RFA Gold Rover (A271)
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| Career (UK) |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | November 1971 |
| Launched: | 7 March 1973 |
| Commissioned: | 22 March 1974 |
| Fate: | active in service |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 11522 tons full load |
| Length: | 461 ft 04 in (140.6 m) |
| Beam: | 63 ft 02 in (19.3 m) |
| Draught: | 23 ft 11 in (7.3 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 x 16 cyl Pielstick diesels |
| Speed: | 19 knots |
| Range: | 15,000 miles (24,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 3,000 m³ of fuel |
| Complement: | 16 officers 31 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Racal Decca 52690 ARPA and 1690 I band navigation radars |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
2 × Corvus and 2 × Plessey Shield decoy launchers Graseby Type 182 towed torpedo decoy |
| Armament: | 2 × Oerlikon 20 mm guns 2 × 7.62 mm machine guns |
| Aircraft carried: | Helicopter deck but no hangar |
RFA Gold Rover (A271) is a small fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
Gold Rover participated in the 1986 Jamaican flood relief operations. In January 2000 Gold Rover was towed back to Devonport by two RMAS tugs after breaking down off Lizard Point.
2006 was a busy year for Gold Rover: She was in Nigeria in June 2006 for the 50th anniversary celebrations of the formation of the Nigerian Navy. As part of the celebrations there was a Fleet Review by President Obassanjo.
On 6 October she, along with Royal Navy frigate HMS Argyll and Royal Marines from 40 Commando, seized more than two tonnes of cocaine during a major drugs haul off the coast of West Africa. The illegal drugs, which were found in an unregistered vessel, had a UK street value of some £60 million.
Gold Rover was part of a Royal Navy amphibious task group, the VELA Deployment 06, on route to Sierra Leone where she and other ships were taking part in a major amphibious exercise. Whilst on the way to West Africa Gold Rover was contributing to the global fight against terrorism and the Royal Navy's maritime security operations activity.
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