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Official Number:                  301063                                                                     

Class:                                   Originally ACCORD CLASS but later CONFIANCE CLASS Tug

Pennant No:                         A89

Laid down:
Builder:                                  A & J Inglis
Launched:                            16 October 1958
Into Service:                         17 June 1959
Out of service:                      1984
Fate:                                       Sunk as a target June 1985

 

Items of historic interest involving this ship: –

 

Background Data: There were originally 2 ships in this Class but a further 3, formerly rated as Dockyard Tugs, were officially added to the Class in 1971 as part of the RMAS Ocean Towing Force. Fitted with 2.50m dia Kanewa controllable pitch propellers. All were fitted for fire fighting and salvage work and also had a towing winch. They were used for both harbour and ocean towing duties but were not popular at sea due to their extreme liveliness in rough weather. Bollard pull was 24.6 tons. Their normal complement was 29 with a further 13 members of a salvage party. Four of the Class saw service as RFA’s. The full Class was as follows:

 

Pennant Nr                       Name                      Launched                  Completed                     Fate
A 90                                   ACCORD                  17/09/57                       09/58               Disposed of 1988
A 89                                   ADVICE                   16/10/58                       06/59                 RFA Service
A 88                                   AGILE                      02/07/58                       07/59                RFA Service
A 289                                 CONFIANCE              15/11/55                       03/56                RFA Service
A 290                                 CONFIDENT              17/01/56                       09/56                RFA Service

 

16 October 1958 launched by A & J Inglis Ltd, Pointhouse as Yard Nr 1580 P named ADVICE

 November 1959 based at Devonport

9 November 1959 Captain J A D Henchley RFA appointed as Master 

24 November 1959 Mr F D Wilhelmsen appointed as Chief Engineer Officer

22 February 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 4 jetty to Plymouth Sound on ‘C’ buoy

23 February 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 1 jetty on HMS ROEBUCK to Plymouth Sound

19 June 1960 at Devonport moved from Plymouth Sound to No: 4 wharf outboard of RFA BIRCHOL

20 June 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 4 wharf to No: 2 jetty

22 June 1960 at Devonport while berthed at No: 2 jetty RFA ENVOY berthed outboard of her

28 June 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to No: 1 dock

8 July 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 1 jetty to Plymouth Sound and then back to No: 1 jetty

19 July 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 1 jetty to Plymouth Sound

1 September 1960 Captain T Winstanley RFA appointed as Master 

6 September 1960 at Devonport moved from slip jetty to No: 4 jetty

7 September 1960 at Devonport RFA SPABROOK berthed outboard of RFA ADVICE on No: 4 jetty

9 September 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 4 jetty to No: 1 basin

15 September 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 1 basin to No: 2 dock

19 October 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 2 dock to No: 1 basin

30 November 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 1 basin to No: 3 wharf and then on No: 2 jetty

8 December 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to No: 8 wharf returning later to No: 2 jetty

13 December 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to No: 1 jetty

16 December 1960 docking and repairs completed at Devonport

19 December 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 1 jetty to Plymouth Sound returning later to No: 1 jetty

21 December 1960 at Devonport moved from No: 1 jetty to Plymouth Sound returning later to No: 2 jetty

26 January 1961 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to No: 3 wharf returning later to No: 2 jetty

30 January 1961 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to Plymouth Sound returning later to No: 2 jetty

11 February 1961 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to Plymouth Sound

19 February 1961 Captain R F Dunkley RFA appointed as Master

12 May 1961 at Devonport moved from Plymouth Sound to No: 3 jetty

29 May 1961 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to Plymouth Sound

17 July 1961 at Devonport moved from No: 1 jetty to No: 3 jetty later moving to Plymouth Sound

20 July 1961 at Devonport moved from Plymouth Sound to No: 2 jetty and joined by RFA BUSTLER

12 August 1961 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to Plymouth Sound

3 October 1961 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to No: 2 dock

31 October 1961 at Devonport moved from No: 2 dock to No: 1 basin

29 December 1961 at Devonport moved from No: 1 basin to Plymouth Sound and then later to No: 3 jetty

1 January 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 3 jetty to No: 1 buoy returning later to No: 3 jetty

2 January 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 3 jetty to Plymouth Sound

15 January 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 3 jetty to No: 1 jetty on RFA FORT CONSTANTINE then moved back to No: 3 jetty

19 January 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 3 jetty to No: 2 jetty

26 January 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to Plymouth Sound returning to No: 2 jetty on RFA BUSTLER

