The fast combat support ship is a type of replenishment auxiliary ship. Different from traditional logistic ships, the fast combat support ship is designed with high speed to keep up with the carrier battle group/carrier strike group, while the multi-product station is capable of supplying all types of necessities for the fleet.
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones. In the 19th century, redundant warships were used as moored hospitals for seamen.
RFA Cardigan Bay is a Bay-class landing ship dock of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Built by BAE Systems, the ship was dedicated into the RFA at the end of 2006.
Cavour is an Italian aircraft carrier launched in 2004. She is the flagship of the Italian Navy.
The Italian Navy is one of the four branches of Italian Armed Forces and was formed in 1946 from what remained of the Regia Marina after World War II. As of August 2014, the Italian Navy had a strength of 30,923 active personnel, with approximately 184 vessels in service, including minor auxiliary vessels. It is considered a multiregional and a blue-water navy.
A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers.
Underway replenishment (UNREP) or replenishment at sea (RAS) is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way. First developed in the early 20th century, it was used extensively by the United States Navy as a logistics support technique in the Pacific theatre of World War II, permitting U.S. carrier task forces to remain at sea indefinitely.
A joint support ship (JSS) is a multi-role naval vessel capable of launching and supporting joint amphibious and airlift operations. It can also provide command and control, sealift and seabasing, underway replenishment, disaster relief and logistics capabilities for combined land and sea operations.
A green-water navy is a maritime force that is capable of operating in its state's littoral zones and has limited competency to operate in the surrounding marginal seas. It is a relatively new term, and has been created to better distinguish, and add nuance, between two long-standing descriptors: blue-water navy and brown-water navy.
HNLMS Karel Doorman is a multi-function support ship for amphibious operations of the Royal Netherlands Navy, which is also used by the German Navy. The ship replaced both of the navy's replenishment oilers: HNLMS Zuiderkruis and HNLMS Amsterdam. At 204.7 m she is the largest ship in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy.
A Service Squadron (ServRon) was a United States Navy squadron that supported fleet combat ships and US Navy Auxiliary ships. Service Squadrons were used by the US Navy from their inception in 1943 to as late as the early 1980s. At the time of their inception during the Second World War they allowed the US Navy to operate across the vast reaches of the Pacific Ocean for extended periods of time. Service Squadrons created temporary forward bases to allow the naval squadrons to spend less time in transit and more time in the area of combat. Ulithi, a small volcanic atoll in the central Pacific, is an example of a site converted for use as a forward base of supply. Service Squadrons essentially created a major naval base near the area of operation.
The United States Navy Combat Logistics Force (CLF), formerly the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force (NFAF), is a subordinate component of the United States Navy's Military Sealift Command. CLF's 42 ships are the supply lines that provide virtually everything that Navy ships at sea needs to accomplish its missions, including fuel, food, ordnance, spare parts, mail and other supplies. NFAF ships enable the Navy fleet to remain at sea, on station and combat ready for extended periods of time. CLF ships also conduct towing, rescue and salvage operations or serve as floating medical facilities. All CLF ships are government owned and crewed by civil service mariners. Some of the ships also have a small contingent of Navy personnel aboard for operations support, supply coordination and helicopter operations.
Etna is an auxiliary ship that entered service with the Marina Militare in 1998. She is designed to support fleet operations with fuel and dry stores. Etna is the single Italian vessel of the Etna class while a sister ship, HS Prometheus, was built under licence in Greece and entered service with the Hellenic Navy in 2003.
Dixmude (L9015) is an amphibious assault ship, a type of helicopter carrier, of the French Navy. She is the third vessel to bear the name, and is the third ship of the Mistral class.
Cantabria (A15) is a replenishment oiler operated by the Spanish Navy. Acquired to provide logistical support for the Spanish fleet, Cantabria was commissioned in 2010. Cantabria is the second-largest naval ship currently operated by the Spanish, behind Juan Carlos I.
The LHD Trieste is a multi-purpose aircraft carrier-landing helicopter dock (LHD) of the Italian Navy. The ship replaced the aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi and is the largest vessel in the Italian fleet. It was ordered as part of the 2014–2015 naval program and was built at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyards of Fincantieri. On 7 December 2024, the ship was commissioned at the Italian Navy's base in Livorno.
The Vulcano class is a class of replenishment oiler used by the Italian Navy, with lead ship Vulcano of the class entered service on 12 March 2021. The ships are designed to support fleet operations with fuel and dry stores and expected to replace the Stromboli class, another class of replenishment oiler from the Navy. Vulcano was financed under the 2014 Naval Law, for €346 million, then increased to €374.6 million, when the length was extended by 12 metres (39 ft). A second ship Atlante was ordered in January 2022 for projected delivery in 2025. The Navy also had an option for a third ship of the class. However, under the Italian MoD’s Multi-Year Defence Planning Document for the 2023-2025 timeframe, a fourth ship was added to the program.
The Etna class is a ship class of two naval replenishment and logistic support ships used by the Italian Navy and by the Greek Navy The two ships are almost identical but they have differences in their armament and sensor equipment.
The bâtiments ravitailleurs de forces, or BRF, are a class of future fleet tankers that are to replace the Durance-class units in French Navy service. Until January 2019, the programme was known as Flotte logistique. First ship of the class was delivered to the French Navy in July 2023 and formally entered service in November 2024. The ships are part of the Vulcano-class logistic support ship programme.
Italy
