Fort Rosalie-class replenishment ship

*Fort Rosalie* class
	RFA Fort Rosalie at HMNB Plymouth Navy Days
Class overview
Builders	Scott Lithgow
Operators	Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Succeeded by	Fort Victoria class
Built	1973–1979
In commission	1978–2021
Completed	2
Retired	2 (sold to Egypt)
General characteristics
Type	Replenishment ship
Tonnage	18,029 GT
Displacement	23,890 tons (full load)
Length	185.1 m (607 ft 3 in)
Beam	24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Draught	9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	Sulzer 8-cylinder RND90 22,300 shp (16,600 kW), 1 shaft
Speed	22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph)
Range	10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	127 RFA ; 45 RN ; 36 STO(N) civilians;
Sensors and ; processing systems	Kelvin Hughes Ltd SharpEye navigation radar
Armament	2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS; 2 × 20 mm Oerlikon/BMARC KAA guns in GAM-B01 mounts; 4 × 7.62 mm L7 GPMGs ;
Aircraft carried	Up to 4 × Westland Sea King-sized helicopters

Last updated November 20, 2023

The Fort Rosalie or Fort class of fleet replenishment vessel of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary were designed to replenish Royal Navy taskgroups with various armaments and victualling stores while under way. Unlike the bigger Fort Victoria class, they supply dry stores and not fuel. RFA Fort Rosalie was originally known as Fort Grange but was renamed in 2000 to avoid confusion with the new Fort Victoria-class replenishment oiler RFA Fort George. Both ships were withdrawn from service and later sold in 2021.

Design

They have the capacity to store 3,500 long tons (3,600 t ) of stores, including refrigerated items, in four holds. They are capable of replenishment at sea (RAS), using three 10-ton and three 5-ton cranes and vertical replenishment (VERTREP). For the latter role there are generous flight facilities; a single spot flight deck, an emergency landing platform atop the hangar and a complement of up to four (but usually one) Fleet Air Arm Westland Sea King helicopters and the requisite maintenance facilities. As such, they are often used for aviation training.

History

Two ships were ordered in 1971, with the first entering service in 1978. Both ships saw service in the Falklands War, the then Fort Grange being shadowed by Argentine Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft while still 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km) from the combat area and Fort Austin being attacked while sitting in San Carlos Water. Fort Austin supported the British intervention in Sierra Leone in 2000.

Fort Austin was mothballed in 2009 but was reactivated following the 2010 SDSR at the expense of RFA Fort George. Both Fort Rosalie and Fort Austin have had major refits at Cammell Laird to enable another decade of service. In 2011 it was announced that the service lives of Fort Austin and Fort Rosalie would be extended by another two years to 2023 and 2024 respectively.^[2] They will ultimately be replaced by the new Solid Support Ships.^[3]

As of June 2020, both ships were reported to be in either reduced (base maintenance period) or extended readiness (unmanned reserve) with replenishment rigs not compatible with the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.^[4]

The 2021 defence white paper announced that both ships of the class would be decommissioned and eventually replaced by new Fleet Solid Stores Support Vessels.^[5] In May 2021, both ships were put up for sale to be scrapped.^[6] The notice for recycling was subsequently withdrawn, and in October 2021 it was announced by the Defence Equipment Sales Authority and Defence Equipment and Support that both ships of the class had been sold to the Egyptian Navy, with refurbishment work expected to be undertaken by Cammell Laird prior to their export.^[7]^[8] While awaiting their refit, it was reported that Fort Austin would be renamed ENS Luxor and Fort Rosalie would be renamed ENS Abu Simbel.^[9]

Ships

Name	Pennant	Builder	Commissioned	Status
Fort Rosalie (ex-Fort Grange)	A385	Scott Lithgow, Greenock	6 April 1978	Decommissioned 31 March 2021, sold to Egypt October 2021 Renamed ENS Abu Simbel
Fort Austin	A386	Scott Lithgow, Greenock	11 May 1979	Decommissioned 31 March 2021, sold to Egypt October 2021

Related Research Articles

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service and provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by providing fuel and stores through replenishment at sea, transporting Royal Marines and British Army personnel, providing medical care and transporting equipment and essentials around the world. In addition the RFA acts independently providing humanitarian aid, counter piracy and counter narcotic patrols together with assisting the Royal Navy in preventing conflict and securing international trade. They are a uniformed civilian branch of the Royal Navy staffed by British merchant sailors. The RFA is one of five RN fighting arms.

RFA Fort Austin is a retired British Fort Rosalie-class dry stores ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

RFA Fort George was a combined fleet stores ship and tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and one of two Fort Victoria-class replenishment oilers.

RFA Bayleaf (A109) was a Leaf-class support tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

RFA Fort Rosalie was the lead ship of her class of Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet replenishment ships. Fort Rosalie was originally named RFA Fort Grange, but was renamed in May 2000 to avoid confusion with the now-decommissioned RFA Fort George. On 31 March 2021, the ship was withdrawn from service.

RFA Fort Victoria is a Fort-class combined fleet stores ship and tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary of the United Kingdom tasked with providing ammunition, fuel, food and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world. She is now the only member of her class.

Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, when that side of the business was separated and became part of the Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage & Wagon Company.

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RFA Proteus is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary within His Majesty's Naval Service of the United Kingdom. Acquired in 2023, the ship entered drydock at Cammell Laird for modification into a Multi-Role Ocean Surveillance Ship (MROSS). She formally entered service in October 2023.

References

↑ "New navigation radar system for Royal Navy". Gov.uk. 28 January 2016.
↑ "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers". UK Parliament. 11 June 2013.
↑ "SDSR 2015 Defence Fact Sheets" (PDF). Gov.uk. 2015.
↑ "PREMIUM: RFA trio remain in extended readiness as reduced fleet continues to support RN deployments". shephardmedia.com. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
↑ "First Sea Lord's Message on Integrated Review". Royal Navy. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
↑ "Notice of the potential sale of the former RFA Austin and RFA Rosalie for recycling only". Gov.uk. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
↑ Neumann, Norbert (29 October 2021). "UK sells Royal Navy ships to Egypt for first time in 30 years". www.naval-technology.com. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
↑ Walters, Alex (29 October 2021). "Done deal: First Royal Navy ships sold to Egypt in 30 years". www.forces.net. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
↑ @NavyLookout (14 February 2022). "Ex-RFA Fort Austin and RFA Fort Rosalie await refurbishment package at @CammellLaird to be undertaken in next coupl…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.