RFA LYME BAY (L3007) is a Bay-class Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Designed to support amphibious operations, she can transport troops, vehicles, ammunition and stores and put them ashore using landing craft, powered Mexeflote rafts or helicopters. The Royal Navy describes the Bay class as one of the most versatile elements of the UK’s amphibious support fleet.
The ship entered service in 2007 and has since been employed in amphibious operations, NATO deployments, humanitarian assistance and disaster-relief missions. LYME BAY can normally accommodate more than 350 embarked troops, with significantly higher numbers possible for short periods, while her floodable dock allows landing craft to operate directly from the ship. Her large flight deck is capable of handling helicopters up to Chinook size.
At approximately 176.6 metres long, LYME BAY displaces around 16,160 tonnes at full load and can reach about 18 knots. Diesel-electric machinery drives two azimuthing propulsion units, supplemented by a bow thruster and dynamic-positioning capability.
Vessel Details
Name: RFA LYME BAY
Pennant Number: L3007
IMO: 9240768
MMSI: 235051012
Call Sign: GCIB
Deck Code: YB
Type: Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary)
Class: Bay Class
Operator: Royal Fleet Auxiliary / UK Ministry of Defence
Flag: United Kingdom
Ordered: 18 December 2000
Launched: 2005
Entered Service: 2007
Builder: Swan Hunter / completed by BAE Systems
Length Overall: 176.6 m
Beam: 26.4 m
Draught: approx. 5.8 m
Full-load Displacement: approx. 16,160 t
Maximum Speed: approx. 18 knots
Range: approx. 8,000 nautical miles
Propulsion: Diesel-electric, 2 azimuth thrusters + bow thruster
Embarked Troops: approx. 356 normally
Landing Craft: LCU / LCVP capability
Additional Landing Capability: Mexeflote powered rafts
Flight Deck: Suitable for helicopters up to Chinook size
Amphibious Role and Capabilities
The defining feature of RFA LYME BAY is her floodable well dock, which allows landing craft to enter the stern of the ship, load personnel or vehicles and then sail directly towards shore. This gives the vessel the ability to support amphibious forces even where conventional port facilities are unavailable.
The ship can carry substantial quantities of vehicles and military equipment, including heavy armour, while her aviation deck provides an additional route for moving personnel and supplies ashore. The same capabilities also make the vessel particularly valuable in humanitarian emergencies, where landing craft and helicopters can deliver water, food, engineering equipment and medical teams to damaged coastal areas.
Operational History
Since entering service, LYME BAY has been used in both military and humanitarian roles. Among her notable deployments was disaster-relief work following Tropical Storm Erika in 2015, when the vessel used her Mexeflote and embarked personnel to move aid and equipment ashore.
The vessel remains active. In June 2026, the Royal Navy reported that LYME BAY had arrived in Cyprus after intensive Mediterranean training while prepared for a potential deployment connected with security in the Strait of Hormuz. For that deployment she was carrying advanced autonomous and remotely operated mine-countermeasure equipment together with around 100 mine-warfare and diving personnel.
Piraeus Connection
RFA LYME BAY has also been recorded at Piraeus, and the vessel already forms part of the PiraeuShips archive. The existing PiraeuShips entry documents her under pennant number L3007 and IMO 9240768, preserving her visit among the foreign naval and auxiliary vessels recorded at the port.
PiraeuShips Record
RFA LYME BAY was recorded at Piraeus by PiraeuShips as part of the visual archive of foreign naval and auxiliary vessels visiting Greece’s largest port. As a Bay-class amphibious support ship capable of carrying troops, vehicles, landing craft and helicopters, her appearance represents one of the more substantial Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels documented in the PiraeuShips archive.
Original video footage © PiraeuShips. All rights reserved.
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