Built under yard no 276 by Öresundsvarvet AB at Landskrona, Sweden for Rederi AB Concordia, (Stena Line AB managers), Sweden.
03 April 1980, launched under the name STENA INSPECTOR, one of a class of four ships built for that company.
Tonnage 5.814 gross, 2.806 net, 4.885 dwt. Dim. 111.49 x 20.99 x 6.839m.
Powered by five 16-cyl. 4 S.C.S.A. Polar vee type, oil engines, manufactured by AB Bofors Nohab, Trollhättan, Sweden. The engines driving five generators, each powering four electric motors, geared to screw with controllable pitch propeller, speed 15.5 knots.
Two directional thrust propellers aft and two thwartship thrust propellers forward. With her 5 propellers she can move forwards and backwards, or sideways. She has a range of 21.000 miles without refueling.
She is ice strengthened. Can lift 100 tons with her crane.
12 Jan. 1981 completed.
The vessel was equipped for fire-fighting/diving maintenance support vessel, and at that time one of the largest pipe carriers of the world, the class was mostly used as supply vessel in the Northsea. She was fitted out with two diving moonpools.
1982 Chartered by the British Government for use as a repair ship during the Falklands conflict, she was transferred to Stena Caribbean Line Ltd., London and British flag.
Tonnage under British flag, 6.060 gross, 2.672 net, 4.670 dwt.
The STENA INSPECTOR was chartered on 25 May 1982, after completing a charter with a Mexican oil company.
She sailed for Savannah, Georgia for a five day docking and refit, before moving to the Charleston Navy Yard for fitting out. She arrived at the yard on 1 June. Using Portakabins to enlarge the accommodation, and modifying the gymnasium and some of the lounges for 112 crew. The galley area was also enlarged.
She sailed on 6 June for Ascension, has to land at Miami a sick cook before heading for Ascension, where she arrived on 21 June.
When sailing from Ascension she had on board Rear-Admiral Derek Refell, together with 30 staff officers. The total men on board that trip were 223, and accommodation became cramped.
First she made a rendezvoused with HMS INVINCIBLE The first helicopter to land on her deck had on board HRH Sub-Lieutenant Prince Andrew, being a co-pilot The helicopter took the Rear Admiral to HMS INVINCIBLE.
Then she returned to Ascension to embark 30 St Helena men working on the new airfield in Ascension and stranded when RMS ST HELENA was taken up for war duty in the Falklands. She took these men to St Helena, before heading to South Georgia. After arrival did give technical support and repaired broken equipment of the Army garrison stationed there, even fixed the street lighting.
She did give assistance during the salvage operations of the Argentine submarine SANTE FE.
Sailed from South Georgia on 26 July for Port Stanley, after arrival carried out maintenance and repair jobs on the warships and small crafts there.
Her original crew and a naval party were relieved in late October.
She was bought by the Royal Navy in October 1983 for £25 million.
She underwent a conversion into a Forward Repair ship in the Clyde Dock Engineering. New accommodation, workshops, cranes, armaments, supply facilities and sophisticated communication systems added. A flight deck was constructed on top of her bridge.
When completed she was renamed R.F.A. DILIGENCE (A132) and accepted in service on 12 March 1984.
Displacement 10.765 tons, and with an armament of 4 -20mm Oerlikons guns.
Since then she has been used as a Forward Repair ship for warships around the world, especially those in distant or isolated regions. Also acted as support ship to mine warfare and submarines, especially in the Persian Gulf and South Atlantic.
She participated in the 1991 Persian Gulf War (Dessert Storm) and was consequently awarded the battle honour “Kuwait 1991”.
The later part of 2002 was she in the Pacific Ocean, and during Christmas 2002 she was at Singapore.
2003 Returned to the northern Persian Gulf region for operations there.
Between November 2003 and May 2004 got a refit in Singapore.
Used as a relief ship in the aftermath of the Boxing Day Tsunami on the southeast coast of Sri Lanka.
2005 Again in the northern Persian Gulf to support the Iraqi Navy in operations to protect the offlaying oil platforms of Iraqi.
2006 In the south Atlantic, got a maintenance period in the South African Naval Base at Simonstown, then she returned to the Indian Ocean.
Then again maintenance on her hull and propellers during a drydock period at Princess Elizabeth Dock in East London.
She is now in the waters off the Falklands where she will provide Operational Maintenance and repair to Royal Navy units before she is heading north for Rio de Janeiro and Madeira.
End 2006 will she be operating on the west coast of Africa during joint German and Royal Navy amphibious landings.
In June 2016 the Royal Navy decided to retire the ship immediately instead of in 2020 as had previously been planned as a cost-saving measure. A Royal Navy spokesman told IHS Jane's that DILIGENCE was considered to be "an aged singleton ship with increasing obsolescence issues", and that it was no longer cost-effective to maintain her in service. At this time no replacement for the ship had been identified.
In March 2017, DILIGENCE was towed from Birkenhead to Portsmouth.
British Indian Territory 1997 24p sg211, scott?
South Georgia & South Sandwich Isles 43p
Tristan da Cunha 2003 35p, sg?, scott?
Source: Stena 1939-1989, World Ship Society. Merchant ships at War by Capt. Roger Villar.
http://www.btinternet.com/~warship/Today/diligence.htm
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