RFA Spabeck

RFA Spabeck was one of six coastal water carriers built for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary during the Second World War. During the 1950s she was modified to store high-test peroxide for the experimental programme evaluating the feasibility of submarines using HTP operationally. The ship was sold for scrap in 1966.

Description

The Spa-class ships were designed for harbour duties as water carriers. displaced at normal load and fully loaded. The ships had an overall length of, a beam of and a draught of at deep load. They were powered by a three-cylinder vertical triple-expansion steam engine that drove a single propeller shaft, using steam provided by one cylindrical boiler. The engine developed and gave a maximum speed of. The ships were armed with a single 12-pounder gun and two Oerlikon AA guns

Spabeck ordered in September 1941 from Philip and Son and was laid down on 14 May 1943 at their Dartmouth, Devon shipyard as Rivulet. The ship was launched on 21 June and commissioned on 3 September as Spabeck. She was modified in 1948 as a HTP tanker to support the experimental submarines, Explorer and Excalibur. The ship was fitted with ten high-grade aluminium tanks capable of carrying of HTP, of distilled water, and of sulphur-free AVCAT jet fuel that was injected into the submarine's combustion chamber to increase its output.
After the end of the programme in the early 1960s, Spabeck was laid up at Devonport. She was listed for disposal in January 1966 and put up for sale on 11 March. Purchased by a Belgian shipbreaking company for £10,875, she arrived at Antwerp en route to Willebroek, Belgium, for scrapping on 14 May.