at New Orleans from December 1941 to January 1942. Abbeydale arrived at Freetown in February 1942, and sailed from there to Saint Helena. She operated from Saint Helena and into the Atlantic over the next few months, refuelling Royal Navy warships. In October she was refitted at Gibraltar as a defensively equipped merchant ship and in November was assigned to support Operation Torch, the allied invasion of North Africa. For her service she was awarded the battle honour "North Africa 1942". She sustained some damage that month after colliding with a sunken wreck off Oran, damage that had been repaired by December. In January 1943 Abbeydale returned to the UK to undergo more thorough repairs and refitting, and in March sailed for New York with a convoy, before returning to the Mediterranean with a convoy the following month.

In May 1943 she was assigned to Operation Husky, the allied invasion of Sicily. On 18 June 1943 Abbeydale sailed from Gibraltar bound for Alexandria in Convoy XTG 2. On 27 June 1943 she was torpedoed by U-73 off the Algerian coast. There were no fatalities, but Abbeydale was severely damaged, breaking in two. HMS Salvestor towed the damaged vessel to Algiers, with both parts later towed to Taranto dockyard, the aft section arriving on 14 October 1944 and the fore section on 18 October 1944. Work to reunite the halves did not begin until 30 May 1945, and the repaired Abbeydale did not return to service until June 1946.

Postwar, Abbeydale spent most of her time sailing between the UK, the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean and the Pacific, with occasional visits to the Caribbean. On 19 June 1954, while sailing from Finnart to the Persian Gulf, she was involved in a collision with the British steamer Charles Dickens at Aden. The Charles Dickens struck the moored Abbeydale while attempting to berth, with both vessels sustaining some damage. On 18 September 1959 Abbeydale was laid up at Devonport, and was put up for sale on 5 July 1960. She was sold on 11 August 1960 to British Iron & Steel Corporation for scrapping, and on 4 September 1960 arrived under tow from the tug Campaigner at Thos. W. Ward breakers' yards at Barrow-in-Furness. Her scrapping began on 14 September 1960.

title: RFA Abbeydale


text:
RFA Arndale

RFA Arndale (A133) was a Dale-class fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, originally one of six ships ordered by the British Tanker Company which were purchased on the stocks by the Admiralty. She was decommissioned on 12 August 1959 and was laid up at Rosyth.

Career
Ordered by the British Tanker Company in 1936, Arndale was built by Swan Hunter and Wigham Richardson Ltd, Wallsend and launched on 5 August 1937. She was taken over by the Admiralty on 28 September 1937 after completing her sea trials, and on 29 September 1937 sailed from the River Tyne bound for Trinidad on her maiden voyage. She went out to the Pacific in 1938, sailing to Auckland, New Zealand via Abadan on the Persian Gulf, before returning to the UK in early 1939. She returned to the Pacific in 1939, and on the outbreak of the Second World War, was travelling back to the UK via the Mediterranean. She arrived at Portsmouth on 31 October, but was involved in a collision with RFA Distol at Gosport Oil Fuel Jetty. In November she sailed to Trinidad, returning to the UK in December via Halifax, Nova Scotia.

After undergoing some repairs on the River Clyde in January 1940, Arndale returned to Trinidad in February, before travelling on to the River Plate and then Port Stanley, Falkland Islands in April. The rest of the year, and into 1941, was spent in the South Atlantic, with calls at Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo, before sailing to Gibraltar in April 1941. Arndale was back in the Caribbean in September 1941, having arrived at Curaçao via Key West and New Orleans. She was once more in service off the South American coastline and in the Caribbean, undergoing repairs at New Orleans from March to April 1942. In May she sailed from Trinidad bound for Cape Town, moving on to Mombasa in July, and then to Durban in November. After a period dry docked between June and July 1943, she sailed to Bandar Abbas in September 1943, she made her way to Trincomalee, via Bombay, Colombo and Addu Atoll. Arndale was active in the Indian Ocean, refuelling British, Australian and US warships, before being assigned to Task Force 67 in Operation Transom, a bombing raid on Japanese targets at Surabaya, Java in April 1944. On 30 May Arndale was involved in a collision, and was by now suffering from engine defects. She underwent repairs at Brisbane in July 1944, but on 28 August 1944 was again involved in a collision, this time with the cruiser HMS Ceylon (30), during refuelling.

Arndale returned to the Indian Ocean in September, and moved to Australian waters in November. She refuelled warships of the Royal Australian Navy during this period, before being assigned to Force 69 in January 1945, supporting Force 63 for Operation Meridian I on 24 January, and Operation Meridian II on 29 January. Arndale returned to Australia on 7 February 1945, berthing at Fremantle. In February 1945 she sailed to Manus Island, in the Admiralty Islands, and in March was allocated to Operation Iceberg, the allied invasion of Okinawa. She moved forward to Leyte Gulf in March 1945 with the other auxiliaries and spent the rest of the war attached to the fleet train of the British Pacific Fleet. She was badly damaged by fire in August 1945 and repaired at Brisbane, before visiting Hong Kong in October 1945.

Arndale returned to the UK in March 1946 and underwent a refit at Swan Hunter's yards. Returning to service, she spent her postwar career making regular voyages between the Pacific, Indian Ocean, Caribbean and the UK, supporting fleet operations. On 19 January 1952 she suffered a flooded engine room in heavy weather while in the North Sea off the Scottish coast. She sent out a mayday, and was attended to by the tugs Zest of Invergordon and Hengist of, Rosyth, being towed into Rosyth Dockyard on 21 January 1952. Between July and November 1953 she was refitted at Palmers Yard, Hebburn on Tyne, and between January 1955 and February 1956 she was on charter to London & Overseas Freighters. On 12 August 1959 Arndale was laid up at Rosyth, and on 4 December 1959 she was advertised for sale. She was sold to a Belgian shipbreaking firm in March 1960 and on 12 April 1960 Arndale arrived at Willebroek, Belgium to be scrapped by Sadeica Cie Anonyme. Brussels.

title: RFA Arndale


text:
RFA Bishopdale

RFA Bishopdale (A128) was a Dale-class fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Ordered in 1936 by the British Tanker Company, London, she was built by Lithgows, Port Glasgow. Acquired by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary before her launch on 31 March 1937, she entered service with them under the name Bishopdale in June 1937 after completion of her sea trials. She spent the interwar years sailing between the UK and Caribbean and the Pacific, and from early 1940 was based in the Caribbean. On 14 August 1941 her crew sighted the German cargo ship and blockade runner SS Norderney, which was subsequently scuttled to avoid being captured by the light cruiser HMS Despatch (D30) and the armed merchant cruiser HMS Pretoria Castle (F61).

In January 1942 Bishopdale sailed for the Pacific, travelling via Henderson Island and arriving at Sydney in April, for service in support of the Royal Australian Navy and other allied forces. She operated in Australian waters and off New Caledonia, refueling Australian and US warships. On 5 August 1942 while sailing from Noumea to Brisbane she entered an Allied minefield and struck a mine, but did not sustain any casualties. She again struck a mine in October 1942 in the Bulgari Passage, New Hebrides and was damaged. She underwent repairs in Sydney which lasted until February 1943. She continued to refuel Australian and US vessels, and on 14 May 1943 was at Cid Harbour simulating being a Japanese aircraft carrier so that the Royal Australian Air Force could practice night bombing on her using bags of flour. In June she moved to Milne Bay, New Guinea to refuel allied ships, and on 18 October collided with the American vessel SS Solon Turman (1943). Bishopdale was undamaged while the Solon Turman lost a small life raft from her starboard quarter.

Bishopdale was involved in another collision on 11 November 1943, while sailing to Townsville, Queensland in Convoy TN 177. She collided with the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) in Cleveland Bay, sustaining damage to her port quarter Oerlikon gun nest supports, while Bunker Hill's paintwork was scratched. From April 1944 Bishopdale was at Humboldt Bay, Dutch New Guinea refuelling allied vessels, before moving to San Pedro Bay in November to support allied operations in Leyte Gulf. On 14 December she was struck by a crashing Val dive bomber which hit the starboard upper bridge and then No: 3 wing tank, exploding on contact. One crewmember was killed, and a second mortally wounded. Bishopdale sustained considerable damage and was out of action for several months.

After repairs, Bishopdale spent the final months of the war at Morotai refuelling Australian and US vessels, before sailing to Subic Bay and then Hong Kong after the surrender of Japan. She returned to the UK in early 1946, and spent the post war years sailing between her posts in the Pacific and the Caribbean, supporting fleet operations. On 8 October 1959 she was laid up at Devonport Dockyard, and on 18 November 1969 was put on the Disposal List. She was offered for sale on 22 November 1969 and again on 29 November 1969, and was sold to a Spanish breaker on 28 January 1970. She left Devonport for the last time on 11 February 1970, under tow for the breakers, and arrived at Bilbao on 17 February for scrapping by Luis Arbulu Arana (Hierros Ardes).

title: RFA Bishopdale


text:
RFA Broomdale

RFA Broomdale (A168) was a Dale-class fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She spent much of her career in the Indian Ocean and Far East.

