Aden Evacuation 1986

On 17th January 1986, following the failure of Russian intermediaries to find a peace-giving solution to the problems, the fighting between the rival Marxist factions and ruling Yemen socialist Party escalated sharply, and civil war reigned. Governments around the world agreed that their citizens should be evacuated with all haste. Ships from Great Britain, Russia and France gathered off the coast of South Yemen.

As South Yemen was a Marxist dominated country the waters surrounding the area were also a sensitive area, but it was agreed that the Russian ships would remove their Nationals from the country while the Royal Yacht Britannia and RFA Brambleleaf would be allowed to approach the shores to evacuate other foreign nationals.

RFA Brambleleaf

The Royal Yacht was allowed to approach because of her ability to be transformed in a short space of time into a hospital ship, and Brambleleaf because she did not carry the Forces warship colours.

The Royal Yacht Britannia embarked around 450 people from the beach at Aden by the middle of the 18th January, when she was forced to retreat by sniper and shell fire. Her crew had been running a shuttle service between ship and shore using their many small boats.

On January 19th she returned to a beach 30 miles north east of Aden and collected a further 200 or more evacuees, transferring them to the other waiting ships for transport to Djibouti and safety. But by the following day heavy fighting made it impossible for any further rescue work to be attempted.

During this time radio links had been set up between several Royal Naval ships and a shore-based radio. This radio link was broadcasting the BBC World Service and informing evacuees of areas in which they should gather, near to the beaches from which they could be lifted. This work was being co-coordinated by the British and Russian Envoys, together with the British Consul who was still ashore.

On 20th January HMS Newcastle and a British cargo ship, the MV Diamond Princess, were 300 miles east of Aden near the town of Al Mukalla and from here they evacuated approximately 250 people, followed the next day by a further small number being taken off at Little Aden.

Just as it was thought that the evacuation was complete and all the ships were heading away from the area a radio message was picked up saying that a further 800 people were "running out of time, food and water". Through radio contact with the British Consul it was arranged that these people should drive to Little Aden where the vessels gathered to take them aboard.

Among the ships involved in what was called Operation Balsac were the Royal Yacht Britannia, the survey ship HMS Hydra, RFA Brambleleaf, and MV Diamond Princess which were under the protection of the two destroyers HMS Newcastle and HMS Jupiter.