RFA Tarbatness (A345) was a fleet stores ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.[1]
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 RFA Tarbatness (A345) |
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| Name | RFA Tarbatness |
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| Namesake | likely for Tarbat Ness in Scotland |
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| Ordered | 7 December 1964 |
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| Builder | Swan Hunter |
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| Yard number | 2018 |
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| Laid down | 15 April 1966 |
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| Launched | 28 February 1967 |
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| Commissioned | 10 August 1967 |
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| Decommissioned | 1980 |
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| Fate | Chartered by US MSC, later bought |
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| Name | USNS Spica |
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| Acquired | 30 September 1981 |
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| Commissioned | 1 November 1981 |
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| Decommissioned | 26 January 2008 |
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| Renamed | 5 November 1981 |
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| Fate | Sunk as target in Training exercise Sinkex, 9 May 2009. |
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| Class & type | Ness-class combat stores ship |
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| Displacement | 16,792 long tons (17,061 t) full load |
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| Length | 523 ft 4 in (159.51 m) |
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| Beam | 72 ft 3 in (22.02 m) |
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| Draft | 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) |
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| Propulsion | 1 × 8-cylinder Sulzer diesel |
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| Speed | 17 knots (31 km/h) |
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| Complement | 110 RFA + 50 Stores Working Party |
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| Aviation facilities | Fitted with a flight deck but no hangar facilities until purchased by USMSC |
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In 1981, the ship was bought by the United States Military Sealift Command to serve as USNS Spica (T-AFS-9).[1]
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