Construction and design
The ship was ordered from the British Tanker Company of London from Harland and Wolff and was laid down on 29 December 1936 with Yard number 975. She was one of six tankers purchased during construction by the British Government to allow replacement of worn out ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She was launched as Broomdale on 2 September 1937, and was completed on 3 November 1937, entering service the same day.

Broomdale was 481 ft long overall and 464 ft between perpendiculars, with a beam of 62 ft and a draught of 21 ft. She was powered by Doxford diesel engines rated at 4000 bhp, giving a speed of 11.5 kn. Broomdale displaced 17338 LT, with a deadweight tonnage of 11650 LT. The ship had a Gross register tonnage of 8334 tons and a Net register tonnage of 4967 tons. The ship had a complement of 40.

Service
While undergoing sea trials at Glasgow on 4 February 1938, Broomdale was involved in a collision with the New Zealand Shipping Company's cargo passenger ship SS Ruahine. Broomdale underwent repairs at Greenock. She spent the first year of the war operating between bases in Scotland and Norway, on 16 May 1940 she was attacked by four dive bombers and suffered minor damage from two near misses. Towards the end of 1940 she was moved to operations in the South Atlantic based at Port Stanley.

In April 1942 she was assigned to the British Eastern Fleet at Ceylon. She took part in Operation Stab and spent the next three years fuelling and escorting convoys across the Indian Ocean. On 14 April 1944 she sustained minor damage from the explosion of the ammunition ship SS Fort Stikine, and then in August was accidentally torpedoed by the submarine HMS Severn (N57), rupturing two tanks and killing one.

After a brief trip back to the UK and the end of hostilities she was sent to the Far East, visiting Shanghai, Tokyo, Yokohama and Hong Kong.

She was refitted in 1947 and continued service across the world until sold in November 1959 and broken up two months later.

title: RFA Broomdale


text:
RFA Bacchus (A103)

RFA Bacchus (A103) was a stores freighter and fresh water distilling ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She was the second ship to bear this name, replace the one before her. In her time she would carry the pennants X03, B556, A103.

Service history
Built by the Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Dundee. She was converted to stores issuing ship in 1942, and reconverted to freighter in 1946.

She was used first on the Chatham - Gibraltar - Malta run taking naval supplies and a small number of passengers. With World War II breaking out she was given the distillation unit from HMS Resolution (09) and after then a stores ship. Attached to the British Pacific Fleet Train in 1945 she spent time at HMS Tamar in Hong Kong.

Post WWII
From 1946 RFA Bacchus started on the overseas sea freight service she would make the run through U.K, Mediterranean and Far East Run through the Suez Canal and Aden. In 1956 she took part in Operation Musketeer on the (Suez).

Laid up at Singapore, she was sold on 14 August 1962 and renamed Pulau Bali. Beached at Singapore on 12 August 1964 prior to scrapping.

title: RFA Bacchus (A103)


text:
RFA Airsprite

RFA Airsprite (A115) was a Sprite-class spirits tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She was laid up in reserve at Devonport in October 1963, and put up for disposal in January 1965.

title: RFA Airsprite


text:
RFA Nasprite

RFA Nasprite (A252) was a Sprite-class tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She served during the Second World War.

She was laid up in reserve at Devonport on 31 August 1954, and put up for disposal in August 1963. She arrived at Amsterdam for scrapping at Willebroek on 5 February 1964.

title: RFA Nasprite


text:
Ilan Mitchell-Smith

Ilan Mitchell-Smith (born June 29, 1969) is an American academic and former actor, best known as a co-star of the film Weird Science (1985) and Andy McCalister in Superboy.

Acting career
Mitchell-Smith's first passion was ballet. He studied as a child and won a scholarship to dance with the School of American Ballet. While there on his scholarship, he was discovered by a casting director and his film career began in 1982 at age 12 when he played a younger version of the title character in Sidney Lumet's Daniel. After a starring role in the 1984 film The Wild Life, he was cast as Wyatt Donnelly in the 1985 teen film Weird Science by writer/director John Hughes. The film focuses on two nerdy teenage boys who create a woman of their own (played by Kelly LeBrock), as they are unable to find girlfriends.

Mitchell-Smith starred in several other films and TV series, most notably The Chocolate War and Superboy; none of these brought him the same degree of recognition. He decided to leave acting entirely in 1991, his final role being a guest appearance on Silk Stalkings. Recently, Mitchell-Smith has performed select voiceover work (recording for two episodes—"Moon Warriors" and "Heads Will Roll"—of Fox's Axe Cop).

In 2017, Mitchell-Smith guest-starred in the fifth-season premiere of The Goldbergs, playing science teacher Mr. Connelly. The episode, entitled "Weird Science", was based on his film Weird Science, with series character Barry Goldberg believing he can make a girlfriend in the same manner as the movie.

Academic career
Mitchell-Smith received his A.B. in Medieval Studies from University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and his M.A. in Medieval Studies from Fordham University. He received a doctoral degree from Texas A&M University in 2005. As of January 2020, he is an associate professor in the English department at California State University, Long Beach (CSU Long Beach) in Long Beach, California. For several years prior to his appointment at CSU Long Beach, he was a professor at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Mitchell-Smith publishes on chivalry in the later Middle Ages, and he also publishes on cinematic, television, and video-game versions of medieval culture.

Table top gaming
Mitchell-Smith has published on Dungeons & Dragons, and is a staff writer for Talk Wargaming and writes a column for Forces of Geek called "Playing the Nerd". He works as a technical writer and editor for smaller independent game producers, and he is an active tabletop gamer and an organizer of tabletop game events in Southern California.

Personal life
Mitchell-Smith was born in New York City, New York. His mother, Clary Mitchell-Smith, is a psychotherapist, and his father, Larry Smith, is an art history teacher.

He met Susannah Demaree at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California. They were married in 1995. They have two children, born in 1998 and 2000.

Filmography

 * 1983: How to Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days as Milo Crimpley
 * 1983: Daniel as Younger Daniel
 * 1984: The Wild Life as Jim Conrad
 * 1985: Weird Science as Wyatt Donnelly
 * 1985: The Equalizer as Anthony Ganucci (TV series, one episode)
 * 1988: Superboy as Andy McAlister (TV series, 27 episodes)
 * 1988: Journey to the Center of the Earth as Bryan
 * 1988: The Chocolate War as Jerry Renault
 * 1989: Identity Crisis as Sebastian
 * 1991: Silk Stalkings as Gabriel Evans (TV series, one episode)
 * 2012: Axe Cop (TV series, two episodes; voice)
 * 2013: The Goldbergs as Mr. Connelly (TV series, one episode: "Weird Science")

title: Ilan Mitchell-Smith


text:
Fettes Brot

Fettes Brot was a German hip hop group that formed in 1992. In August, 2022 they announced to end their career by the end of 2023.

Band name
Fettes Brot means fat bread in German. "Fett" is a German slang term for "excellent" and brot is slang for "hash". The band took the name from a fan who called them "Fettes Brot" after an early gig, which was probably meant as a compliment, but the members considered it so bizarre that they took it as the name for their new group. Fettes Brot's longevity has meant that they are sometimes referred to as "Hamburg's hip hop dinosaurs" by the group members.

Success with Nordisch by Nature and Jein
When the group Poets of Peeze disbanded in 1992, its members Dokter Renz (Martin Vandreier) and Tobi Tobsen together with König ("king") Boris (Boris Lauterbach), Schiffmeister (Björn Warns), and Mighty founded Fettes Brot. The Schmidt brothers (Tobi and Mighty) left the newly founded band early on to pursue other projects, and the band released their first album, the EP Mitschnacker, on Yo Mama Records as a trio. Prior to Mitschnacker, the songs "Schwarzbrot – Weißbrot" ("Blackbread – Whitebread") and "Schule der Gewalt" ("School of Violence") appeared on the sampler Endzeit 93, released via the independent record label Wilde Welt Records.

The group's first commercial success first came with the single "Nordisch by Nature" ("Nordic by Nature") and the album from which the single comes. The song begins with the sound of a foghorn and is performed in parts in "Hamburger Platt" (Hamburg Low) north German dialect, a strong Low German accent, and in Danish, which has made the song something of an anthem in Northern Germany. The single remained in the German charts for a full month, but the band was determined not to let this initial commercial success become a one-hit wonder.

The group demonstrated their technical maturity with their first LP Auf einem Auge blöd ("Stupid on one eye", a parody of the phrase Auf einem Auge blind meaning "Blind on one eye"), which boasts versatile and humorous lyrics. The narrated stories and interwoven raps were received very well.

A year later Fettes Brot released their second biggest commercial hit and quasi-anthem "Jein" (a blend of Ja and Nein, meaning both "Yes" and "No"). The main line of the song's chorus asks the question: "Soll ich's wirklich machen oder lass ich's lieber sein?" ("Should I really do it or should I leave it?") and led to a strong fanbase being established in German speaking countries. Further singles included "Außen Top Hits, innen Geschmack" (a play on a popular commercial jingle for the aluminum foil Toppits: "Außen Toppits – innen Geschmack" ("Toppits on the outside – flavor within") where the similar-sounding album title means "Top hits on the outside – taste within") were just as successful.

