.gif)
RFA Wave Chief (A265)
Encyclopedia
RFA Wave Chief was a Wave-class
fleet support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary
that was built in 1946 as SS Empire Edgehil by Harland & Wolff, Govan
, Renfrewshire
, United Kingdom.
She saw service during the Korean War
, earning a battle star. Wave Chief also served in the First Cod War and Second Cod War against Iceland
. She was extensively modified in the early 1960s and escorted Sir Alec Rose
around Cape Horn
, South Africa, in April 1968. She was decommissioned and laid up at Rosyth
, Fife
, in August 1974, and arrived at Inverkeithing
, Fife, for scrapping on 13 November 1974.
, Renfrewshire
. She was yard number 1306.
The ship was 492 in 8 in (150.16 m) long, with a beam of 64 in 4 in (19.61 m). She had a draught of 28 in 6 in (8.69 m). She was assessed at 8,187 GRT
.
The ship was propelled by two steam turbine
s, double reduction geared, driving a single screw propeller . The turbines ware made by Metrovick
, Manchester
, Lancashire
.They could propel her at 14.5 knots (28.4 km/h).
and three days later she was completed as Wave Chief, allocated the United Kingdom Official Number 180935 and the pennant number
X119.
Wave Chief was initially chartered out
before she was taken over by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She was operating in the Mediterranean in 1947, when one of her firemen
was discharged dead at Suez
, Egypt. In 1949, she loaded a cargo at Abadan, Iran and delivered it to Sydney
, Australia. On 25 June 1950, Wave Chief joined the United States Seventh Fleet
for naval operations. On 18 November 1951, Wave Chief was refuelling off the coast of Korea
when there was an accident which resulted in a large spill of fuel and damage to her rig.
On 27 July 1953, Wave Chief was awarded a battle honour
for her service during the Korean War. During December 1956 and January 1957, Wave Chief accompanied during the Duke of Edinburgh's
tour of the southern oceans. From 1957, she took part in Operation Grapple X, the British hydrogen bomb tests at Christmas Island
. On 13 November 1957, she ran aground at Batu Puteh, Singapore
, holing all but four of her eighteen tanks.
From November 1958, Wave Chief was deployed supporing Royal Navy
ships in operations off Iceland
in the First Cod War. These deployments continued until February 1961. In 1961, Wave Chief came to the assistance of the Haisboro Light Vessel which was sinking off the Norfolk
coast after being in collision with another ship. From September to December 1965, Wave Chief accompanied , , and on a goodwill tour of South America
. The squadron, under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Fitzroy Talbot
, visited ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
On 12 December 1967, wave Chief was severely damaged in a storm in the Mediterranean. Repairs were carried out at Gibraltar
. On 25 April 1968, Wave Chief departed from Punta Arenas, Chile to rendezvous with the yacht Lively Lady, which was being sailed single-handedly around the world by Alec Rose
. She escorted Lively Lady around Cape Horn
, South Africa
on 1 April. From 15–17 March 1973, Wave Chief assisted Icelandic Coast Guard
, Royal Air Force
and Royal Navy units in the unsuccessful search for survivors from the trawler
Sjoestjaman.
From May to August 1973, Wave Chief operated in support of Royal Navy units involved in the Second Cod War. She was decommissioned in August 1974 and laid up at Rosyth
, Dunbartonshire
. In September she was listed for disposal. Wave Chief was purchased for £208,825
to T W Ward Ltd. She arrived at Inverkeithing
, Fife
on 13 November 1974 for scrapping, which took place in 1975.
Wave class oiler
The Wave class was a class of replenishment oilers built for service supporting the Royal Navy during the later years of the Second World War...
fleet support tanker 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...
that was built in 1946 as SS Empire Edgehil by Harland & Wolff, Govan
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
, United Kingdom.
She saw service during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, earning a battle star. Wave Chief also served in the First Cod War and Second Cod War against Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. She was extensively modified in the early 1960s and escorted Sir Alec Rose
Alec Rose
Sir Alec Rose was a nursery owner and fruit merchant in England who had a passion for amateur single-handed sailing, for which he was ultimately knighted....
around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
, South Africa, in April 1968. She was decommissioned and laid up at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, in August 1974, and arrived at Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing is a town and a royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265. The port town was given burgh status by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century and is situated about 9 miles north from...
, Fife, for scrapping on 13 November 1974.
Description
The ship was built by Harland & Wolff, GovanGovan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
, Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire
Renfrewshire is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Located in the west central Lowlands, it is one of three council areas contained within the boundaries of the historic county of Renfrewshire, the others being Inverclyde to the west and East Renfrewshire to the east...
. She was yard number 1306.
