RFA Sir Tristram
Sir Tristram being carried home by the heavy lift ship MV Dan Lifter in late 1982
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | RFA Sir Tristram |
| Namesake: | Tristan |
| Builder: | Hawthorne Leslie |
| Laid down: | February 1966 |
| Launched: | 12 December 1966 |
| Commissioned: | 14 September 1967 |
| Decommissioned: | 16 December 2005 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Round Table class landing ship logistics |
| Displacement: | 6,407 t (6,306 long tons) |
| Length: | 135.8 m (445 ft 6 in) |
| Beam: | 17.1 m (56 ft 1 in) |
| Draught: | 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 16 knots (18 mph; 30 km/h) |
| Complement: | 51 |
| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | One spot for Westland Sea King or Westland Lynx aft, one spot for CH-47 Chinook, Sea King or Lynx on main vehicle deck |
RFA Sir Tristram (L3505) is a Landing Ship Logistics of the Round Table class. She was launched in 1966, and accepted into British Army service in 1967. As with others of her class, she was transferred to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in 1970. The ship saw service in the Falklands War of 1982, and was badly damaged at Fitzroy on 8 June.
In January 1972 RFA Sir Tristram was part of an Anti-invasion task force for British Honduras, together with Sir Bedivere and Sir Geraint. In 1977 RFA Sir Tristram was used as a guest ship for the Queens Silver Jubilee Fleet Review at Spithead in the Solent.
In April 1982 RFA Sir Tristram was diverted from Belize to the Falkland Islands to take part in Operation Corporate, the British effort to retake the Falkland Islands.
On the 8th of June while transporting men and equipment to Fitzroy Cove alongside the Sir Galahad, Sir Tristram was attacked by A-4 Skyhawks from Argentine Air Force's V Brigada Aérea (FAA), each loaded with three 500 lb retarding tail bombs. At approximately 14:00 local time the decks were strafed and two crew were killed. A 500 lb bomb penetrated the deck, but failed to explode immediately, allowing the remaining crew to be evacuated. Following the later explosion, Sir Tristram was abandoned. Immediately following the end of the conflict, Sir Tristram was used as accommodation by members of 97 Fd Bty (Lawson's Company) Royal Artillery, initially in Fitzroy, and again later after she was towed round and moored in Port Stanley.
After the war the hulk was re-floated and towed to Stanley, where she was used as an accommodation ship until 1984. Sir Tristram was then returned to the United Kingdom on a heavy lift ship and extensively rebuilt.
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Wikipedia