Rapper Dendemann (then a member of Arme Ritter, meaning "Poor Knights" but also "French toast") had his first introduction to the mainstream in his collaboration track "Wildwechsel", also with Max Herre, Blumentopf, Spax (German) and Der Tobi & das Bo (German), which became representative of these artists. Fettes Brot were at this time very active in other areas: For instance, they created a unique radio transmission called Forellentee for Radio Fritz (German).

Change of direction
After their initial success, the group began to experiment with a softer sound and released the single "Können diese Augen lügen?" ("Could These Eyes Lie?") from the album Fettes Brot lässt grüßen ("Fettes Brot Says Hello"). Many purists voiced criticism as the band explored new paths and no longer focused on a pure hip hop music style. The songs "Viele Wege führen nach Rom" ("Many Roads Lead to Rome") and "Lieblingslied" ("Favourite Song") were successful as a double A-sided single and become an even bigger hit than both previous albums.

With the cooperation of James Last, the trio took a break from songwriting in 1999 and embarked on a creative pause. The break was announced to fans with via the publishing of an anthology of B-sides, remixes, and some exclusive material. Beginner, and Smudo of Die Fantastischen Vier, as well as Der Tobi & Das Bo made personal contributions to this anthology. Furthermore, the widely successful single "Da draußen" ("Out there") was released as a collectors edition in 2000.

After three years, in 2001, the fourth Fettes Brot album was released. The trio marketed a small comeback with the title Demotape using new alternative pseudonyms. The hit singles "Schwule Mädchen" and "The Grosser" could not be clearly categorized into a musical style. Additionally they released a collaboration with Skunk Funk (German), a pure hip hop single called "Fast 30" ("Almost 30"). Only a year later, in early 2002, they released their greatest hits compilation Amnesie ("Amnesia") and a DVD of the same name with extra short films. Three more singles were released, beginning in 2002 with "Welthit" ("World Hit"), from their greatest hits CD. In 2003, they released the Rio Reiser cover "Ich bin müde" ("I'm Tired"), which received extensive exposure on television. They made the collaboration "Tanzverbot" ("Dancing Prohibition") available as a legal MP3 download (as well as a limited CD and vinyl run), as part of the Hamburg Bambule (German) protest alongside Bela B. against the Hamburg senator Ronald Schill.

Comeback and founding of the record label
In 2004, the group founded their own record label, Fettes Brot Schallplatten (Fettes Brot Records).

In 2005, they represented Schleswig-Holstein in the Bundesvision Song Contest 2005, with the song "Emanuela" placing second with 130 points. A few days later on Valentine's Day, the single rose to third place on the singles charts. On 21 May 2005, their most successful album to date was released. The album was titled Am Wasser gebaut (literally "Built by the water", but is also a term describing a very emotional person who cries easily). This album was not as rap-oriented as previous ones and featured more soul influences.

The second single from Am Wasser gebaut was "An Tagen wie diesen" ("On days like these"), in collaboration with Pascal Finkenauer (German). The video, in which Finkenauer and DJ exel. Pauly (German) appear, depicts the activities of an ordinary day. It is ordinary, except that armoured tanks drive through the streets as if they were cars and the people take little notice of them.

On 6 October 2005, the three rappers won the Comet Award. They were the first band to win in two categories; they won both the category for "Best Band" and for "Best Song" ("Emanuela"). They were also nominated for "Best Video" and "Most Successful Download" ("Emanuela").

On 22 December 2005, Fettes Brot gave the largest concert of their career at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg in front of over 13,000 people. The concert was televised by MTV and numerous radio stations (e.g. Radio Fritz) broadcast it live.

D.O.C.H.!
Fettes Brot has sometimes used the pseudonym D.O.C.H.! ("doch" which is a German word meaning "yet", "to the contrary", and "but", although most often it means an emphatic, "damn right!" or "yes!") to publish songs which would not be suitable for the hip hop genre. This began with an extensive PR gag. In January 2006, Fettes Brot announced that they had signed the power pop band D.O.C.H.! to their label. The band was to consist of three 17-year-olds from Berlin named Boy, Paolo, and Typ. News followed promising a first single, a Hungarian tour in April, and the release of an album in September. When the single "Was in der Zeitung steht" ("What's in the news") hit radio and television for the first time, a distinct similarity to the B-side of the "An Tagen wie diesen" single was noticed. (Doktor Renz had sung both songs.) After this, fans began to suspect the photos on the band's website were counterfeit. An announcement was made on MTV's TRL program on 9 May in which the three members of D.O.C.H.! accused Fettes Brot of having stolen their song.

Bette Frost and Strom und Drang
In 2006, Fettes Brot released a single named "Fussball ist immer noch wichtig" ("Football is still important") for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. They also released "Falsche Entscheidung" in 2006 for the World Cup, with a video featuring the retired footballers Boris Amadeus and Stefan Bach. Since both were huge fans of the band they appeared without receiving a fee. After extensive touring in 2005 and 2006, Fettes Brot began work on a new album in 2007. In December, they held several small secret concerts under the name Bette Frost and played the new songs.

On 1 January 2008, they unveiled the new single "Bettina, zieh dir bitte etwas an" ("Bettina, please put on some clothes!"), but the song was known as "Bettina, pack deine Brüste ein" ("Bettina, tuck your boobs away") because Fettes Brot had changed it at the last minute. The song is about the German model Bettie Ballhaus, who at the time hosted a late-night quiz show in which, for every question answered correctly, she took some of her clothes off. She also happened to show her breasts, hence the title of the song. However, before the single was released, Ballhaus had left the show. Fettes Brot released this single on 15 February 2008. They also have stopped making soul music and have gone back to the "old" Fettes Brot, making party songs and rap.

Fettes Brot released their new album Strom und Drang ("Electricity and Stress") in March 2008. The album's name alludes to an 18th-century epoch of German art and literature, called Sturm und Drang.

Members

 * Boris Lauterbach (a.k.a. König Boris, Kay Bee Baby, Rock'n'Roll Coseng, Long Leg Lauterbach)
 * Martin Vandreier (a.k.a. Dokter Renz, Rektor Donz, Roktor Denz, Speedy Konsalik, Rostige Pforte, Hektor Ronz)
 * Björn Warns (a.k.a. Björn Beton, Schiffmeister, Flash Müller, Papa Geil)

Trivia
Björn Warns took the name Schiffmeister from the classic video game Sid Meier's Pirates!. In that game, when his pirate ship suffered a mutiny, an announcement came up starting with the English words "Shipmaster Warns: ...". The German language does not have a direct equivalent for "Shipmaster" ("Kapitän" is used instead, as per the English "Captain"), but when Warns translated it he made up the word "Schiffmeister". Schiffmeister also means "piss master" in the northern German dialect.

Fettes Brot has made a cameo appearance in the German independent movie ABCs of Superheroes (2015)

Studio albums

 * 1995: Auf einem Auge blöd ("Stupid in one eye") GER#29, SWI#22
 * 1996: Außen Top Hits, innen Geschmack ("Top Hits Outside, Taste Within" (pun on a commercial aired in Germany)) GER#10, AUT#21, SWI#14
 * 1998: Fettes Brot lässt grüßen ("Fettes Brot Send Their Regards") GER#9, AUT#30, SWI#27
 * 2001: Demotape GER#9, AUT#30, SWI#27
 * 2005: Am Wasser gebaut ("Built on Water") GER#4, AUT#9, SWI#23
 * 2008: Strom und Drang ("Electricity and Drive", a pun on Sturm und Drang) GER#3, AUT#9, SWI#14
 * 2013: 3 is ne Party ("3 is a Party") GER#3, AUT#20, SWI#19
 * 2015: Teenager vom Mars ("Teenagers from Mars") GER#7, AUT#29, SWI#27
 * 2019: Lovestory GER#12

Other albums

 * 2000: Fettes Brot für die Welt ("Fat Bread for the World") (Compiled with B-Sides, rare and unpublished pieces, and three new songs.) GER#10, AUT#32, SWI#55
 * 2002: Amnesie (with the DVD, all singles up to 2002 except Gangsta Rap) GER#41
 * 2007: Strandgut (Flotsam & Jetsam)

Live albums

 * 2010: Fettes GER: No. 4
 * 2010: Brot GER: No. 4
 * 2017: Gebäck in the Days – Live in Hamburg 2016 GER: No. 62