The ship was 492 in 8 in (150.16 m) long, with a beam of 64 in 4 in (19.61 m). She had a draught of 28 in 6 in (8.69 m). She was assessed at 8,187 GRT
Gross Register Tonnage
Gross register tonnage a ship's total internal volume expressed in "register tons", one of which equals to a volume of . It is calculated from the total permanently enclosed capacity of the vessel. The ship's net register tonnage is obtained by reducing the volume of non-revenue-earning spaces i.e...
.
The ship was propelled by two steam turbine
Steam turbine
A steam turbine is a mechanical device that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam, and converts it into rotary motion. Its modern manifestation was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884....
s, double reduction geared, driving a single screw propeller . The turbines ware made by Metrovick
Metropolitan-Vickers
Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, they were particularly well known for their industrial electrical equipment such as generators, steam...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
.They could propel her at 14.5 knots (28.4 km/h).
History
Empire Edgehill was launched on 4 April 1946. On 27 July 1946, she was transferred to the AdmiraltyAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
and three days later she was completed as Wave Chief, allocated the United Kingdom Official Number 180935 and the pennant number
Pennant number
In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...
X119.
Wave Chief was initially chartered out
Bareboat charter
A bareboat charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible for taking care of such things....
before she was taken over by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She was operating in the Mediterranean in 1947, when one of her firemen
Stoker
A stoker is "one who stokes".Stoker may also refer to:* A fireplace poker* Mechanical stoker - a coal-feeding device on a steam locomotive...
was discharged dead at Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
, Egypt. In 1949, she loaded a cargo at Abadan, Iran and delivered it to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia. On 25 June 1950, Wave Chief joined the United States Seventh Fleet
United States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
for naval operations. On 18 November 1951, Wave Chief was refuelling off the coast of Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
when there was an accident which resulted in a large spill of fuel and damage to her rig.
On 27 July 1953, Wave Chief was awarded a battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
for her service during the Korean War. During December 1956 and January 1957, Wave Chief accompanied during the Duke of Edinburgh's
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
tour of the southern oceans. From 1957, she took part in Operation Grapple X, the British hydrogen bomb tests at Christmas Island
Christmas Island
The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
. On 13 November 1957, she ran aground at Batu Puteh, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, holing all but four of her eighteen tanks.
From November 1958, Wave Chief was deployed supporing Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships in operations off Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
in the First Cod War. These deployments continued until February 1961. In 1961, Wave Chief came to the assistance of the Haisboro Light Vessel which was sinking off the Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
coast after being in collision with another ship. From September to December 1965, Wave Chief accompanied , , and on a goodwill tour of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. The squadron, under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Fitzroy Talbot
Fitzroy Talbot
|-...
, visited ports in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela.
On 12 December 1967, wave Chief was severely damaged in a storm in the Mediterranean. Repairs were carried out at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. On 25 April 1968, Wave Chief departed from Punta Arenas, Chile to rendezvous with the yacht Lively Lady, which was being sailed single-handedly around the world by Alec Rose
Alec Rose
Sir Alec Rose was a nursery owner and fruit merchant in England who had a passion for amateur single-handed sailing, for which he was ultimately knighted....
. She escorted Lively Lady around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on 1 April. From 15–17 March 1973, Wave Chief assisted Icelandic Coast Guard
Icelandic Coast Guard
The Icelandic Coast Guard is the service responsible for Iceland's coastal defense and maritime and aeronautical search and rescue. Origins of the Icelandic Coast Guard can be traced to 1859, when the corvette Ørnen started patrolling Icelandic waters...
, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and Royal Navy units in the unsuccessful search for survivors from the trawler
Trawler
A fishing trawler is a commercial fishing vessel designed to operate fishing trawls. Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively dragging or pulling a trawl through the water behind one or more trawlers. Trawls are fishing nets that are pulled along the bottom of the sea or in midwater...
Sjoestjaman.
From May to August 1973, Wave Chief operated in support of Royal Navy units involved in the Second Cod War. She was decommissioned in August 1974 and laid up at Rosyth
Rosyth
Rosyth is a town located on the Firth of Forth, three miles south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to an estimate taken in 2008, the town has a population of 12,790....
, Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire
Dunbartonshire or the County of Dumbarton is a lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Until 1975 it was a county used as a primary unit of local government with its county town and administrative centre at the town...
. In September she was listed for disposal. Wave Chief was purchased for £208,825
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
to T W Ward Ltd. She arrived at Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing
Inverkeithing is a town and a royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, located on the Firth of Forth. According to population estimates , the town has a population of 5,265. The port town was given burgh status by King David I of Scotland in the 12th century and is situated about 9 miles north from...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
on 13 November 1974 for scrapping, which took place in 1975.