RFA Largs Bay (L3006)

History
HMAS Choules at Fleet Base East in August 2014
United Kingdom
Name:	Largs Bay
Namesake:	Largs Bay
Ordered:	18 December 2000
Builder:	Swan Hunter, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear
Laid down:	28 January 2002
Launched:	18 July 2003
In service:	28 November 2006
Out of service:	April 2011
Identification:	IMO number: 9240756; Pennant number: L3006
Fate:	Decommissioned under SDSR, sold to Australia
History
Australia
Name:	Choules
Namesake:	Chief Petty Officer Claude Choules
Acquired:	6 April 2011
Commissioned:	13 December 2011
Identification:	IMO number: 9240756; Pennant number: L100
Motto:	"Face Difficulty With Zeal"
Status:	Active as of 2016
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Bay-class landing ship dock
Displacement:	16,160 t (15,905 long tons) full load (RFA) 16,190 t (15,934 long tons) (RAN)
Length:	579.4 ft (176.6 m)
Beam:	86.6 ft (26.4 m)
Draught:	19 ft (5.8 m)
Propulsion:	2 × Wärtsilä 8L26 generators, 6,000 hp (4.5 MW) 2 × Wärtsilä 12V26 generators, 9,000 hp (6.7 MW) 2 × propulsion pods 1 × bow thruster
Speed:	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range:	8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Boats & landing craft carried:	1 LCU Mark 10, 1 LCM-8, or 2 LCVPs (Royal Marines version or RAN version) 2 Mexeflote powered rafts
Capacity:	1,150 linear metres of vehicles (up to 24 Challenger 2 tanks, 32 M1A1 Abrams tanks, or 150 light trucks) Cargo capacity of 200 tons ammunition or 24 TEU containers
Troops:	356 standard or 700 overload
Complement:	RFA: 60-70 core, increased for operational deployments RAN - 158 fully crewed
Sensors and processing systems:	RAN service: EID ICCS integrated communications control system
Armament:	RFA service Fit to receive: Phalanx CIWS 30 mm DS30B cannon RAN service: No armament
Aircraft carried:	None carried
Aviation facilities:	Flight deck can operate helicopters up to Chinook size. Temporary hangar can be fitted as required.

HMAS Choules (L100) is a Bay-class landing ship that served with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) from 2006 to 2011, before being transferred to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The vessel was built as RFA Largs Bay by Swan Hunter in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. She was named after Largs Bay in Ayrshire, Scotland, and entered service in November 2006. During her career with the RFA, Largs Bay served as the British ship assigned to patrol the Falkland Islands in 2008, and delivered relief supplies following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

At the end of 2010, Largs Bay was marked as one of the vessels to be removed from service under the Strategic Defence and Security Review. She was offered for sale, with the RAN announced as the successful bidder in April 2011. After modifications to make her more suited for Australian operating conditions, the vessel was commissioned in December 2011 as HMAS Choules, named after Chief Petty Officer Claude Choules. A propulsion transformer failure kept the ship out of service between July 2012 and April 2013.

The Bay class was designed as a replacement for the Round Table-class logistics ships operated by the RFA. The new design was based on the Royal Schelde Enforcer design; a joint project between the Dutch and Spanish resulting in the Rotterdam-class and Galicia -class amphibious warfare ships. The main difference with the British ships is the lack of a helicopter hangar. The ships were originally designated "auxiliary landing ship logistics" or ALSL, but this was changed in 2002 to "landing ship dock (auxiliary)" or LSD(A), better reflecting their operational role. Four ships were ordered; two from Swan Hunter, and two from BAE Systems Naval Ships.

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