Singles

 * 1994: Definition von Fett ("The definition of phat")
 * 1995: Männer ("Men")
 * 1995: Nordisch by Nature ("Nordic by Nature") GER No. 17
 * 1995: Gangsta Rap (only on vinyl)
 * 1996: Jein (Portmanteau of "Yes" and "No") GER#10, SWI#7
 * 1996: Mal sehen ("We'll see") GER#68, SWI#23
 * 1997: Silberfische in meinem Bett ("Silverfish in my bed")
 * 1997: Sekt oder Selters ("Sparkling wine or seltzer") GER#81
 * 1997: Lieblingslied ("Favourite song") GER#81
 * 1998: Viele Wege führen nach Rom ("Many roads lead to Rome") GER#96
 * 1998: Können diese Augen lügen? ("Could these eyes lie?") GER#100
 * 1999: Ruf mich an ("Call me") (with James Last) GER#53, SWI#39
 * 2000: Da draußen ("Out there") GER#35, SWI#58
 * 2001: Schwule Mädchen ("Gay girls") GER#9, AUS#11, SWI#74
 * 2001: Fast 30 ("Almost 30") (with Skunk Funk)
 * 2001: The Grosser ("The greatest") (Cover of The Joker by Steve Miller Band) GER#26, AUS#49, SWI#75
 * 2002: Welthit ("Worldwide hit") GER#75
 * 2003: Tanzverbot (Schill to Hell) ("Dance ban") (with Bela B.)
 * 2003: Ich bin müde ("I'm tired") (Cover of Wolfgang Michels and Rio Reiser) GER#87
 * 2005: Emanuela GER#3, AUS#1, SWI#20
 * 2005: An Tagen wie diesen ("On days like these") (with Pascal Finkenauer) GER#9, AUS#10, SWI#69
 * 2006: Soll das alles sein ("Is this supposed to be it?") GER#40, AUS#54
 * 2006: Was in der Zeitung Steht ("What it says in the newspaper") (under the nickname "D.O.C.H")
 * 2006: Fußball ist immer noch wichtig ("Football is still important") (with Bela B., Marcus Wiebusch of Kettcar and Carsten Friedrichs of Superpunk) GER#61
 * 2008: Bettina, zieh dir bitte etwas an! ("Bettina, please put some clothes on!") GER#3, AUS#14, SWI#43
 * 2008: Erdbeben ("Earthquake/s") GER#28, AUS#65
 * 2008: Ich lass dich nicht los ("I won't let you go") GER#55
 * 2008: Das allererste Mal ("The very first time")
 * 2010: Jein (2010 live) (Portmanteau of "Yes" and "No") GER#36
 * 2010: Kontrolle ("Control") (live) GER#90
 * 2010: Falsche Entscheidung ("Bad decision") (live)
 * 2010: Amsterdam GER#51
 * 2013: Kuss Kuss Kuss ("Kiss Kiss Kiss") GER#35
 * 2013: Echo GER#12
 * 2014: Für immer immer ("Forever always") GER#36
 * 2014: Fußballgott ("Football God")
 * 2015: Teenager vom Mars ("Teenager from Mars")
 * 2015: Von der Liebe ("About Love") GER#36
 * 2019: Du driftest nach rechts ("You're drifting right")
 * 2019: Ich liebe mich ("I love myself")
 * 2019: Denxu?
 * 2019: Deine Mama ("Your Mama Mor Din)")

EPs

 * 1994: Mitschnacker (Northern German slang for "Kidnapper", but also "chatty person")

DVDs

 * 2002: Amnesie (Archive DVD with music videos and other material, supplementary CD with all singles except Gangsta Rap.)

Compilations

 * 1993 – Endzeit 93 ("Final hour 93") (two songs)

Awards

 * ECHO 1996 als "Erfolgreichste deutsche Nachwuchsband" (most successful new German band)
 * Comet 2005 for "Beste Band" (Best Band) and for "Besten Song" (Best Song) ("Emanuela")
 * GQ Man of the Year 2005 as "Beste Musiker" (Best Musician)
 * Eins Live Krone 2005 for "Beste Single" (Best Single) ("Emanuela")
 * Gold Record for "Am Wasser gebaut" (Germany) and "Emanuela" (Germany and Austria)
 * ECHO 2006 for best "Hip-Hop/R&B national" Act
 * Bravo Otto Gold 2006 for best "Hip-Hop national" Act
 * MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 – Best German Act

Tours
Opener: Superpunk, Die Türen, 1000 Robota, Johanna Zeul, Bernadette La Hengst Opener: Johanna Zeul, Vincent Van Go Go Opener: Die Orsons, Kraftklub, Jarle Bernhoft
 * 1995: Klasse von '95 (Class of '95) – with Main Concept, Massive Töne, ZM Jay, MC Rene, F.A.B., Der Tobi & Das Bo
 * 1996: Sven, Sven & Sven live – Inkognito-Club-Tour, November
 * 1996/97: Spiel mir das Lied vom Brot – with Blumentopf, Massive Töne
 * 1998: Harte Tour '98 (Hard Tour '98) – with Eins Zwo und DJ I.L.L. Will
 * 2001: Schlechtwetterfront – with DJ exel. Pauly & Skunk Funk
 * 2003: Gute Laune Hölle (only in theaters) – with Die Herren
 * 2003: Jenseits der Grenze des Zumutbaren – support for Die Ärzte with Die Herren
 * 2005: Am Wasser gebaut Part 1 – with Pascal Finkenauer, Emel & J-Luv, Opener: Fiva MC & DJ Radrum
 * 2005: Am Wasser gebaut Part 2 – with Pascal Finkenauer, Emel & Patrick Gwada, no opener
 * 2008: Strom und Drang Part 1 – with eight musicians
 * 2008: Strom und Drang Part 2 – with eight musicians
 * 2010: "Fettes/Brot Tour – with band

title: Fettes Brot


text:
RFA Green Rover

RFA Green Rover (A268) was a Rover-class tanker small fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), built by Swan Hunter Shipbuilders on the River Tyne, UK and completed in 1969. After decommissioning in 1992 she was sold to the Indonesian Navy and renamed 'KRI Arun'' (903)

Design and construction
The Rover-class tanker were single-hulled tankers, designed to carry a mixture of fuel oil, aviation fuel, lubricating oil and fresh water supply for services around the globe; they could also carry limited dried stores of 340 tonnes such as munitions and refrigerated goods. They were built with a flight deck large enough to accommodate two helicopters, although no hangar was fitted. Although not big enough to support a large task group, these ships were ideal for supporting individual warships or small groups on deployment.

The keel of Green Rover was laid at Swan Hunter Shipbuilders Ltd's Hebburn yard on the River Tyne, UK on 28 February 1968, she was launched on 19 December the same year, and completed on 15 August 1969. She was in service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 1969 until 1992.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary
One of Green Rover's first duties was to attend Navy Days at Chatham, between 31 August and 1 September 1969, where she was open to the public and over 13,000 people visited the ship. In the September she towed the disabled RFAUX Appleleaf (A83) from the North Atlantic to HMNB Devonport.

In November 1970 she departed for a deployment to the Far East, returning by September 1971 where she carried out deck landing trials with the new Harrier jump jet while moored at Greenwich Pier on the Thames.

In 1973 she deployed nine times over three months, between 20 June and 22 September, in support of Royal Navy units operating in support of fishing boats from Britain off Iceland during the Second Cod War. After suffering from a major engine failure while operating as Cod War Station Tanker, she returned to Tyneside for the engines to be replaced in October 1973, by June 1974 this was completed, with the original engines being replaced with two 16-cylinder Crossley-Pielstick diesel engines.

On 17 September 1974, Green Rover departed HMNB Devonport to support Task Group 317.2, led by the Tiger-class cruiser HMS Blake, for deployment in the Far East. The task group also included the Leander-class frigates HMS Achilles, HMS Diomede and HMS Leander, the Rothesay-class frigates HMS Falmouth and HMS Lowestoft, the Ol-class "fast fleet tanker" RFA Olna and the fleet stores ship RFA Stromness. Between 29 March and 26 April 1975, Green Rover, along with HMS Achilles and HMS Lowestoft, were ordered to the coast off South Vietnam, to support a small task force in the evacuation of British and Commonwealth citizens, known as Operation Stella.

Green Rover was again involved with the Cod Wars when, between 24 November 1975 and 1 June 1976, she provided support to Royal Navy units during the Third Cod War.

On 26 January 1977 Green Rover left HMNB Devonport with RFA Tidepool and RFA Tarbatness as part of Task Group 317.5, for an Atlantic deployment supporting HMS Tiger, the nuclear-powered fleet submarine HMS Churchill (S46) and six units of the 7th Frigate Squadron, until May. She was again present for a Navy Days, this time at HMNB Devonport during Plymouth Navy Days 1977, the year of the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II from 27 August.

1978 saw a six and a half month deployment around the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific supporting the cruiser HMS Blake, which was the Flagship of Task Group 317.7, along with the Leander-class frigate HMS Juno (F52), RFA Stromness and the Tide-class replenishment oiler RFA Tidespring, departing HMNB Portsmouth on 31 May. It formed up with the Devonport group of the Type 21 frigate HMS Ambuscade (F172), the Leander-class frigates HMS Hermione (F58) and HMS Leander, returning to the United Kingdom on 12 December. Notabley she was present off the Virgin Islands with the frigate HMS Juno between 5 - 7 July, due to internal security problems.

In 1980 Green Rover was deployed providing humanitarian relief off the Cayman Islands in the wake of the Category 5 status hurricane, Hurricane Allen, along with the Leander-class frigate HMS Scylla (F71).

She transferred around 1,350 impgal of fuel to Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Challenger in August 1985, while attempting to gain the Blue Riband (unfortunately the vessel overturned short of its target and sank without completing its crossing. ).

On 27 May 1988 Green Rover was placed in reserve on 30 days notice and was laid up in No 3 Basin at HMNB Portsmouth.

