Name Ol class Succeeded by Wave class | Preceded by Tide class In service 1965 - 2000 | |
 | ||
Builders Hawthorn Leslie and Company,
Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Operators Royal Fleet Auxiliary,
Islamic Republic of Iran Navy | ||
The Ol-class tankers were Royal Fleet Auxiliary "fast fleet tankers" tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world. The three ships in the class, RFA Olmeda, RFA Olna and RFA Olwen were an evolution of the earlier Tide-class replenishment oilers. The ships were replaced by the Wave class. One modified Ol-class vessel, Kharg, was built for the former Imperial Iranian Navy in 1977. The vessel was delivered to the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy in 1984, and is still active as of 2015.
The lead ship of the class was RFA Olwen, although she was launched as RFA Olynthus, before being renamed in 1967 to avoid confusion with HMS Olympus. Similarly, RFA Olmeda originally entered service as RFA Oleander, but was later renamed to avoid confusion with HMS Leander.
The three ships of the Royal Navy Ol class saw service in a wide range of locations, including during the Falklands War, which saw Olmeda take part in the recapture of Thule Island, and in the Persian Gulf during the 1990/91 Gulf War.