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

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territori ...

, 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 bo ...

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 , Sierra ...

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

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

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 b ...

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 county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, which is a major military port.

Operational history

Falklands War

''Sir Bedivere'' first saw combat in the

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 Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

'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 Dubou ...

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

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

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

, Canada, but started back to Marchwood immediately. After loading at Marchwood, she left for

Ascension Island Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island, 7°56′ south of the Equator in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is about from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America. It is governed as part of the British Overseas Territory o ...

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 to ...

, 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 wa ...

. 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 Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

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 Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...

. 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 Atlan ...

. 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 Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is defin ...

and

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

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 (refle ...

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 harmonizi ...

service during

MINUSTAH ) , leader_title = Head , leader_name = Sandra Honoré ( Special Representative of the Secretary-General) , status = Replaced by MINUJUSTH , formation = 1 June 2004 , websiteUN Peacekeeping: MINUSTAH

Gallery

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

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

, 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