Green Rover was decommissioned in 1992 from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Indonesian Navy
In April 1992 the ship was purchased by her builders who then resold her to the Indonesian Navy for £6 million. She was towed from Portsmouth to the Tyne renamed C to be taken in hand for a four-month refurbishment before re-entering service for her new owners. Commissioned as KRI Arun (903), in addition to providing tanker duties, she also became the flagship of the Training Command in the Indonesian fleet. She is still in service as of 2018.

On 19 March 2018 Arun took on a severe list during a replenishment operation off Ujung, Surabaya. The exercise was cancelled and she was towed to naval facilities at Surabaya for technical examination.

title: RFA Green Rover


text:
NRP Bérrio

NRP Bérrio (A5210) was a fleet support tanker of the Portuguese Navy. She was built by Swan Hunter in 1969 at Hebburn, England as RFA Blue Rover (A270) of the Rover-class tanker and from 1970 to 1993 was part of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary. In 1982 during her British service she participated in the Falklands War.

In 1993, she was sold to the Portuguese Navy who renamed her Bérrio. She participated in Operation Crocodile (Operação Crocodilo) in 1998, as part of the Portuguese naval task force that rescued foreign nationals caught up in the civil conflicts in Guinea-Bissau and then supported the mediators of the CPLP in the peace talks between the parties in the conflict.

The vessel was decommissioned on 1 June 2020.

Design and construction
RFA Blue Rover, later NRP Bérrio, was a single-hulled tanker of the Rover-class tanker, although not big enough to support a large task group, she was ideal for supporting individual warships or small groups on deployment.

She was designed to carry a mixture of fuel oil, aviation fuel, lubricating oil and a fresh water supply; she could also carry 340 tonnes of limited dried stores, such as munitions and refrigerated goods.

She was fitted with a flight deck large enough to accommodate two helicopters, although she had no hangar.

The keel of Blue Rover was laid at Swan Hunter's Hebburn yard on the River Tyne, England, on 30 December 1968, she was launched on 11 November 1969. A fire in a fuel tank which was under construction was the cause of death of two plumbers, Lawrence Burdis (aged 24) and John Kinkaid (aged 21), on 9 March 1970. It took thirty firefighters two hours to extinguish it. She commissioned on 15 July 1970. She was in service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 1970 until 1993.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary
One of Blue Rover's early major deployments came in February 1971 when she supported the Royal Yacht, HMY Britannia in the Pacific Ocean. On 23 February she visited the Pitcairn Islands in support of the visit of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh to the island.

In August 1972 Blue Rover was involved in "Project Stornoway". RAF Stornoway, on the Isle of Lewis, in the Western Isles of Scotland, had fuelling tanks which required 1,500 t of Avtur in readiness for a NATO exercise. She was anchored offshore and delivered the fuel through a specially constructed 2.5 mile long pipeline in a 22½ hour long operation.

By March 1973 the refit to change unreliable original 16,000 shp diesel engines was completed, being replaced with two 16-cylinder Crossley-Pielstick diesel engines.

May 1973 saw Blue Rover deployed in support of Royal Navy units off Iceland during the Second Cod War until June, and then again during September and October. In December she again visited the Pitcairn Islands, in the Pacific, however, she had a fire in the engine room while again supporting the Royal Yacht. HMY Britannia towed Blue Rover to Tahiti, the largest island of the Windward group, enabling temporary repairs prior to returning to the UK.

She had a busy summer / autumn in 1978, initially she was open to the public during Portsmouth Navy Days over 26, 27 and 28 August and over 20,000 people came onboard during. The following month when the head cook signed off his replacement refused to sign on. The second cook took over, but then he threatened to leave upon Blue Rover's arrival at Faslane, on the Gare Loch, Scotland. Then for the remainder of September she worked with the unique American submarine NR-1, a United States Navy (USN) nuclear-powered ocean engineering and research submarine, in the Irish Sea.

On 16 April 1982 Blue Rover departed HMNB Portsmouth for the South Atlantic as an aviation fuel tanker during Operation Corporate. She arrived and then departed from Ascension Island on 26 April, entering the Total Exclusion Zone (TEZ) around the Falkland Islands on 2 May. She joined with the Tide-class replenishment oiler RFA Tidespring and the Leaf-class tanker RFA Appleleaf and this group was escorted by the County-class destroyer HMS Antrim (D18) and the Rothesay-class frigate HMS Plymouth (F126) on 4 May, before heading for the island of South Georgia, around 1400 km east of the Falkland Islands, to act as the Station Tanker.

On 18 November 1983, in Operation Offcut, Blue Rover was deployed off Lebanon to assist British troops and civilians. She was ordered to stand off Beirut to support the County-class destroyer HMS Glamorgan (D19) and the Type 22 frigate HMS Brazen (F91), along with sister ship RFA Grey Rover, the Leaf-class tanker support tanker RFA Brambleleaf and the helicopter support ship RFA Reliant.

On 9 February 1993 she arrived at HMNB Devonport to remove supplies ready for her disposal. On 22 February she sailed for HMNB Portsmouth, arriving the following day. In March 1993 she was sold for £5.5m to the Portuguese Navy and on 31 March she was officially handed over, at Portsmouth.

title: NRP Bérrio


text:
RFA Sir Lancelot

RFA Sir Lancelot (L3029) was the lead ship and prototype of the Round Table class landing ship logistics, an amphibious warfare design operated by the British Armed Forces.

Sir Lancelot sailed with the British Task Force that took part in the Falklands War. Whilst in San Carlos Water, an Argentine plane dropped a bomb that penetrated her hull, but the bomb failed to explode.

Design and construction
Constructed by Fairfield S&E, the vessel was laid down in March 1962, launched on 25 June 1963, and commissioned on 16 January 1964. As the first of the Round Table class, it also became known as Sir Lancelot class.

Background
The ship was initially operated by the British-India Steam Navigation Company, then was transferred to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 1970. Round Table class ships were manned by British Officers and Hong Kong Chinese sailors from their introduction in 1963 until 1989, when Sir Lancelot was the last RFA to be crewed in this way.

1970s
Sailing out of Singapore, Sir Lancelot delivered 300 tons of relief supplies for the victims of the West Malaysian flood, which had been donated by the Government and people of Singapore.

1980s
In 1982, as part of the Amphibious Task Group engaged in the Falklands War, she entered San Carlos Water on 21 May and uniquely remained there for the duration of the conflict. On 24 May at around 10:15, she was hit by a 1000 lb bomb, which failed to explode, from one of four Argentinian Air Force A-4 Skyhawks. This bomb penetrated the starboard side of the ship and she was temporarily evacuated for eight days, pending its removal. This was effected by a team of Clearance Divers from Fleet Team Three and took 22 hours of straight work to achieve. The 1,000lb bomb was removed with the fuse still intact and 'live' in a protracted and delicate operation that required the removal of an entire sleeping-cabin from the deck above to allow egress of the weapon via chain hoists, sheer-legs and '...a very long piece of rope' - with which it was lowered to the sea-bed. For this operation the Team received one Distinguished Service Medal, two Mentions in Dispatches and four C in C's Commendations for Brave Conduct. ("Keep Your Head Down" by Commander 'Bernie' Bruen MBE DSC RN, Commanding Officer FCDT3) The crew were transferred initially to Red Beach, then RFA Stromness the next day, and RFA Sir Tristram a day later. Thereafter she remained in San Carlos Water providing accommodation and base facilities to a variety of military units.

Following the cessation of hostilities and some repairs, she operated around the Falklands until 26 July, returning to Portsmouth on 18 August, and dumping 25 tons of Argentine munitions into the ocean en route.

Service in South Africa
Sir Lancelot was decommissioned on 31 March 1989, and sold in June 1989 to the British company Lowline, which renamed the vessel Lowland Lancer. She initially operated as a cross-channel ferry on the Weymouth, Dorset to Cherbourg route. This was followed by a spell as the replacement Royal Mail ship while RMS St Helena was undergoing repairs. On arrival in Cape Town, the vessel stayed in South Africa and opened as a floating casino.

1990s
The ship was sold on in 1992 to the Republic of Singapore Navy, was renamed RSS Perseverance (L-206), and was commissioned on 5 May 1994 following a two-year refit. Perseverance was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce from 9 January to 17 February 2000.

Glenn Defense

In December 2003, the ship was sold to Glenn Defense Marine Asia, which renamed the ship Glenn Braveheart. According to US Court records relating to the extensive corruption scandal and convictions of very senior US Navy officers and other personnel involving bribery, fraud and "Sex-for-secrets" on the part of Glenn Defense relating to the service and resupply of Navy ships at Asian ports, the vessel would often deploy alongside the USS Blue Ridge, the 7th Fleet's flagship. When in port, the Braveheart would serve as "a giant party boat, with prostitutes in the wardroom to entertain US officers."

