RFA ''Sir Bedivere'' (L3004) was a Landing Ship Logistic of the Round Table class. She saw service in the Falklands War, the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...

and

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

. In 2009, she was commissioned into the Brazilian Navy and renamed NDCC ''Almirante Saboia'' (G-25), where she saw service in Haiti.

Background

The ship was originally built for army service, and was taken over by the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

in 1970. Round Table class ships were exclusively manned by Hong Kong Chinese sailors from their introduction in 1963 until 1989, when ''Sir Lancelot'' was the last RFA to be crewed in this way. She was commissioned in 1967 and saw extensive service in many of Britain's naval operations since. Her home port was

Marchwood Marchwood is a village and civil parish located in Hampshire, England, United Kingdom. It lies between Totton and Hythe on the western shore of Southampton Water and directly east of the New Forest. The population of the village in the 20 ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, which is a major military port.

Operational history

Falklands War

''Sir Bedivere'' first saw combat in the Falklands War of 1982, when along with all 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 ...

's other amphibious ships, she was sent to recapture the

Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...

from an Argentine occupation force. At the start of the war, the ship was at

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British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, but started back to Marchwood immediately. After loading at Marchwood, she left for Ascension Island where she picked up the sappers of 11 Field Squadron Royal Engineers. The ship suffered slight damage on 24 May whilst lying in

San Carlos Water San Carlos Water is a bay/fjord on the west coast of East Falkland, facing onto the Falkland Sound. Name Despite its Spanish-sounding name, there is a wide discrepancy with the Spanish usage, for in Spanish "Estrecho de San Carlos" refers ...

, when an Argentine Skyhawk dropped a bomb that glanced off the ship. The sappers disembarked for Port San Carlos on the evening of 25 May. On 16 November 1982, she returned from the Falklands with the bodies of 64 members of the British Forces (52 soldiers, 11 Royal Marines, and a Chinese laundryman) whose families had wanted their remains returned.

1983-2007

The ship deployed to the

in 1991 in support of

Operation Granby Operation Granby, commonly abbreviated Op Granby, was the code name given to the British military operations during the 1991 Gulf War. 53,462 members of the British Armed Forces were deployed during the conflict. The total cost of operations w ...

. In 1994, the ship was modernised in a service life extension programme to give it an extra 15 years. The ship was lengthened by 12 metres, had its superstructure altered to a more modern design, the engines were replaced, and the ship's bow thrusters were changed for more powerful models. After returning to service in 1998, the ship was sent to

in 2000 when the U.K. intervened there. The ship operated as the command vessel for British and American mine countermeasures ships during Operation Telic in 2003. ''Sir Bedivere'' left the U.K. in September 2002 for the Mediterranean and operation Argonaut in 2002.She was then diverted to the

accompanied by four British minesweepers. After minesweeping operations were complete, the vessel operated as a troop support ship for the Royal Marines. The ship returned to the U.K. on 29 May 2003, carrying the boats and men of 539 Assault Squadron Royal Marines. In 2006, ''Sir Bedivere'' returned from Sierra Leone and its part in Operation Vela.

Decommissioning

Although originally intended to be used until 2011, ''Sir Bedivere'' was decommissioned on 18 February 2008.

Brazilian Navy

In December 2008, ''Sir Bedivere'' was sold to Brazil, joining her sister ship . ''Sir Bedivere'' was handed over to the Brazilian Navy on 21 May 2009, after a major refit by

A&P Group A&P Group Ltd is the largest ship repair and conversion company in the UK, with three shipyards located in Hebburn, Middlesbrough and Falmouth. The company undertakes a wide variety of maintenance and repair work on commercial and military shi ...

at the Company's ship repair facility in Falmouth,

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

. She was commissioned into service with the Brazilian Navy, and renamed ''Navio de Desembarque de Carros de Combate'' (Landing Ship, Tank) NDCC ''Almirante Saboia'' (G-25), after a late senior naval officer. Admiral Saboia's widow and other members of the family were present at the handover ceremony.A&P Press Release June 2009 As ''Almirante Saboia'', she undertook several voyages between Port-au-Prince and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

in support of Brazilian Army and

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

troops in

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

service during

MINUSTAH The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (french: Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti), also known as MINUSTAH, an acronym of the French name, was a UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti that was in operation from 2004 ...

Gallery

File:RFA Sir Bedivere, Portsmouth Naval Base, July 1989.jpg, RFA Sir Bedivere in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, 1989. File:Royal navy auxilliary and carrier, Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, July 1989.jpg, Sir Bedivere docked alongside a Royal Navy aircraft carrier in Portsmouth, 1989. File:G-25 NDCC Almirante Saboia (26657617855).jpg, NDCC Almirante Saboia unloads UN equipment in Port-au-Prince. File:Ajuda humanitária no Haiti - Navio de Desembarque de Carros de Combate Almirante Saboia (G25) (52319250391).jpg, A Brazilian Marine holds security as NDCC Almirante Saboia docks in Port-au-Prince, 2013. File:Fragata União (F-45) 25264359247 c5083e7fa8 o (51966715583).jpg, Almirante Saboia sails alongside ''União'' during naval exercises, 2018.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sir Bedivere (L3004) Bedivere (L3004) Round Table-class landing ships logistics of the Brazilian Navy 1966 ships Amphibious warfare vessels of Brazil Amphibious warfare vessels of the Brazilian Navy Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Tyne