2 February 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to Slip Jetty

6 February 1962 at Devonport moved from Slip Jetty to No: 2 jetty

4 March 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty on RFA BUSTLER to Plymouth Sound

9 March 1962 at Devonport moved from Plymouth Sound  to No: 2 jetty on RFA BUSTLER

14 March 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty on RFA BUSTLER to Plymouth Sound

20 March 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 2 jetty to No: 3 jetty

23 March 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 3 jetty to Plymouth Sound

29 May 1962 at Devonport moved from Plymouth Sound to No: 3 wharf

1 June 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 1 wharf  to No: 3 jetty

4 June 1962 at Devonport NAV MAXIM moved from Ernsettle to alongside RFA ADVICE on No: 3 jetty

6 June 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 3 jetty to No: 1 Jetty

7 June 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 1 Jetty to No: 3 jetty

14 June 1962 at Devonport moved from No: 3 jetty to Plymouth Sound

25 June 1962 at Devonport moved from Plymouth Sound to No: 4 wharf

23 May 1963 arrived at Gibraltar from Portsmouth with HMS TROUBRIDGE in tow

24 May 1963 sailed Gibraltar for Malta with HMS TROUBRIDGE in tow 

31 May 1963 towing HMS TROUBRIDGE arrived at Malta for refit with an RN running crew of one officer and 40 ratings

2 June 1963 sailed Malta for Gibraltar where she took HMS ROCKET in tow for Portsmouth

September 1963 sailed to Singapore towing HM Tug Diver

January 1964 transferred to PAS Singapore

October 1971 steaming crew for passage

1 November 1971 on passage to UK towing PAS tug Spaniel plus a lighter – suffered engine room fire – HMS Albion diverted to her, boarded her and extinguished the blaze. She was returned to Singapore for repairs.

January 1972 resumed passage to the UK

2 February 1972 at Gibraltar towing Spaniel

February 1972 transferred to PAS at Devonport

1 October 1976 transferred to RMAS 

6 July 1983 operating from Portland vice Confiance

December 1984 at Portsmouth on disposal list

June 1985 sailed Portsmouth in tow of tug CONFIDENT to be sunk as a target

 

Ships of the same name

 

Advice. A pinnace of 50 bm built by Woolwich Dockyard and launched in 1586, 4 x 6pdr, 2 x 4pdr and 3 smaller guns.  Sold in 1617. Battle Honours for this Vessel: ARMADA 1588
Advice. A  48 gun sloop built by Pett of Woodbridge in 1650.  Displacement 516 bm, 118.5 x 31 feet.  Rebuilt at Woolwich in 1698 with a displacement of 550 bm.  Captured by the French on the 27 Jun 1711. Battle Honours for this Vessel: PORTLAND 1653, GABBARD 1653, ORFORDNESS 1666, BUGIA 1671, SOLEBAY 1672, SCHOONVELD 1673, TEXEL 1673, BARFLUER 1692
Advice Prize. A French sloop that was captured in 1693 and sold in 1695.
 
 
Advice Prize. A 6th rate of 200 bm captured from the French on the 19 June 1704, 83 x 24.5 feet.  Sold on the 10 April 1712.
 
 
Advice. A 4th rate ship of 714 bm, launched by Deptford Dockyard on the 8 July 1712.  131 x 35.5 feet and 50 guns, renamed Milford on the 23 May 1744.  Sold 11 May 1749.
 
 
Advice. A 4th rate ship of 983 bm built by Rowcliffe, Southampton on the 26 February 1745.  140 x 40 feet and 50 guns.  Broken up at Portsmouth in October 1756.
 
 
Advice. A cutter of 95 bm and 10 x 3pdr guns, purchased in 1779, she was wrcked on th 1 June 1793 off Honduras.
 
 
Advice. A cutter of 47 bm  built at Itchen Ferry in 1796, 45.5 x 14 feet, 4 x 3pdr guns.  The ship was last listed in 1799.
 
 
Advice. An advice boat of 180 bm, launched by Randall of Rotherhithe on the 30 December 1800, sold out of service in 1805. 
 
 
Advice. Wood paddle packet (ex GPO vessel Vixen) 197 bm built by Deptford Dockyard and launched in 1823, 107.7 x 20 feet, 1 x 1pdr gun.  The ship was transferred to the Royal Navy in April 1837, sold to J. J. Stock on the 12 May 1870.