HMS Hecla (A133)

HMS Hecla was the lead ship of the Hecla-class survey vessel, an oceangoing survey ship type in the Royal Navy. She was ordered in the mid-1960s, along with her sister ships HMS Hecate (A137) and HMS Hydra (A144). A fourth ship, HMS Herald (H138), was completed in the early 1970s. The ship served for thirty years in this role, and various others, before finally being replaced by HMS Scott (H131) in 1997. Hecla was sold to private interests, being renamed "Bligh" after Vice-Admiral William Bligh. After this, the vessel was used in a hydrographic survey of Irish waters, and was based in Waterford, Ireland.

Design and construction
The Hecla class were designed as combined hydrographic and oceanographic survey ships, built to merchant ship standards and of similar design to RRS Discovery. She was laid down at Yarrow Shipbuilders' Blythswood, Glasgow shipyard on 6 May 1964, was launched on 21 December 1964 and was commissioned on 9 September 1965. She had the pennant number A133.

Hecla was 79.3 m long, with a beam of 15.0 m and a draught of 4.7 m. Displacement was 1915 LT light and 2733 LT full load, with a gross tonnage of 2,898. She had diesel-electric propulsion, with three Paxman Ventura 12-cylinder diesel engines rated at 1280 bhp powering two electric motors, rated at a total of 2000 hp and driving one propeller shaft, giving a speed of 14 kn. She had a range of 12000 nmi at a speed of 11 kn and 20000 nmi at 9 kn. The ship had a complement of 127 officers and other ranks. She was fitted with a hangar and helideck aft to allow operation of a single Westland Wasp helicopter, while two surveying launches were carried.

Service
In 1982, Hecla was used as an ambulance ship for the duration of the Falklands War. In this role, she ferried wounded from both sides to the main hospital ship, SS Uganda (1952).