RFA Mounts Bay (L3008)

RFA "Mounts Bay" (L3008) is a Bay class auxiliary landing ship dock (LSD(A)) of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She is named for Mount's Bay in Cornwall.

She was launched at the BAE Systems Naval Ships yard in Govan, Glasgow on 9 April 2004.

"Mounts Bay" took part in the Vela Deployment. The deployment lasted from 11 September until 22 November 2006. In total approximately 3,000 British personnel and eleven ships of the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary were involved. This deployment saw for the first time, an sclass|Albion|landing platform dock|0 vessel, HMS|Albion|L14|6 taking part in amphibious operations with a Bay class vessel. The deployment was divided into two phases, the first in local waters and the second in waters off the coast of Sierra Leone. For this deployment she was fitted with the Bowman communications system.

"Mounts Bay" demonstrated her lifting capability by transporting in excess of 130 vehicles, for the passage from the UK via Lisbon to Sierra Leone. After completing the Vela Deployment, she returned to the UK to load vehicles and equipment for Exercise Clockwork in northern Norway. She reached Sørreisa on 9 December. Sørreisa is within the Arctic Circle and is the furthest north any Bay Class vessel has been so far. After discharging her cargo "Mounts Bay" returned to the UK, successfully completing operations from the Equator to the Arctic Circle in the last three months of 2006. She attended the Dover Maritime Careers Festival on 23-24 March 2007, mooring at the Dover Western Docks. She was also in Fowey on 22 August 2008 for the regatta week.

External links

* [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.4518/ Official Royal Navy page on the ship]