Eddy-class tanker

RFA Eddyfirth
Class overview
Name	Eddy class
Operators	Royal Fleet Auxiliary
In commission	1951–1981
Planned	10
Completed	8
Cancelled	2
Retired	8
General characteristics
Type	Coastal tanker
Tonnage	2,200 long tons deadweight (DWT)
Length	286 ft 5 in (87.3 m)
Beam	46 ft 4 in (14.1 m)
Draft	17 ft 3.5 in (5.3 m)
Propulsion	3-cylinder triple expansion steam engine
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	38

The Eddy-class coastal tankers were a series of eight replenishment oilers used by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom. They were built from 1951 to 1953 tasked with transporting and providing fuel and other liquids to Royal Navy vessels and stations around the world.

History

There were originally ten ships planned in the class, although the final two were cancelled in 1952. Originally designed to act as fleet attendant oilers, in this role the ships were obsolete almost as soon as they were built due to the increasing prevalence of replenishment at sea, and their role was refocused to coastal transport duties.

Most of the class had relatively short service careers, although Eddyfirth remained in service until 1981. Several of the vessels were based at Gibraltar in the Mediterranean for most of their service years.

Ships

Name	Pennant	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned
Eddybeach	A132	Caledon Shipbuilding Co., Dundee	20 March 1950	24 May 1951	8 December 1951	27 May 1962
Eddybay	A107	Caledon Shipbuilding Co., Dundee	23 March 1951	29 November 1951	25 April 1952	9 November 1962
Eddycliff	A190	Blythswood Shipbuilding Company Limited, Glasgow		25 August 1952	10 February 1953	August 1963
Eddycreek	A258	Lobnitz, Renfrew		19 January 1953	11 September 1953	25 July 1960
Eddyrock	A198	Blyth Shipbuilding Company		16 December 1952	7 June 1953	March 1967
Eddyreef	A202	Caledon Shipbuilding Co., Dundee		28 May 1953	23 October 1953	1958
Eddyfirth	A261	Lobnitz, Renfrew	28 April 1952	10 September 1953	25 April 1954	April 1981
Eddyness	A295	Blyth Shipbuilding Company		22 October 1953	11 October 1954	29 January 1963
Eddycove	cancelled 1952
Eddymull

See also

• List of replenishment ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary
• T1 tanker US coastal tanker
• T2 tanker
• T3 Tanker
• Replenishment oiler
• Escambia-class replenishment oiler