Forward Repair Ship

RFA Diligence was built in Sweden as a North Sea support vessel named Stena Inspector. One of a class of four, Stena Seaspread was equipped with firefighting, diving and oil rig evacuation facilities. When the Falklands Conflict arose in 1982 she was pressed into service with her sistership, Stena Seaspread, and her workshops, cranes and maintenance equipment made her an ideal Fleet Repair Ship. Whilst operating in the South Atlantic one of her most important tasks was to repair the destroyer Glamorgan, which had been crippled by an exocet missile. But as well as repair capabilities, Stena Inspector was also able to provide fuel, water, sullage reception and electrical power. Her services proved invaluable and she was purchased outright by the Ministry of Defence for £25 million in October 1983. She subsequently underwent a conversion into a Forward Repair ship at Clyde Dock Engineering which saw workshops, cranes, additional accommodation, armaments, supply facilities and sophisticated communication systems added and a flight deck constructed on top of her bridge. Upon completion she was renamed Diligence and was accepted into service on March 12th 1984.

Since she entered service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Diligence has continued to provide fleet repair and forward maintenance for warships away from port, especially those in distant or isolated regions such as the Falklands. However, she has also acted as a support ship to mine warfare vessels and submarines, especially in the Persian Gulf and South Atlantic. For instance, after the mining of the Straits of Hormuz, Diligence supported a multi-national minesweeping force operating from the United Arab Emirates and in the midst of tensions with Iraq in 1998, she led H.M. Ships Bridport, Inverness, Sandown and Herald to the Gulf as part of a prescheduled exercise.

Diligence participated in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and consequently was awarded the battle honour "Kuwait 1991".

R.F.A Diligence is an extremely maneuverable vessel, especially during rough seas, due to her 'Dynamic Positioning System'. This consists of two azimuth and bow thrusters and a variable pitch propeller. Her diesel electric propulsion produces a speed of 10 knots and she has a complement of 38. Diligence is also a very distinctive vessel partly due to the helicopter flight deck above her bridge, which is capable of supporting one Chinook, Sea King or Lynx helicopter. Diligence has a displacement of 10,765 tonnes and is 112 metres long, with a 6.8 metre draught and a beam of 20.5 metres. For self defence purposes, she is armed with four 20mm Oerlikon guns.

Ship Details:

Above: A forward view of R.F.A Diligence showing the helicopter deck situated on the roof of the bridge.

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© Written and researched by Jeremy Olver. Last updated 3rd September 2000. Disclaimer.