RFA Olwen (A122) was an "fast fleet tanker" of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom. She was the lead ship of her class, and launched in 1964 as RFA Olynthus, the second ship to bear this name.
She with her two sisters, were initially known as the Olynthus class. Her design was a development of the two later 1961 s. She was renamed Olwen in 1967 to avoid confusion with the , . The class were then redesignated as the Olwen class and later the Ol class.
Design and description
thumb|Fast fleet tanker RFA Olynthus (later Olwen)
Olwen had a normal complement consisting 88 Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel with provision for 40 Royal Navy personnel and she was armed with two 20 mm guns and two Corvus chaff launchers. She was designed to achieve a speed of with a fully loaded displacement of .
The ship had the capability to supply fuel and other liquid cargo to vessels using four pairs of replenishment rigs which were located between the forward and aft superstructures. She was able to carry four types of fuels: Furnace Fuel Oil, Diesel, Avcat and Mogas. Limited supplies of lubricating oils, fresh water and dry stores could also be carried. She could operate Westland Wessex or Westland Sea King helicopters, or other helicopters of similar size, from a hangar and flight deck at the stern.
She received detached Westland Wessex HAS.1 helicopter of 814 Naval Air Squadron as Olynthus Flight, while in support of ’s 1966/67 Far East deployment. She was part of a task force, led by the nuclear-powered submarine , and comprised the Type 21 frigate and the , along with the armament stores ship , dispatched to the South Atlantic as a deterrent. The operation was secretly ordered to prevent a possible Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands after 50 Argentine "scientists" landed on South Thule. She stood back from the Falkland Islands in support of the frigates with an 819 Naval Air Squadron Westland Sea King helicopter embarked.