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| Ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary |
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| Amphibious warfare ships |
| Replenishment ships |
| Miscellaneous ships |
This is a list of replenishment ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary , the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom.
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. [1] [2] [3]
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. [4]
| 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, 132 days | Active | [5] |
| Tidesurge | A138 |  | 20 February 2019 | — | 6 years, 292 days | Active | [6] | |
| Tiderace | A137 |  | 2 August 2018 | — | 7 years, 129 days | In extended readiness - uncrewed reserve - as of April 2024; being reactivated as of late 2025 [7] [8] | [9] | |
| Tidespring | A136 |  | 27 November 2017 | — | 8 years, 12 days | Active | [10] | |
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. [11] The modifications to her also included the ability to provide solid stores replenishment to the two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. [12]
| 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, 168 days | In extended readiness - uncrewed reserve - as of late 2024 | [13] |
