Official Number:                          301022                                                                          

Class:                                        CONFIANCE CLASS Tug

Pennant No:                               A88

Laid down:
Builder:                                      Goole Ship Building Company
Launched:                                  2 July 1958
Into Service:                               10 July, 1959
Out of service:
Fate:                                          Sunk as a target 1986

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 firefighting 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:

2 July 1958 Launched by Goole Shipbuilding & Repairing Co Ltd, Goole as Yard Nr 510 named AGILE

10 August 1959 based at Portsmouth relieving RFA PROSPEROUS

24 November 1959 Captain A W Jewers (Lieutenant RNR) appointed as Master

23 March 1960 arrived at Malta from Gibraltar towing the tug REWARD

26 March 1960 sailed Malta with HMS DUFTON in tow for the Far East

13 June 1960 berthed at Malta from Singapore via Aden

15 August 1960 arrived with tugs CAPABLE and SAMSONIA at Barrow towing Admiralty Floating Dock No 59 to be used as a fitting out berth for atomic powered submarines.

30 September 1960 arrived at Gibraltar towing C871

11 October 1960 at Devonport Dockyard moved from Plymouth Sound to No: 2 jetty on RFA BUSTLER

23 December 1960 docking and repairs completed at Portsmouth

7 April 1963 sailed Portsmouth for Gibraltar. Then to tow MFV 37 to Rosyth

9 November 1963 crew transferred to Reward

July 1964 refit and reduced to reserve Pembroke Dock

2 October 1964 back into service based at Portsmouth under RFA terms and conditions

26 October 1964 Captain F R Murray appointed as Master

2 August 1965 sailed Plymouth for Singapore towing ALVESTON

19 October 1965 arrived at Singapore, replaced RFA ENCORE

25 October 1965 Captain D M Gentle appointed as Master 

April 1967 Captain H J Jones appointed as Master 

May 1967 returned to the UK towing PAS FROSTY from Malta to Rosyth then based at Portsmouth

11 July 1969 sailed Portsmouth with RFA SAMSONIA and RFA REWARD and HMS VICTORIOUS in tow to the breakers.

16 July 1969 arrived with HMS VICTORIOUS at the ship breakers yard at the Gare Loch with RFA SAMSONIA and RFA REWARD

1 November 1971 transferred to PAS Portsmouth vice CAPABLE (1) as relief tug

1 October 1976 transferred to RMAS at Portsmouth

21 October 1980 collided with FORCEFUL while the latter was berthed at Portsmouth

14 June 1981 based at Gibraltar until 1985 replacing the tug ROBUST

RFA Agile at Gibraltar

© Stuart Tarlton

14 November 1984 escorted RFA GOLD ROVER to leave Gibraltar harbour at the end of a refit – the last RFA to be refitted in Gibraltar

RFA Gold Rover being escorted out of Gibraltar Harbour by RFA Agile

© MOD

April 1985 paid off at Gibraltar

22 April 1986 sunk as a target