Heavy Repair Ship ordered from Vickers Armstrong at Barrow on 16th February 1927 under the 1926/27 Estimates and launched on 27th November 1928. She was intended for use as an Accommodation Ship as well as to provide repair services for warships if dockyard facilities could not be used. The 2nd RN warship to bear this name, introduced for a 6th Rate in 1778. The designed complement of 581 included repair staff but this increased during WW2. The ship displaced 12,300 tons and had an overall length of 530 feet with a beam of 83 ft and a draught of 22 feet 4 inches at full load.. Her steam turbines drove two shafts with Shaft Horsepower of 7,500 and gave a speed of 15 knots. Four 4in Low Angle gun mountings were fitted on build.

 

B a t t l e   H o n o u r s

 

EGYPT  1801- FALKLAND  ISLANDS  1982*

(* See Post War Notes.)

 

H e r a l d i c   D a t a

Badge:  On a  Field Blue, a Sea-Unicorn Silver horned Gold.

 

M o t t o

Passim Ut Orim:   'Everywhere as of yore'

 

 

S u m m a r y   o f   W a r   S e r v i c e

 

(for more ship information, go to Naval History Homepage and type name in Site Search

 

 

1 9 3 9

 

September                 Deployed at Malta for support of ships of Mediterranean Fleet

to

December

 

1 9 4 0

 

January                      Malta deployment in continuation.

to                               Transferred to Freetown for temporary duty pending arrival of permanent facility.

December                  Returned to Mediterranean after arrival of HMS EDINBURGH CASTLE.

 

 

1 9 4 1   t o   1 9 4 3

 

                                   Mediterranean support in continuation. based at Alexandria

 

1 9 4 4

 

                                   Mediterranean support duties in continuation.

                                   Transferred to Trincomalee for service with Eastern Fleet

                                   Nominated for service in Pacific.

 

1 9 4 5

 

January                      Eastern Fleet support in continuation

to

March

 

April                           Passage to Join British Pacific Fleet.

 

May                            Deployed at US Navy Forward Base, Leyte with HM Depot Snips ARTIFEX and TYNE.

                                    Provided repair facilities for British Pacific Fleet after completion of first phase of attacks

                                    on Sakishima-Gunto airfields

                                    (Operation ICEBERG ONE. See THE FORGOTTEN FLEET by J Winton.) and  WAR WITH

                                    JAPAN (HMSO)

 

June                             Passage to British base at Manus, Admiralty Islands.

                                    Deployed at Manus with Feet Train for support and accommodation service.

 

July                              Manus service in continuation.

to

August

 

P o s t   W a r   N o t e s

 

HMS RESOURCE returned to UK after VJ Day and was deployed as Senior Officer's ship in the Reserve Fleet at Portsmouth until 1951 when she was Paid-Off. The ship was placed on the Disposal List in 1953 and was sold to BISCO the next year for demolition by TW Ward.. She arrived in tow at the breaker’s yard in Inverkeithing near Rosyth during February 1954. This name was carried forward in 1966 when used for a Fleet Replenishment Ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary which served during the Falklands conflict and was awarded the Battle Honour FALKLAND ISLANDS 1982.