Sir Lancelot Class Landing Ships (Logistics)
The six original vessels of this class were ordered by the Ministry of Transport and were operated by the British Indian Steam Navigation Company on behalf of the British Army. However in 1970 they were transferred to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Classified as landing ships logistics (LSL) they have often been described as a cross between a Roll On / Roll Off Vessel and landing ship. Their main roles and capabilities are:
All five of the class served in the Falklands and two-Sir Tristram and Sir Galahad- were almost destroyed by enemy aircraft. Sir Galahad was sunk as a war grave and replaced by a new, modified vessel of the same name while Sir Tristram was rebuilt. Two commercial vessels, named 'Sir Lamorak' and 'Sir Caradoc' were chartered until Sir Galahad (II) and Sir Tristram (Modified) entered service. By the mid 1990's it had been decided that three remaining original ships of the class were to undergo SLEP (Service Life Extension Programme) although the Navy briefly considered buying the Australian landing ship Tobruk. Sir Bedivere completed the SLEP but plans for Sir Percivale and Sir Geriant to do the same were abandoned due to the high cost. Instead they will be replaced by two new vessels.
All vessels have an aft flight deck capable of handling Sea King or Lynx helicopters or in the case of Sir Bedivere a Merlin. Helicopters (including Chinooks) can also land on the vehicle deck although with the exception of Sir Bedivere, the Chinook can only land when the ship is in port.
Glyn Davies remembers life on the Sir Lancelot Class when he was serving with 3rd Troop, C Squadron, Queen's Royal Irish Hussars: "I was on the Galahad, Lancelot and Percival. 3 successive years coming out of Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire. We were returning Chieftains to our camp at Sack Hill, Warminster after range practice at Castlemartin. One thing I remember, it was all Hong Kong Chinese crews. The only English crew I recall was the skipper, exec, wo and the chief engineer. We embarked on pontoons and came off in Southampton down the ramp. Great food, fresh bread with every meal cooked by the Chinese cooks. Big pot of fresh tea every time as well."
| Ship: | Pennant Number | Deck Code | Builder | Launch Date | Commissioned |
| Sir Lancelot | L3029 | LN | Fairfields | June 25th 1963 | January 16th 1964 |
| Sir Bedivere | L3004 | BD | Hawthorne | July 20th 1966 | May 18th 1967 |
| Sir Galahad | L3005 | Stephen | |||
| Sir Geriant | L3027 | GR | Stephen | January 26th1967 | July 12th 1967 |
| Sir Percivale | L3036 | PV | Hawthorne | October 4th 1967 | March 23rd 1968 |
| Sir Tristram | L3505 | TM | Hawthorne | December12th 1966 | September 14th 1967 |
| Sir Galahad | L3005 | Swan Hunter | December 1986 | December 1987 |
Above: Sir Bedivere soon after modernisation. © Crown Copyright.
Ship Histories
| Ship | History |
| Sir Lancelot | In 1976 Sir Lancelot participated in East Pakistan flood relief operations providing much needed humanitarian aid. However she proved just as valuable during wartime when together her five sister ships, she served in the 1982 Falklands Conflict. During this action she was struck by an 1000lb enemy bomb which failed to explode but started a fire. Sir Lancelot remained in service until 1989, when she was sold and became a floating casino at Capetown, South Africa. |
| Sir Tristram | When the Falklands Conflict broke out in 1982 Sir Tristram was in Belize but rendezvoused with the Task Force as it headed south. On June 8th 1982 Sir Tristram and sister ship Sir Galahad were attacked by Argentine Skyhawk aircraft. The bombs started fires ? and the ship was eventually abandoned. However her hulk was refloated and towed to Stanley where it was used for accommodation and shelter during the aftermath of the war. Sir Tristram remained in the Falklands until 1984 when she was brought back to the United Kingdom on a heavy lift ship. She was rebuilt by Tyne Ship Repairers with many modifications and improvements and returned to service in 1988. In May 2000 Sir Tristram was part of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) deployed to Sierra Leone. |
| Sir Galahad | In the earlier stages of the Falklands Conflict (May 24th) Sir Galahad was evacuated when she was hit by an enemy bomb that failed to explode. Later on in the war (June 8th) she was less lucky when she was hit by two or three 500lb bombs while she was disembarking members of the Welsh Guard. These bombs started large fires and the ship was immediately evacuated. However there had been heavy casualties and many fatalities, particular among the troops onboard, and the fire burned for days. On the 25th June she was sunk by the submarine H.M.S/m Onyx and her wreck was designated an official war grave. Her replacement, named Sir Galahad in her honour, entered service in 1985. |
| Sir Geriant | Whilst en route to Texas in 1998 Sir Geriant encountered stormy seas and started taking on water. This went unnoticed for twelve hours and when it was finally spotted she quickly headed back for Marchwood. An investigation reveled that there was hole at the top of her bow doors that allowed water to enter the ship. As a result of the investigation all vessels of the class were fitted with CCTV (Close Circuit Television). Sir Geriant was to have undergone a SLEP (Service Life Extension Programme) like her sister Sir Bedivere, but this worked out too costly and complicated and it was decided it would be more economical to replace her with a new ship. |
| Sir Percivale | When the Falkland Conflict broke out in 1982, Sir Percivale sailed from Marchwood for the South Atlantic where amongst other things she helped rescue survivors from the Atlantic Convoyer and accommodated Argentine prisoners after the Battle of Goose Green. She was to have undergone a SLEP (Service Life Extension Programme) but this was cancelled in favour of replacing her with a brand new vessel. Upon the departure of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), Sir Percivale was deployed to Sierra Leone to support the remaining in British forces including the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment, who were training the Sierra Leone army. She held logistics and other stores and was used for rest and relaxation by by British troops.Whilst operating in this role in September 2000 she supported the rescue of British hostages from rebel captivity. The freed hostages received medical attention and a debriefing aboard her. |
| Sir Bedivere | Sir Bedivere was involved in both the Falklands Conflict (1982) and Gulf War (1991). When the Falklands Crisis arose Sir Bedivere was in Vancouver but sailed for Marchwood immediately and then straight to Ascension and onto the South Atlantic. In 1994 Sir Bedivere began a £30 million SLEP (Service Life Extension Programme) at Rosyth dockyard designed to extend her life expectancy by a further fifteen years. During this rebuild her hull was lengthened by 12 meters in order to increase the troop carrying capacity and storage space. In order for this to happen she was literally cut in half. Also Sir Bedivere's superstructure was altered to a 'stealth' design, her engines were changed and more powerful bow thrusters were installed. The SLEP was more complicated and costly than first envisaged so plans were abandoned to similarly upgrade Sir Percivale and Sir Geriant. Sir Bedivere left Rosyth in May 1998 for sea trials and soon returned to full service. In May 2000 Sir Bedivere was part of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) deployed to Sierra Leone. |
| Sir Galahad (II) | Built to replace the previous vessel of the same name lost in the Falklands conflict, 1982. |
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© Written and researched by Jeremy Olver. Last updated 3rd September 2000. Disclaimer.