RFA Olwen (A122)

RFA Olwen in the 1980s
History
United Kingdom
Name	RFA Olwen
Ordered	4 February 1963 as AO 15
Builder	Hawthorn Leslie and Company
Yard number	755
Laid down	11 July 1963
Launched	10 July 1964, as Olynthus
In service	12 June 1965
Out of service	19 September 2000
Renamed	Olwen, 5 August 1967
Identification	IMO number: 6418572 Callsign: GQKA Pennant number: A122 Deck code: OW
Fate	Renamed Kea in May 2001. Arrived Alang for demolition 21 July 2001.
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Ol-class tanker
Tonnage	18,604 GRT 9,392 NRT 22,350 DWT
Displacement	33,773 long tons (34,315 t) (full load)
Length	648 ft (198 m)
Beam	84 ft 2 in (25.65 m)
Draught	34 ft (10 m)
Depth	44 ft (13 m)
Installed power	2x Babcock and Wilcox superheat boilers 26,500 shaft horsepower (19,800 kW)
Propulsion	2× Hawthorn Leslie/Pametrada steam turbines, double reduction geared Single shaft Bow thruster
Speed	21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h)
Range	10,000 nmi (19,000 km) at 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h)
Complement	88 RFA 40 RN
Armament	2× 20 mm guns 2× Chaff launchers
Aircraft carried	3× Westland Wessex or Westland Sea King helicopters
Aviation facilities	Helicopter deck, hangar
Notes	[1]
Service record
Operations:	Operation Burlap Operation Journeyman Operation Grapple

RFA Olwen (A122) was an Ol-class "fast fleet tanker" of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom. She was the lead ship of her class, and launched in 1964 as RFA Olynthus, the second ship to bear this name.

She with her two sisters, were initially known as the Olynthus class. Her design was a development of the two later 1961 Tide-class replenishment oilers. She was renamed Olwen in 1967 to avoid confusion with the Oberon-class submarine, HMS Olympus. The class were then redesignated as the Olwen class and later the Ol class.^[2]