RFA Spapool (A222) was a Spa-class coastal water carrier of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...

.

The ship was laid down on 13 August 1945 by Charles Hill & Sons

Charles Hill & Sons

Charles Hill & Sons was a major shipbuilder based in Bristol, England, during the 19th and 20th centuries. Established in 1845, they specialised mainly in merchant and commercial ships, but also undertook the build of warships and governmental vessels especially during the First and Second World...

 of Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, launched on 28 February 1946, and was commissioned on 14 June 1946, serving until 1976 when it was sold off by the MoD.

Spapool was purchased commercially in July 1976 at Mombasa

Mombasa

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....

 and used by Divecon Ltd. as a salvage vessel later that year for the recovery of M/V Southern Pioneer, a tanker that sank at Tanga, Tanzania

Tanga, Tanzania

Tanga is both the name of the most northerly seaport city of Tanzania, and the surrounding Tanga Region. It is the Regional Headquarters of the region.With a population of 243,580 in 2002, Tanga is one of the largest cities in the country...

. She was used as a bunker barge in Mombasa after the boiler was condemned. The ship sank on Christmas Day 1983, and was salvaged by Divecon Ltd., Mombasa in 1984, and scrapped.