HMS POCHARD

HMS POCHARD
Ship No 514

POCHARD was the third ship on the stocks from the order from the Ministry of Defence, she was the sister ship to GOOSANDER another Boom Defence Vessel of 923 grt. She was one of the Wild Duck Class vessels for the Royal Navy.

She had a length between perpendiculars of 48.8 metres (The ministry had now gone over to the new metric system) and she had a breadth across the beam of 12.2 metres moulded, with a design draught of 5.5 metres.

This much specialised vessel built for purpose was launched from the Leith Shipyards of Robb Caledon on 7th of December 1973.

Fourth Force Set up in August 1905, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary was originally a logistic support organization, part of the Navy proper but run on civilian lines, comprising a miscellaneous and very unglamorous collection of colliers, store ships and harbor craft. Just over a century later it has evolved beyond recognition: its ships compare in size, cost and sophistication with all but the largest warships, and the RFA itself has developed into an essential arm of all three Services. It is truly the ‘Fourth Force’ - as it is known to its own personnel - and without it, the current worldwide deployment of British service men and women would be simply impossible.This book charts the veritable revolution that has overtaken the RFA since the end of the Second World War. New technology and techniques reflect the rapid growth in the importance of logistics in modern warfare, while the broadening role of the RFA is to be seen in the history of its operations, many of them little known to the public. Woven together from a combination of technical ship data, official correspondence and personal recollections, it is predominantly about the men and women of the RFA and their stories - an insight into the underreported history of a service whose initials unofficially translate as Ready For Anything.

You will be able to read a lot more about POCHARD and all the other ships, on the new website coming soon.

Fourth Force
Set up in August 1905, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary was originally a logistic support organization, part of the Navy proper but run on civilian lines, comprising a miscellaneous and very unglamorous collection of colliers, store ships and harbor craft. Just over a century later it has evolved beyond recognition: its ships compare in size, cost and sophistication with all but the largest warships, and the RFA itself has developed into an essential arm of all three Services. It is truly the ‘Fourth Force’ - as it is known to its own personnel - and without it, the current worldwide deployment of British service men and women would be simply impossible.This book charts the veritable revolution that has overtaken the RFA since the end of the Second World War. New technology and techniques reflect the rapid growth in the importance of logistics in modern warfare, while the broadening role of the RFA is to be seen in the history of its operations, many of them little known to the public. Woven together from a combination of technical ship data, official correspondence and personal recollections, it is predominantly about the men and women of the RFA and their stories - an insight into the underreported history of a service whose initials unofficially translate as Ready For Anything.

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