HMS ''Vidal'' was a survey ship of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. She was designed specifically as a surveying vessel, and was the first survey ship to carry a helicopter. In 1955, a group from ''Vidal'' formally annexed

Rockall Rockall () is an uninhabitable granite islet situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom claims that Rockall lies within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and is part of its territory, but this claim is not recognised by Ireland. ...

in the North Sea to the United Kingdom.

Construction and naming

''Vidal'' was built at

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th century ...

, and was the last surface vessel built at the Dockyard. She was also the first survey ship designed to carry a helicopter. ''Vidal'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 5 July 1950, was launched on 31 July 1951 and completed on 29 March 1954 at a cost of £1,345,000. In common with most of the survey ships of the period, she was named after an influential surveyor or explorer of the Royal Navy. In her case, this was the nineteenth century surveyor Alexander Thomas Emeric Vidal, who had surveyed much of the coast of Africa, and ranged into the Atlantic to survey the tiny islet of

. So far she has been the only ship of the Navy to bear the name. ''Vidal'' was long overall and

between perpendiculars Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...

, with a beam of and a draught of . The ship was designed to displace standard and full load, but was heavier as built, with a standard displacement of standard and full load. She was powered by four Admiralty Standard Range (ASR-1)

Diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

s, giving a total of and driving two shafts, giving a speed of . The ship was

air conditioned Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...

to ease operations in extreme temperatures, and was the first Royal Navy ship built with cafeteria messing. Helicopters operated included the Hiller HT.1, the Westland Dragonfly and the

Westland Wasp The Westland Wasp is a small 1960s British turbine powered, shipboard anti-submarine helicopter. Produced by Westland Helicopters, it came from the same P.531 programme as the British Army Westland Scout, and is based on the earlier piston-e ...

. The ship was armed with four 3-pounder (47 mm)

saluting gun A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sco ...

s, and could carry depth charges. She had a crew of 161.

Career

''Vidal'' spent her career carrying out surveys for the Navy, and supporting scientific work for the British government. The development of the Cold War led the British government to decide to formally annex

. This was authorised on 14 September 1955, with orders from Queen Elizabeth II transmitted to the ''Vidal'' detailing

On arrival at Rockall you will effect a landing and hoist the Union flag on whatever spot appears most suitable or practicable and you will then take possession of the island on our behalf.

The ''Vidal'' arrived in position the following day, but were unable to land any men as poor weather prevented the helicopter from flying. On 18 September 1955 at precisely 10.16 am,

Lieutenant-Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

Desmond Scott RN, Sergeant Brian Peel RM,

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

AA Fraser RM, and James Fisher (a civilian naturalist and former Royal Marine), were deposited on the island by a Royal Navy helicopter from HMS ''Vidal''. The team cemented in a brass plaque on Hall's Ledge and hoisted the

Union Flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

to stake the UK's claim. The inscription on the plaque read:

By authority of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and of her other
realms A realm is a community or territory over which a sovereign rules. The term is commonly used to describe a monarchical or dynastic state. A realm may also be a subdivision within an empire, if it has its own monarch, e.g. the German Empire. Et ...
and territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and in accordance with Her Majesty's instructions dated the 14th day of September, 1955, a landing was effected this day upon this island of Rockall from HMS Vidal. The Union flag was hoisted and possession of the island was taken in the name of Her Majesty. ignedR H Connell, Captain, HMS Vidal, 18 September 1955.

The plaque was still in place in 1997, but was found missing after the rock was visited by Greenpeace protesters. The formal annexation of Rockall was announced by the Admiralty on 21 September 1955. In 1964 ''Vidal'' carried the Chief Hydrographer, Admiral Sir Edmund Irving to

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

for talks with Admiral Anatoliy Rassokho, his counterpart in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. In 1967 she transported scientists and personnel to Aldabra Atoll ircular SZR/7/67 of The Royal Society? and

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a disputed overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of the 60 small islands of ...

.Stories about Diego Garcia
/ref> The ''Vidal'' was broken up in

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population. The area of the whole city a ...

in June 1976.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vidal Survey vessels of the Royal Navy 1951 ships