A captain in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) will make an emotional return to Merseyside on Monday (Jan 7) after a three-month deployment to the Middle East and Indian Ocean… for it marks his final voyage after an incredible 44 years at sea.
Captain Dale Worthington OBE , 61, from Southport, is the commanding officer of RFA Fort Rosalie, a massive replenishment and supply ship which supports the work of the Royal Navy around the world.
He and his crew on board RFA Fort Rosalie will sail into the Cammell Laird shipyard at Birkenhead on Monday for the start of a 22-week period of refit.
The ship’s lengthy deployment was in support of Operation Kipion, the Royal Navy’s east of Suez regional tasking, plus they had the specific aim of back-loading all of sister ship RFA Fort Victoria’s naval stores to enable her to refit in Dubai.
This meant Fort Rosalie was tasked with providing associated support to the anti-piracy patrols in the region, conducting surface searches for long range pirate groups.
She also made several port visits over the past few months including the British Indian Ocean Territory of Diego Garcia – a spectacular atoll located just south of the Equator. Other visits were the Seychelles, Oman and to Mumbai in India.
The ship’s last port of call was Djibouti, nestled in the Horn of Africa, with Fort Victoria, where her cargo was back-loaded, after a compressed but successful refit in Dubai dry docks.
Originally from Hyde near Stockport, Captain Worthington joined the RFA in 1972 after four years in the Merchant Navy.
He has also served on RFAs Orangeleaf (to Iraq), Fort George (to the US supporting HMS Ark Royal on her final deployment) and was the first commanding officer of the new fleet replenishment tanker Wave Ruler, which was regularly employed in the Caribbean working with US counter narcotic agencies in stopping drug smuggling in the region.
Wave Ruler, at the time, amassed the largest accumulated cocaine seizures of any British Naval vessel.
Captain Worthington, who is married and has four adult children, said:
“It will be an emotional moment when I make my last walk down the ship’s gangway.
“But after 44 years at sea, I am looking forward to spending more time with my wife and family, and spending time walking in North Wales, golfing and mastering fly-fishing.
“I will also devote more of my time to the Southport Links Rotary Club. But I have a host of fantastic memories from my time at sea with the RFA which I will cherish long into my retirement.”
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, January 4, 2013; Image: Royal Navy