RFA Resource

	RFA Resource (A480) cruises next to HMS Eagle, during "Operation Peacekeeper" on 24 September 1969.
History
United Kingdom
Name	RFA Resource
Ordered	24 January 1963
Laid down	19 June 1964
Launched	11 February 1966
Commissioned	6 June 1967
Decommissioned	1 May 1997
Renamed	Resourceful in 1997
Stricken	1997
Identification	IMO number: 6717423; Pennant number: A480;
Honours and; awards	Falkland Islands 1982. Kuwait 1991.
Fate	Scrapped at Alang in 1997
General characteristics
Class and type	Regent-class armament stores ship
Displacement	22,890 tons full load
Length	640 ft 1 in (195.10 m)
Beam	77 ft 1.25 in (23.50 m)
Draught	26 ft 3 in (8.00 m)
Propulsion	2 × AEI steam turbines DR geared to a single shaft; 2 × watertube boilers.;
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement	125 RFA personnel; 44 RNSTS personnel; 11 Naval Air dept;
Aircraft carried	1 × Wessex 5 helicopter
Aviation facilities	Landing platform capable of landing several different classes of helicopter

RFA Resource was an armament stores ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom.

Falklands War

Resource served in the Falklands War, captained at that time by Captain Bruce Seymour. She was one of the first vessels on the scene to pick up survivors from HMS Sheffield, having just supplied her.

RFA Resource was one of several RFA munitions replenishment ships certified to store and supply the fleet with munitions, including WE.177A live nuclear weapons. Other ships capable of carrying (stored in deep magazines) or deploying these weapons were HMS Hermes, HMS Invincible, HMS Broadsword and HMS Brilliant, they were transferred to various Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships with their specialist magazines. This was initially RFA Regent, and when RFA Resource exited San Carlos, they were transferred to her, and then to RFA Fort Austin. After the end of the conflict they were transported back to Britain aboard RFA Fort Austin and RFA Resource.^[1] Inert practice weapons and surveillance weapons without fissionable material were also transported.^[2]

Yugoslavia

One of Resource's last duties before being decommissioned was to serve as a floating munitions storage for UN and IFOR troops in the former Yugoslavia. She spent much of the mid 1990s in Split, Croatia, fulfilling this role.

Decommissioning and scrapping

Resource sailed from Devonport on 24 June 1997, having been renamed Resourceful for the delivery run to the Indian breakers, and arrived at Alang for scrapping on 20 August 1997.

RFA Resource ship's badge.

Footnotes

^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Guardian Article mentioning RFA Resource - http://www.guardian.co.uk/falklands/story/0,,657867,00.html
Images of RFA Resource and a Wessex Helicopter - http://www.john.fotoblog.org.uk/p14552235.html^{[permanent dead link‍]}
Images and information about RFA Resource and sister ship Regent - https://web.archive.org/web/20061212183624/http://www.btinternet.com/~warship/Feature/rfa/pics2.htm
Hansard entry mentioning final fate of RFA Resource - https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmhansrd/vo030227/text/30227w04.htm
Falklands day by day from Royal Navy - http://www.navynews.co.uk/falklands/day_april.asp Archived 19 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine

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[1] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[2] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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