RFA Eddyfirth

RFA Eddyfirth (A261) was an Eddy-class coastal tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom.

RFA Eddyfirth (A261) approaching Portsmouth
History
United Kingdom
Name	RFA Eddyfirth
Builder	Lobnitz & Co., Renfrew, Scotland
Laid down	28 April 1952
Launched	10 September 1953
In service	25 April 1954
Out of service	1 April 1981
Identification	Pennant number: A261 IMO number: 5096834
Fate	Scrapped at Seville on 28 March 1982.
General characteristics
Class & type	Eddy-class coastal tanker
Length	287 ft 1 in (88 m)
Beam	44 ft 1 in (13 m)
Draught	17 ft 3.5 in (5 m)
Propulsion	3 cylinder Triple expansion steam
Speed	12 knots
Complement	8 officers, 18 ratings
Armament	No armament carried but fitted for two 50-cal machine guns on bridge wings and two 20mm AA guns aft.

Construction and design

Eddyfirth was launched at Lobnitz & Co.'s Renfrew shipyard on 10 September 1953 and completed on 10 February 1954. The ship had an overall length of 286 feet (87.2 m) and a length between perpendiculars of 270 feet (82.3 m). Beam was 44 feet (13.4 m) and draft 17 feet 2 inches (5.23 m). The ship displaced 1,960 long tons (1,990 t) light and 4,160 long tons (4,230 t) full load, with a capacity of 1650 tons of oil. Two oil fired boilers fed a triple-expansion steam engine rated at 1,750 indicated horsepower (1,300 kW) and drove a single propeller shaft, giving a speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).^[1]

Service history

Initially, Eddyfirth was based in Malta as support for the Motor Minesweeping Flotilla. In 1966 she returned to United Kingdom coastal waters, reclassified as a harbour oiler. Withdrawn from service in 1981, she was scrapped in Seville in March 1982. ^[2]