Falklands repair ship in Turkey to be recycled
A Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship which played a role in the Falklands War and the Gulf War has been sent to Turkey to be recycled.
RFA Diligence has arrived in Turkey after being sold for recycling by the UK Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA).
Having previously undertaken duties as a forward repair ship for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, providing support to fleets of vessels and submarines away from UK bases, RFA Diligence was decommissioned in 2015.
Her sale for recycling avoids unnecessary environmental and financial costs while generating income for the UK.
Richard Whalley, head of DESA who served on
RFA Diligence in 1992, said: “Responsible disposal of surplus defence assets is a key part of DESA business. Following a period of marketing the ship for further use, we have now sold her for recycling, providing a return for the Royal Navy and ensuring appropriate disposal.”
RFA Diligence was launched in 1981 and built in Landskrona, Sweden.
She was initially set up to be a civilian oil rig support vessel, but was chartered by the British government to support naval activities during the Falklands War in 1982.
RFA Diligence later became a fleet maintenance vessel and was used in multiple forward deployments, including as a support ship during both Gulf conflicts.
The vessel was also deployed in response to humanitarian disasters including the tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2005, and underwent a £17.6m refit between June 2012 and February 2013, after a previous £16m overhaul in 2007.
In more recent years, she was a familiar fixture in Portsmouth Harbour.