A tandem Wittig approach has been employed for the synthesis of both (11S,9Z,12Z,15Z)- and (11R,9Z,12Z,15Z)-hydroxyoctadeca-9,12,15-trienoic acid (11-hydroxylinolenic acid, 11-HLA) from (R)-glyceraldehyde acetonide. From (11R)-HLA we have prepared the corresponding palmitic acid and stearic acid