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The Ol-class tankers were Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) replenishment oilers built from 1917 to 1919, tasked with providing fuel and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world. There were six ships in the class. Until 1936 they were managed by Davies and Newman with RFA crews, after which time they were transferred to the British Admiralty.
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ol class |
| Operators |  Royal Fleet Auxiliary |
| In service | 1918–1952 |
| Completed | 6 |
| Retired | 6 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Tanker |
| Displacement | 10,200 DWT |
| Length | 444.1 ft (135.4 m) |
| Beam | 57 ft 2 in (17.42 m) |
| Draught | 27.2 ft (8.3 m) |
| Propulsion | 1 screw, triple expansion engine, 3100 hp; 3 Scotch boilers |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) |
| Range | 10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 16 kn (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement | 43 |
The lead ship of the class, RFA Olcades, was originally built as British Beacon and acquired for RFA use in 1918. She was renamed in 1936. The six ships in the Ol class saw wide service during World War II as far afield as India, Singapore and the Far East.
Construction programme
edit| Name | Pennant | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Into service | Out of service | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olcades (ex-British Beacon) | X18 | Workman Clark, Belfast | 9 September 1918 | 9 October 1918 | April 1953 | [1] | |
| Oligarch (ex-British Lantern) | X12 | 1918 | 30 June 1918 | 1 August 1918 | 14 April 1946 | [2] | |
| Olynthus (ex-British Star) | X11 | Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Wallsend | 20 June 1917 | 14 February 1918 | March 1918 | 1949 | [3] |
| Olwen (ex-British Light) | X09 | Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow | 1917 | 3 October 1917 | 17 April 1937 | 1947 | [4] |
| Olna | X47 | His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport | 14 June 1920 | 21 June 1921 | 10 October 1921 | 18 May 1941 | [5] |
| Oleander | X46 | Pembroke Dockyard, Pembroke Dock | 1 December 1920 | 26 April 1922 | 20 October 1922 | 26 May 1940 | [6] |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "RFA Olcades - Historical RFA". historicalrfa.uk. 26 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "RFA Oligarch - Historical RFA". historicalrfa.uk. 26 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "RFA Olynthus - Historical RFA". historicalrfa.uk. 26 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "RFA British Light - Historical RFA". historicalrfa.uk. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "RFA Olna - Historical RFA". historicalrfa.uk. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "RFA Oleander - Historical RFA". historicalrfa.uk. 26 October 2008. Retrieved 21 July 2024.