List of replenishment ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

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This is a list of replenishment ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom.

HMS Lancaster (right) conducts a replenishment at sea in the Baltic Region with RFA Tiderace (centre) and HMS Westminster (left)
Quick facts Ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Ship names alphabetically ...
Ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Ship names alphabetically
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The list is categorised into two sections: the first section is Active, which comprises the currently operated replenishment ships, while the second section is Decommissioned, including all replenishment ships that were previously in operation.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Royal Navy adopted a more efficient pennant number system. In this framework, the letter A was assigned to auxiliaries, referring to vessels that are part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.[1]

Active

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary operates four Tide-class fast fleet tankers (Tidespring, Tiderace, Tidesurge and Tideforce) to supply fuel, fresh water, and certain dry stores, alongside the multi-role Fort Victoria-class replenishment oiler (lead ship Fort Victoria) which caters to a broader array of supplies including ammunition and food. These vessels are essential for providing Replenishment at Sea (RAS) to the Royal Navy, NATO, and allied forces, utilising both underway replenishment methods (via rigs) and vertical replenishment techniques (helicopters) (VERTREP). Additionally, a new generation of Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships, commencing with RFA Resurgent, is currently under construction to enhance this logistical support.[2][3][4]

Tankers

The Tide class are classed as ‘fast tankers’ and can achieve a fully-loaded speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) in sea state 5. These ships are the result of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) project being part restored due to the need to replace the ageing single hulled-tankers.[5]

More information Class / Type, Ship ...
List of current tankers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status Ref.
Tide-class (II) fast fleet tanker Tideforce A139 30 July 2019 — 6 years, 317 days Active [6]
Tidesurge A138 20 February 2019 — 7 years, 112 days Active [7]
Tiderace A137 2 August 2018 — 7 years, 314 days In extended readiness - uncrewed reserve - as of April 2024; being reactivated as of late 2025[8][9] [10]
Tidespring A136 27 November 2017 — 8 years, 197 days Active [11]
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Replenishment ships

In November 2018, RFA Fort Victoria completed a refit with the intention to keep her in active service until replaced by one of the new Fleet Solid Support Ships.[12] The modifications to her also included the ability to provide solid stores replenishment to the two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.[13]

More information Class / Type, Ship ...
List of current Replenishment ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status Ref.
Fort Victoria-class replenishment oiler Fort Victoria A387 24 June 1994 — 31 years, 353 days In extended readiness - uncrewed reserve - as of late 2024 [14]
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Decommissioned

Tankers & oilers

Replenishment ships

See also

References

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