Refuelling from RFA ships. Can you name some, please?

[KShips]

Hi there,

I am trying to keep records of destinations and events of my grandfather's time at sea. He served 15 years the RFA. All I want to know is what Royal Navy ships did the following RFA ships supply between those dates and any other special events (exercises, etc.....).

Do you remember (both if you were on the RFA ship or on a Royal Navy ship) from what ship did you get refuelled or supplied, please?

RFA Fort Duquesne: 25/5/1955 - 22/12/1956; 13/2/1963 - 5/2/1964
RFA Tideflow (those days - 'Tiderace'): 24/7/1957 - 21/8/1959
RAFA Tide Austral: 23/8/1959 - 28/6/1960; 13/9/1960 - 4/6/1962
RFA Wave Knight: 29/6/1960 - 12/9/1960
RFA Wave Chief: 23/2/1965 - 16/1/1967; 19/6/1967 - 17/1/1968; 5/2/1968 - 31/5/1968
RFA Tidereach: 5/11/1968 - 21/3/1970

All I know is that from RFA Tidereach, HMS Argonaut was refuelled somewhere between 1968 and 1970.

Thank you for your cooperation,
KShips

[Lancastrian]

Hello K Ships,
Best of luck with your search. Although RFAs kept records of every replenishment, these were sent in reports to the MoD every month and I doubt many people kept complete details in their personal records. But you never know.
As we have discovered, I sailed with your grandfather in Wave Chief in 67/68 but I dont have any lists of replenishments.
I would just point out that the correct prefix for Tide Austral was RFA.
Although she was built for the RAN, they were not in a position to take delivery, so she was operated as an RFA until being commissioned as HMAS Supply in 1962.

[KShips]

Hello Lancastrian,

Thank you for correcting me; I've always written it as 'RAFA Tide Austral' because on my grandpa's discharge book there is RAFA Tide Austral.

Thank you,
KShips

[spoz]

Kships,

WRT Tide Austral, you're both correct. She was built for Australia but we couldn't afford her at the time so she was lent to the RFA; however the ship herself was in the (non existent apart from her) Royal Australian Fleet Auxiliary as that was the way we thought we would end up going. But, given the strength of the Seaman's Union in Aust at the time we actually could afford to run her and the fact that we knew that the USN ran their tankers as part of the navy we decided to commission her so she became HMAS Supply.

Spoz

[Lancastrian]

Thanks spoz, we live and learn.