Fate
In early 2008, the ship was sold for breaking. She was taken to Chittagong, Bangladesh, to be broken up for scrap.

title: RFA Sir Lancelot


text:
HMAS Choules

HMAS Choules (L100) is a Bay-class landing ship that served with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) from 2006 to 2011, before being purchased by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The vessel was built as RFA Largs Bay by Swan Hunter in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. She was named after Largs Bay in Ayrshire, Scotland, and entered service in November 2006. During her career with the RFA, Largs Bay served as the British ship assigned to patrol the Falkland Islands in 2008, and delivered relief supplies following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

At the end of 2010, Largs Bay was marked as one of the vessels to be removed from service under the Strategic Defence and Security Review. She was offered for sale, with the RAN announced as the successful bidder in April 2011. After modifications to make her more suited for Australian operating conditions, the vessel was commissioned in December 2011 as HMAS Choules, named after Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy Chief Petty Officer Claude Choules. A propulsion transformer failure kept the ship out of service between July 2012 and April 2013.

Design and construction
The Bay class was designed as a replacement for the Round Table-class landing ship logistics logistics ships operated by the RFA. The new design was based on the Royal Schelde Enforcer design; a joint project between the Dutch and Spanish resulting in the Rotterdam-class amphibious transport dock and Galicia-class landing platform dock amphibious warfare ships. The main difference with the British ships is the lack of a helicopter hangar. The ships were originally designated "auxiliary landing ship logistics" or ALSL, but this was changed in 2002 to "landing ship dock (auxiliary)" or LSD(A), better reflecting their operational role. Four ships were ordered; two from Swan Hunter, and two from BAE Systems Naval Ships.

The Bay-class ships have a full load displacement of 16160 t in RFA service; this increased slightly to 16190 t after modifications for RAN service. Largs Bay/Choules is 579.4 ft long, with a beam of 86.6 ft, and a draught of 19 ft. Propulsion power is provided by two Wärtsilä 8L26 generators, providing 6000 hp, and two Wärtsilä 12V26 generators, providing 9000 hp. These are used to drive two steerable propulsion pods, with a bow thruster supplementing. Maximum speed is 18 kn, and the Bay-class ships can achieve a range of 8000 nmi at 15 kn. Largs Bay was fitted for but not with a Phalanx CIWS and a 30mm DS30B cannon when required for self defence. The RAN's webpage for Choules does not specify any armament. In British service, the everyday ship's company consisted of 60 to 70 RFA personnel, with this number supplemented by members of the British Armed Forces when Largs Bay was deployed operationally. The RAN opted to maintain the ship at full operational crewing at all times, with a ship's company of 158, including 22 Army and 6 RAAF personnel.

As a sealift ship, Largs Bay is capable of carrying up to 1,150 linear metres of vehicles; equivalent to 24 Challenger 2 tanks, 32 M1A1 Abrams tanks, or 150 light trucks. The cargo capacity is equivalent of 200 tons of ammunition, or 24 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers. During normal conditions, a Bay-class ship can carry 356 soldiers, but this can be almost doubled to 700 in overload conditions. The ship does not have permanent hangar facilities. However, a temporary hangar may be fitted and in Australian service the twin-spot flight deck has been extensively utilized with the embarkation of Blackhawk, MRH-90 and Seahawk helicopters. In the period one year prior to April 2014 the ship had clocked up 1,000 deck landings. The flight deck is capable of accommodating helicopters up to the size of a Chinook heavy-lift helicopter. The well dock can carry one LCU Mark 10, one LCM-8, or two LCVPs (either the Royal Marines version or the Royal Australian Navy version), and two Mexeflotes can be suspended from the ship's flanks. The LCM-1E landing craft being acquired by the RAN will not fit into the dock. Two 30-ton cranes are fitted between the superstructure and the flight deck.

Largs Bay and sister ship RFA Lyme Bay were ordered from Swan Hunter on 18 December 2000. Largs Bay was laid down at Swan Hunter's shipyard at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear on 28 January 2002; the first ship of the class work started on. The ship was launched on 18 July 2003. The ship was completed and accepted by the Ministry of Defence in April 2006, over a year late. Largs Bay was dedicated on 28 November 2006, the second of the class to enter service with the RFA. The Bay-class construction project saw major delays and cost overruns, particularly in the Swan Hunter half of the project. Shortly after Largs Bay was handed over, Swan Hunter was stripped from the project, with BAE taking full responsibility for the class and Lyme Bay towed to BAE's shipyard in Govan for completion in June 2006.

United Kingdom
Four months after entering service, an engine room fire resulted in steering and propulsion issues, requiring Largs Bay to be towed to Plymouth for repairs. In late November 2007, Largs Bay embarked 815 Naval Air Squadron 215 Flight and left home waters for the Caribbean to conduct counter-drug operations. She visited eleven islands including Barbados, Curaçao, Grand Turk, Martinique, Trinidad and also the USA. Three days after leaving Barbados Largs Bay's patrolling helicopter spotted a small fishing vessel stopped in the water and detained her after a pursuit; 575 kg of cocaine were recovered, with an estimated £20 million European street value. She participated in Navy Days while in port at Curaçao, where several hundred people toured her.

In late 2008, it was reported that Largs Bay was to replace HMS Northumberland (F238) for duties in the Falkland Islands. Northumberland was to have left for the Islands in December 2008, but was instead sent for pirate patrol off Somalia.

In early 2010, Largs Bay was deployed to the Arctic Circle. Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the ship was pulled from exercises and sailed on 3 February to deliver a load of relief supplies to Haiti. On 18 February 2010, she arrived at Port-au-Prince and unloaded 430 tonne of supplies plus 165 tonne of rations, while engineers from the ship began work on restoring electricity ashore. On 30 March 2010, she returned home. Largs Bay's actions were recognised in December 2011 with the awarding of the Firmin Sword of Peace.

In August 2010, the ship participated in the Bournemouth Air Festival.

Decommissioning and transfer
In December 2010, it was announced that the ship would be decommissioned in April 2011 as part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review. Shortly after marking Largs Bay for disposal, the British Ministry of Defence contacted the Chilean government and suggested the vessel as a potential replacement for the landing ship tank vessel Valdivia, which was due to leave service. In January 2011, the Australian Department of Defence announced that it was interested in purchasing the vessel for the RAN as a replacement for the heavy landing ship HMAS Tobruk (L 50) or one of the Kanimbla-class landing platform amphibious amphibious warfare ships. Interest in the ship was also shown by Brazil and India.

On 17 March 2011, the Australian Department of Defence announced that the RAN would be bidding for Largs Bay; this was followed on 6 April by news that a £65 million (A$100 million) bid had been successful. Sea trials during April showed that the ship was in good condition, although she would have to be modified before entering Australian service, particularly to allow operation in tropical conditions. During a 16-week docking at the A&P Group shipyard in Falmouth, the modifications were made, along with refit work to maintain the ship's Lloyds certification. The RAN also acquired two Mexeflote landing rafts for use with the ship.

On 13 August, it was announced that Largs Bay would be renamed HMAS Choules when commissioned into the RAN. The name comes from Chief Petty Officer Claude Choules, who served in both the Royal Navy and the RAN during his career, and was the last known living participant in World War I. Choules is the second RAN vessel to be named after an enlisted sailor, following the submarine HMAS Sheean (SSG 77). The ship was assigned the pennant number L100, reflecting the 100th anniversary of the RAN's origin in 2011. Her motto is "Face Difficulty With Zeal".

On 14 October, the vessel was handed over to the RAN. She arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia on 10 December, and was commissioned into the RAN on 13 December. Choules entered full operational service in early 2012, and is based at Fleet Base East.

Australia
On 24 February 2012, Choules arrived in Townsville. This was in preparation for a month of amphibious warfare training exercises with the Australian Army's 3rd Brigade.

In June 2012, one of the two main electrical transformers involved in the ship's propulsion system failed, after an earlier engineers report highlighted "overheating of the propulsion motors and transformers". Inspection found that insulation failure had short-circuited the transformer, while other transformers aboard showed premature wear. Unable to find an available spare, a new unit had to be ordered from the manufacturer. In June, it was predicted that Choules would be out of service for four to five months, but by October, claims were made that the ship would be inoperable until at least January 2013, and if all of the wear-showing transformers were replaced, she would not return to service until April 2013. By December, the faulty transformer had been replaced, and the RAN had decided that although the other transformers (propulsion and others) had been shown to have acceptable levels of wear, all would be replaced before Choules was reactivated. These repairs were completed in early 2013, and the ship was assessed as ready to re-enter service on 12 April.

For a short time from July 2013, Choules was anchored offshore of the Manus Regional Processing Centre in Papua New Guinea to provide temporary accommodation for Department of Immigration and other personnel, due to a lack of accommodation at the centre. In April 2015, the ship transported 46 Vietnamese asylum seekers back to Vũng Tàu, after their vessel was intercepted at sea on 20 March by Australian border protection units and their claims were rejected after interviews at sea lasting less than 40 minutes.

Choules' operational role was reevaluated after the Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ships entered service in 2016, but will likely be kept on to fill the role of the strategic sealift ship envisioned by the 2009 Defence white paper.

In March 2017 Choules was sent to Queensland to support recovery after Cyclone Debbie.

Choules was deployed to Vanuatu on 30 September 2017 to aid in the rescue of 11,000 people from a volcanic eruption of Monaro Voui.

In January 2020, Choules was deployed to the coastal town of Mallacoota in East Gippsland, Victoria, to evacuate thousands of people trapped by bushfires and to ferry them south to Hastings in Western Port Bay.

