Name RFA Olmeda Laid down 27 August 1963 Construction started 27 August 1963 Length 198 m Builder Swan Hunter | Yard number 2004 Decommissioned January 1994 Launched 19 November 1964 Draft 7.3 m | |
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Commissioned 18 October 1965, as Oleander Renamed Olmeda, 4 December 1967
Niaxco, 5 July 1994 Operations Falklands War, Operation Granby | ||
RFA Olmeda (A124) was an Ol-class "fast fleet tanker" of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The second of her class, Olmeda came into service in late 1965 as Oleander. As with its sister ships, Olmeda's early service was routine. However, the ship had to be renamed from Oleander to Olmeda to avoid confusion with HMS Leander.
Olmeda joined the Armilla Patrol - the original Iraq/Iran conflict monitoring operation - in November 1980, carrying 2 x Royal Navy Sea King helicopters plus associated aircrew and maintainers, on a five-month deployment. Due to political constraints, the ship was not permitted to pass through the Straits of Hormuz and therefore remained stationed outside the Persian Gulf. Olmeda saw extensive service during the Falklands War, being one of the first ships to head south. The ship took part in the recapture of Thule Island. Unlike the other two members of the class, Olmeda did not serve in the Persian Gulf during the liberation of Kuwait in 1991, but accompanied HMS Ark Royal in the Eastern Mediterranean, acting as station tanker, refuelling Ark Royal and her task group, and supporting other ships on their way to and from Operation Granby.
Olmeda's service came to an end a great deal earlier than Olwen and Olna. In 1993, the ship was decommissioned, and was sold for scrapping to an Indian company.