RFA.BACCHUS

RFA BACCHUS

Ship No 483

RFA Bacchus was an order from British India Steam Navigation Co Ltd. She was to be part of a two ship order, being the sister ship to “Hebe” and they were amongst the largest ships built in the Leith Shipyards.

At 4823 Grt (5218 dwt) and with a length between perpendiculars of 350 feet and a beam of 55 feet, along with a design draught of 31 feet.

She was launched on 4th of June 1962. She was handed back to her owners on 8th November 1962.

She was chartered on a long term bare boat charter by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Ready For Anything Set up in August 1905, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary - unofficial motto: Ready for Anything - was originally a logistic support organisation, Admiralty-owned but run on civilian lines, comprising a miscellaneous and very unglamorous collection of colliers, store ships and harbour craft. This book charts its rise in fleet strength, capability and importance, through two world wars and a technical revolution, until the time when naval operations became simply impossible without it. Its earliest tasks were mainly freighting - supplying the Royal Navy’s worldwide network of bases - but in wartime fleets were required to spend much longer at sea and the RFA had to develop techniques of underway replenishment. This did not come to full fruition until the British Pacific Fleet operated alongside the Americans in 1944-45, but by then the RFA had already pioneered many of the procedures involved.This book combines a history of the service, including many little-known wartime operations, with data on the ships, and a portrait of life in the service gleaned from personal accounts and recollections. Half way between a civilian and a military service, the RFA has never received the attention it deserves, but this book throws a long-overdue spotlight on its achievements.

Bacchus was to serve the MOD (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) for the full nineteen years of her charter and was handed back to her owners in 1981.

She continued working for another six years under new ownership before being sold for scrap in 1986.