On 14 February 2021, HMAS Choules left Australia for Papua New Guinea with 5 Isuzu fire trucks donated by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.

On 11 March 2021, Gippsland officially announced Mallacoota as the new ceremonial homeport for HMAS Choules.

In May 2022 it was announced that Choules would be eventually replaced by one of two sought 'Joint Support Ships' under Project Sea 2200.

In early 2024 it was revealed that Choules had been fitted with a new CEA Technologies radar.

title: HMAS Choules


text:
RFA Lyme Bay

RFA Lyme Bay is a Bay-class auxiliary dock landing ship (LSD(A)) of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Ordered from Swan Hunter in 2000, the ship was launched in 2005. However, cost overruns and delays saw the shipbuilder removed from the project, and the incomplete ship was towed to Govan for finishing by BAE Systems Naval Ships. Lyme Bay entered service in late 2007; the last ship of the class to join the RFA.

Design and construction
The Bay class was designed as a replacement for the Round Table-class logistics ships operated by the RFA. The new design was based on the Royal Schelde Enforcer design; a joint project between the Dutch and Spanish resulting in the Rotterdam-class and Galicia-class amphibious warfare ships. The main difference with the British ships is the lack of a helicopter hangar. The ships were originally designated "Auxiliary Landing Ship Logistics" or ALSL, but this was changed in 2002 to "Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary)" or LSD(A), better reflecting their operational role. Four ships were ordered; two from Swan Hunter, and two from BAE Systems Naval Ships.

The Bay-class ships have a full load displacement of 16160 t. Each is 579.4 ft long, with a beam of 86.6 ft, and a draught of 19 ft. Propulsion power is provided by two Wärtsilä 8L26 generators, providing 6000 hp, and two Wärtsilä 12V26 generators, providing 9000 hp. These are used to drive two steerable azimuth thrusters, with a bow thruster supplementing. Maximum speed is 18 kn, and the Bay-class ships can achieve a range of 8000 nmi at 15 kn. Lyme Bay is armed with two 30 mm DS30B cannons, four Mk.44 miniguns, six 7.62mm L7 GPMGs, and two Phalanx CIWS. The standard ship's company consists of 60 officers and sailors.

As a sealift ship, Lyme Bay is capable of carrying up to 24 Challenger 2 tanks or 150 light trucks in 1,150 linear metres of space. The cargo capacity is equivalent of 200 tons of ammunition, or 24 Twenty-foot equivalent unit containers. During normal conditions, a Bay-class ship can carry 356 soldiers, but this can be almost doubled to 700 in overload conditions. Helicopters are not routinely carried on board, but a temporary hangar can be fitted and the flight deck is capable of handling helicopters up to the size of Chinooks, as well as Merlin helicopters and Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. The well dock can carry one LCU Mark 10 or two LCVPs, and two Mexeflotes can be suspended from the ship's flanks. Two 30-ton cranes are fitted between the superstructure and the flight deck.

Lyme Bay and sister ship RFA Largs Bay were ordered from Swan Hunter on 18 December 2000. Lyme Bay was laid down at Swan Hunter's shipyard at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear on 22 November 2002. The ship was launched on 3 September 2005. The Bay class construction project saw major delays and cost overruns, particularly in the Swan Hunter half of the project. Shortly after Largs Bay was handed over to the RFA, Swan Hunter was stripped from the project, with BAE taking full responsibility for the class on 13 June 2006. Lyme Bay was towed to BAE's shipyard in Govan for completion, departing on 16 July and arriving on the River Clyde on 22 July. The ship was the last to be built on the River Tyne. BAE completed construction, and Lyme Bay was dedicated on 26 November 2007; the last ship of the class to enter RFA service.

Operational history
Lyme Bay was deployed for three years on a Maritime Security Patrol in the Persian Gulf, based in Bahrain, acting in a support role of coalition and allied forces. In June 2012, Lyme Bay sailed from Bahrain to return home to undergo a planned refit and regeneration period.

In August 2013, she joined the COUGAR 13 task group. On 16 October 2013 she joined Operation Atalanta, the EU’s counter-piracy force off Somalia; she rejoined the COUGAR group in mid-November.

Lyme Bay has deployed for the COUGAR 14 Response Force Task Group exercise.

Between June and December 2015 the ship was on Hurricane watch in the Caribbean and had a Mexeflote and Combat Support Boat (CSB) with their crews from 17 Port & Maritime Regt RLC on board to provide the amphibious capability that had not been seen on APT (North) before. A team of Royal Marines and Royal Engineers were attached on board with a wide range of skill sets along with a Lynx HMA.8 from 234 Flight of 815 Naval Air Squadron for the duration. In September she spent six days off Dominica providing humanitarian and disaster relief following Tropical Storm Erika. This saw the Mexeflote transferring 10 vehicles ashore and 100 tonnes of water and aid, alongside were the HADR team to help the local population. Lyme Bay's assistance was also required by The Bahamas just a few weeks later after devastating effects from Hurricane Joaquin. Lyme Bay finished Atlantic Patrol Tasking (North) in December 2015.

Lyme Bay assisted with the search and recovery of EgyptAir Flight 804 which crashed over the Mediterranean Sea on 19 May 2016.

After 17 Port and Maritime Regt proving the true capabilities of the Mexeflote and LSD(A) Bay-class ships working in unison in 2015 during APT (North), both the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and 17 Port and Maritime Regt have secured a 3-year deployment with both LSD(A) and Mexeflote paired respectively.

An extensive refit in Falmouth took place in 2017. Lyme Bay was returned to the fleet after the refit and sea trials were complete on 8 March 2018. April 2019 saw RFA Lyme Bay take part in Exercise Joint Warrior 19-1, off the coast of northwest Scotland.

In May 2021, Lyme Bay took over as command vessel of 9 Mine Countermeasures Squadron operating from HMS Jufair in Bahrain. In May 2022, Lyme Bay returned to the U.K. for a refit. It was reported that she might be selected for conversion to a future Littoral Strike Ship role. However, the conversion itself was delayed and in July 2022 it was reported that the littoral strike role would in fact be assumed by RFAUX Argus (A135) instead. Lyme Bay herself was earmarked to join Argus as part of Littoral Response Group (South), which was to deploy east of Suez in the latter part of 2023. Lyme Bay and Argus deployed in that role starting in October 2023 with Lyme Bay embarking a company from 40 Commando and Commando Raiding Craft (CRC) from 539 Raiding Squadron RM. It is envisaged that Lyme Bay will be based at the UK Joint Logistics Support Base in Oman. It was subsequently indicated by the Government that she was to remain, for a time, in the Eastern Mediterranean with Argus as part of a broader British regional presence given the outbreak of the 2023 Israel–Hamas war. It was expected to carry aid materials from Cyprus to Gaza, but eventually delivered its aid to Egypt due to unaddressed safety concerns.

In March 2024, maintenance of Argus and Lyme Bay was undertaken at the Larsen & Toubro's Kattupalli Shipyard in India. The ships, escorted by HMS Diamond, had transited through the Red Sea to reach India. In April 2024, LRG(S) participated in Maritime Partnership Exercise with Indian Navy's Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean. The exercise included stealth frigate INS Sahyadri. The tasks conducted in the exercise included tactical manoeuvres, boarding ops, surface engagement against simulated asymmetric threats, cross deck visits & cross deck helo ops.

In July 2024, both Lyme Bay and Argus deployed to Australia for exercise "Predators Run" which included troops from 40 Commando Royal Marines, and also involved US and Australian forces.

title: RFA Lyme Bay


text:
RFA Mounts Bay

RFA Mounts Bay is a Bay-class landing ship dock auxiliary landing ship dock (LSD(A)) of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She is named after Mount's Bay in Cornwall.

Design and construction
The Bay class was designed as a replacement for the Round Table-class logistics ships operated by the RFA. The new design was based on the Royal Schelde Enforcer design; a joint project between the Dutch and Spanish resulting in the Rotterdam-class amphibious transport dock and Galicia-class landing platform dock amphibious warfare ships. The main difference with the British ships is the lack of a helicopter hangar. The ships were originally designated "Auxiliary Landing Ship Logistics" or ALSL, but this was changed in 2002 to "Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary)" or LSD(A), better reflecting their operational role. Four ships were ordered; two from Swan Hunter, and two from BAE Systems Naval Ships.

The Bay-class ships have a full load displacement of 16160 t. Each is 579.4 ft long, with a beam of 86.6 ft, and a draught of 19 ft. Propulsion power is provided by two Wärtsilä 8L26 generators, providing 6000 hp, and two Wärtsilä 12V26 generators, providing 9000 hp. These are used to drive two steerable propulsion pods, with a bow thruster supplementing. Maximum speed is 18 kn, and the Bay-class ships can achieve a range of 8000 nmi at 15 kn. Mounts Bay is normally unarmed, but is fitted to receive two 30 mm DS30B cannons, two Mk.44 miniguns, six 7.62mm L7 GPMGs, and a Phalanx CIWS. The standard ship's company consists of 60 officers and sailors.

