The Mexeflote is a landing raft used by the British Royal Logistic Corps

Royal Logistic Corps

The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...

 to move goods and vehicles between ship and shore. It was first used by British military in the 1960s, and remains in use at present (2010). It was used during the Falklands conflict

Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

, and has been used in humanitarian aid missions.

History

The Mexeflote was introduced to the British military in the 1960s, and it subsequently saw service in the Falklands war

Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

, in which three units were used, including in Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

, where they were used in loading the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...

 and British Navy ships going to the Falklands.

In 1994 the Army ordered an additional 50 units, and in 2000 they upgraded 60 of the rafts. The Mexeflote was used during the 2010 Haiti earthquake

2010 Haiti earthquake

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...

, to transport supplies to the remote Haitian village of Anse-à-Veau

Anse-à-Veau

Anse-à-Veau is a municipality in the Anse-à-Veau Arrondissement, in the Nippes Department of Haiti.It has 55,138 inhabitants....

 from RFA Largs Bay.

Currently the rafts are manned by the Royal Logistic Corps

Royal Logistic Corps

The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...

 and they are largely used by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's Bay class landing ships.

Design

Mexeflote is a powered raft (two diesel engines), used to move goods and vehicles between ship and shore when a pier is not available. The Mexeflote is designed in three sizes; the standard size is 20.12 m in length and 7.32 m in width, with a capacity of 60,000 kg. Two larger versions (Maxi-Mexeflote) are available; the 38.41x7.32m combination has a capacity of 120,000 kg; the 38.41x12.20m combination has a capacity of 180,000 kg. Each version has three components; bow, stern, and center, which can be fitted together as required, making the Mexeflote a versatile craft. The different sections allow it to be used as a raft, a floating pontoon, or as a causeway from ship to shore.

Mexeflote was the basis for the design of the Modular Elevated Causeway.

Further reading

• Operational Testing of the Mexeflote Lashing and Launching System for Pontoon Causeways. - August 1970. Billie R. Karrh; James J. Traffalis; Naval Civil Engineering Lab.

External links

• Mexeflote Raft, British Army Website
• What is a Mexeflote on Think Defence