RFA Gold Ranger

RFA Gold Ranger (A130) was a Ranger-class fleet support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary which first served in World War II.

History
United Kingdom
Name	Gold Ranger
Ordered	28 August 1939
Laid down	14 May 1940
Launched	12 March 1941
Commissioned	4 July 1941
Decommissioned	December 1972 Laid up at Singapore
Stricken	1973
Identification	IMO number: 5132937
Fate	Sold commercially with name unchanged, July 1973 Scrapped at Hong Kong, March 1977
General characteristics
Class and type	Ranger-class fleet support tanker
Displacement	6,700 long tons (6,808 t) full load
Length	365 ft 4 in (111.35 m)
Beam	47 ft (14 m)
Draught	22 ft 2 in (6.76 m)
Propulsion	1 × 4-cylinder Doxford diesel 2,800 shp (2,100 kW) 1 shaft
Speed	13 knots (15 mph; 24 km/h)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 13 kn (15 mph; 24 km/h)
Complement	40

In December, 1949, she supported Operation Corkscrew by providing aviation fuel at Deception Island for aircraft which helped relieve men of the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey at Base E on Stonington Island. She later served in the Korean War, and in support of the atomic tests at Mauro Atoll. She was later employed as a support ship for minesweepers during the Indonesian Confrontation.

In 1972 she brought the expedition members of the Joint Services Egmont Islands Expedition (JSEI) from Gan, Addu Atoll to the Egmont Atoll. Led by Sqn Leader "Dickie" Bird RAF, it was the first scuba diving expedition in the Chagos Archipelago.[1] Following its success, a second expedition was undertaken to Danger Island the following year.[2]