As a sealift ship, Mounts Bay is capable of carrying up to 24 Challenger 2 tanks or 150 light trucks in 1,150 linear metres of space. The cargo capacity is equivalent of 200 tons of ammunition, or 24 Twenty-foot equivalent unit containers. During normal conditions, a Bay-class ship can carry 356 soldiers, but this can be almost doubled to 700 in overload conditions. Helicopters are not routinely carried on board, but a temporary hangar can be fitted and the flight deck is capable of handling helicopters up to the size of Chinooks, as well as Merlin helicopters and Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. The well dock can carry one LCU Mark 10 or two LCVPs, and two Mexeflotes can be suspended from the ship's flanks. Two 30-ton cranes are fitted between the superstructure and the flight deck.

Mounts Bay and sister ship RFA Cardigan Bay were ordered from BAE on 19 November 2001. Mounts Bay was laid down at BAE's shipyard at Govan, Scotland on 25 August 2002. She was launched on 9 April 2004, although it took several attempts to christen the ship, and she received damage after becoming entangled in chains and 25-ton weights during the actual launching. Mounts Bay was dedicated on 13 July 2006, the first Bay-class ship to enter service with the RFA. The launching of the ship was included in the film On a Clear Day (2005).

Operational history
Mounts Bay took part in the 2006 Vela Deployment. The deployment lasted from 11 September until 22 November 2006. In total approximately 3,000 British personnel and eleven ships of the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary were involved. This deployment saw for the first time, an Albion-class landing platform dock vessel, HMS Albion (L14) taking part in amphibious operations with a Bay class vessel. The deployment was divided into two phases, the first in local waters and the second in waters off the coast of Sierra Leone. For this deployment she was fitted with the Bowman communications system.

Mounts Bay demonstrated her lifting capability by transporting in excess of 130 vehicles, for the passage from the UK via Lisbon to Sierra Leone. After completing the Vela Deployment, she returned to the UK to load vehicles and equipment for Exercise Clockwork in northern Norway. She reached Sørreisa on 9 December. Sørreisa is within the Arctic Circle and is the furthest north any Bay-class vessel has been so far. After discharging her cargo, Mounts Bay returned to the UK, successfully completing operations from the Equator to the Arctic Circle in the last three months of 2006.

She attended the Dover Maritime Careers Festival on 23–24 March 2007, mooring at the Dover Western Docks. She was also in Fowey on 22 August 2008 for the regatta week. Mounts Bay was involved in Exercise Joint Warrior 2008, along with HMS Bulwark (L15), which acted as the Fleets Amphibious Flagship. HMS Ark Royal (R07) and HMS Illustrious (R06) also took part in the two-week exercise off Scotland.

She attended The Tall Ships' Races event in Belfast Northern Ireland between 14–17 August 2009 which was the finishing line for the competition.

In April 2011, she was deployed as part of the Response Force Task Group's COUGAR'11 deployment. In early 2012, she joined the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious (R06) and fleet flagship HMS Bulwark (L15) to participate in Exercise ‘Joint Warrior’ and other training missions with warships from the United States, Norway and the Netherlands.

On Armed Forces Day 2012, 30 June, she fired the salute in Plymouth as she steamed past HMS Argyll (F231), with the Earl of Wessex and the First Sea Lord on board.

Mounts Bay is scheduled to depart for Exercise COUGAR 2013, with Viking armoured vehicles on board.

In January 2016, she set sail for the Mediterranean, carrying the new Governor of Gibraltar, Ed Davis. She has further been deployed to the Aegean Sea to help NATO forces deal with the European migrant crisis. Mounts Bay docked at Gibraltar for one month of repairs.

On 19 May 2016 she was deployed to assist in the search for the missing EgyptAir flight MS804 in the Mediterranean between Crete and Egypt. By June 2016 she was tasked to the European Union's Operation Sophia to target Daesh gun and people traffickers.

After undertaking maintenance in Falmouth in March 2017, Mounts Bay deployed to the Caribbean to provide support during the 2017 hurricane season. She was tasked to assist in HADR operations at Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in September 2017 obtaining widespread media coverage.

In September 2019, Mounts Bay delivered essential supplies to the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

In March 2022, Mounts Bay participated in Cold Response 2022, a multinational NATO military exercise in Norway occurring biennially.

title: RFA Mounts Bay


text:
Auguste Chapdelaine

Auguste Chapdelaine, Chinese name Mǎ Lài (6 February 1814 – 29 February 1856) was a French Christian missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society. France used his death–– Chapdelaine was executed by Chinese officials–– as a casus belli for its participation in the Second Opium War.

Biography
Chapdelaine was born on a farm in La Rochelle-Normande, France. By the age of twenty, he had entered the seminary at Coutances. He was ordained a priest in 1843 and in 1851 joined the Institute of Foreign Missions in Paris. He left from Antwerp in April 1852 to join the Catholic mission in the Guangxi province of China. The Taiping Rebellion led to suspicion of Christians, and foreigners were forbidden to enter the area.

After a stay in Guangzhou, he moved to Guiyang, capital of the Guizhou province, in the spring of 1854. In December, he went, together with Lu Tingmei, to Yaoshan village, Xilin County of Guangxi, where he met the local Catholic community of around 300 people. He celebrated his first mass there on 8 December 1854. He was arrested and thrown into the Xilin county prison ten days after his arrival and was released after sixteen or eighteen days of captivity.

Following personal threats, Chapdelaine returned to Guizhou in early 1855, and came back to Guangxi in December of the same year. He was denounced on February 22, 1856, by Bai San, a relative of a new convert, while the local tribunal was on holiday. He was arrested in Yaoshan, together with other Chinese Catholics, by orders of Zhang Mingfeng, the new local mandarin on 25 February 1856. Chapdelaine was accused of stirring up insurrection and refused to pay a bribe. Condemned to cage torture (zhanlong), he was first beaten one hundred times on the cheek by a leather thong, which caused his teeth to fly out, his face mutilated, and his jaw lacerated. He was locked into a small iron cage, which was hung at the gate of the jail. The planks he stood on were gradually removed, placing a strain in the muscles of the neck, and leading to a slow and painful death from suffocation. He had already died when he was decapitated. His head was hung from a tree by his hair. Children were said to have thrown stones at the head until Chapdelaine's head fell to the ground and was devoured by street dogs and hogs.

Diplomacy
His death was reported by the head of the French missions in Hong Kong on 12 July. The chargé d'affaires, de Courcy, in Macau learned of the execution on 17 July and filed a vigorous protest on 25 July to the Chinese Imperial Viceroy Ye Mingchen. On 30 July, he sent a report to the French foreign office of the execution.

The viceroy responded to de Courcy by pointing out that Chapdelaine had already violated Chinese law by preaching Christianity in the interior (the 1844 treaty signed with France only permitted for the propagation of Christianity in the five treaty ports opened to the French), he also claimed that the priest was in a rebel territory and that many of his converts had already been arrested for acts of treason, and the viceroy further claimed that Chapdelaine's mission had nothing in common with the propagation of religion.

Under French diplomatic pressure, the mandarin who ordered his death was later demoted. When Britain went to war with China in the same year (commencing the Second Opium War (1856–60)), France initially declared its neutrality, but de Courcy made it known that French sympathy was with the British due to the Chapdelaine incident.

In 1857, de Bourboulon, the French plenipotentiary, arrived in Hong Kong and attempted to negotiate reparations for the execution of Chapdelaine and to revise the treaty. He failed to reach an agreement with Yeh.

Talks continued into December of that year. Viceroy Yeh on 14 December stated that he had received a report that the person who was killed was a member of a triad society with a similar Chinese name to Chapdelaine was executed as a rebel in March, and that this was not the same person as Chapdelaine. He also complained that in the past many French citizens had gone into the interior to preach, and he cited the case of six missionaries who had been arrested and were handed over to French custody. The French embassy found Yeh's reply to be evasive, derisory and a formal refusal of French demands. French military action began soon afterwards.

The Second Opium War
According to historian Anthony Clark, "there is no doubt Chapdelaine's death was exploited for imperialist gain". The French Empire had many times suffered the death of missionaries for which no military vengeance occurred. The political situation wherein Britain's victory was seen as inevitable and the French desire to make its own imperial gains in China, alongside the fact that the French did not have a policy elsewhere of punitive military expeditions to avenge the death of missionaries, has led many historians to conclude that the death of Chapdelaine was merely an excuse used in order to declare war so that France could build its empire.

Lord Elgin, the British High Commissioner for China commented on the French ultimatum given prior to France's entry to the war:"Gros [the French ambassador] showed me a projet de note [draft note] when I called on him some days ago. It is very long and very well written. The fact is, that he has had a much better case of quarrel than we; at least one that lends itself much better to rhetoric."

The Chinese version of Article Six in the Sino-French Peking Convention, signed at the end of the war, gave Christians the right to spread their faith in China and to French missionaries to hold property.

Recognition and controversy
Chapdelaine was beatified in 1900. He was canonized on 1 October 2000, by Pope John Paul II, together with 120 Christian martyrs who had died in China between the 17th and 20th centuries.

Anthony Clark maintains that China's version of history is "largely contrived" and completely unsupported, and that notions that Chapdelaine was "a lascivious womanizer" and spy are "unsupportable in any historical records".

title: Auguste Chapdelaine