RFA Mounts Bay

Last updated

Mounts Bay (L3008).jpg
History
British-Royal-Fleet-Auxiliary-Ensign.svgUnited Kingdom
NameRFA Mounts Bay
Namesake Mount's Bay
Ordered19 November 2001
Builder BAE Systems, Govan, Glasgow
Laid down25 August 2002
Launched9 April 2004
In service13 July 2006
Homeport Falmouth [1]
Identification
StatusShip in active service
General characteristics
Class and type Bay-class landing ship dock
Displacement16,160 t (15,905 long tons) full load
Length579.4 ft (176.6 m)
Beam86.6 ft (26.4 m)
Draught19 ft (5.8 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × Wärtsilä 8L26 generators, 6,000 hp (4.5 MW)
  • 2 × Wärtsilä 12V26 generators, 9,000 hp (6.7 MW)
  • 2 × propulsion pods
  • 1 × bow thruster
Speed18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range8,000  nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried		1 LCU or 2 LCVP in well deck; Mexeflote powered rafts
Capacity
  • 1,150 linear metres of vehicles (up to 24 Challenger 2 tanks or 150 light trucks)
  • Cargo capacity of 200 tons ammunition or 24 TEU containers
Troops356 standard, 700 overload
Complement60
Armament
Aviation facilitiesFlight deck can operate helicopters up to Chinook size

RFA Mounts Bay is a Bay-class auxiliary landing ship dock (LSD(A)) of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. She is named after Mount's Bay in Cornwall.

Contents

Design and construction

The Bay class was designed as a replacement for the Round Table-class logistics ships operated by the RFA. [5] The new design was based on the Royal Schelde Enforcer design; a joint project between the Dutch and Spanish resulting in the Rotterdam-class and Galicia-class amphibious warfare ships. [5] The main difference with the British ships is the lack of a helicopter hangar. [6] The ships were originally designated "Auxiliary Landing Ship Logistics" or ALSL, but this was changed in 2002 to "Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary)" or LSD(A), better reflecting their operational role. [7] Four ships were ordered; two from Swan Hunter, and two from BAE Systems Naval Ships. [5]

Mounts Bay under construction in June 2004 RFA Mounts Bay L3008 02Jun04 River Clyde.JPG
Mounts Bay under construction in June 2004

The Bay-class ships have a full load displacement of 16,160 tonnes (15,900 long tons). [5] Each is 579.4 feet (176.6 m) long, with a beam of 86.6 feet (26.4 m), and a draught of 19 feet (5.8 m). [5] Propulsion power is provided by two Wärtsilä 8L26 generators, providing 6,000 horsepower (4.5 MW), and two Wärtsilä 12V26 generators, providing 9,000 horsepower (6.7 MW). [5] These are used to drive two steerable propulsion pods, with a bow thruster supplementing. [5] Maximum speed is 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph), and the Bay-class ships can achieve a range of 8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). [5] Mounts Bay is normally unarmed, but is fitted to receive two 30 mm DS30B cannons, two Mk.44 miniguns, six 7.62mm L7 GPMGs, and a Phalanx CIWS. [5] [8] The standard ship's company consists of 60 officers and sailors. [5]

As a sealift ship, Mounts Bay is capable of carrying up to 24 Challenger 2 tanks or 150 light trucks in 1,150 linear metres of space. [5] The cargo capacity is equivalent of 200 tons of ammunition, or 24 Twenty-foot equivalent unit containers. [5] During normal conditions, a Bay-class ship can carry 356 soldiers, but this can be almost doubled to 700 in overload conditions. [5] Helicopters are not routinely carried on board, but a temporary hangar can be fitted and the flight deck is capable of handling helicopters up to the size of Chinooks, as well as Merlin helicopters and Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. [5] [7] The well dock can carry one LCU Mark 10 or two LCVPs, and two Mexeflotes can be suspended from the ship's flanks. [5] [7] Two 30-ton cranes are fitted between the superstructure and the flight deck. [5]

Mounts Bay and sister ship Cardigan Bay were ordered from BAE on 19 November 2001. [5] Mounts Bay was laid down at BAE's shipyard at Govan, Scotland on 25 August 2002. [5] She was launched on 9 April 2004, although it took several attempts to christen the ship, and she received damage after becoming entangled in chains and 25-ton weights during the actual launching. [9] [10] Mounts Bay was dedicated on 13 July 2006, the first Bay-class ship to enter service with the RFA. [5] The launching of the ship was included in the film On a Clear Day (2005).[ citation needed ]

Operational history

Mounts Bay took part in the 2006 Vela Deployment. The deployment lasted from 11 September until 22 November 2006. In total approximately 3,000 British personnel and eleven ships of the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary were involved. This deployment saw for the first time, an Albion-class vessel, HMS Albion taking part in amphibious operations with a Bay class vessel. The deployment was divided into two phases, the first in local waters and the second in waters off the coast of Sierra Leone. For this deployment she was fitted with the Bowman communications system.

Mounts Bay demonstrated her lifting capability by transporting in excess of 130 vehicles, for the passage from the UK via Lisbon to Sierra Leone. After completing the Vela Deployment, she returned to the UK to load vehicles and equipment for Exercise Clockwork in northern Norway. She reached Sørreisa on 9 December. Sørreisa is within the Arctic Circle and is the furthest north any Bay-class vessel has been so far. After discharging her cargo, Mounts Bay returned to the UK, successfully completing operations from the Equator to the Arctic Circle in the last three months of 2006.

She attended the Dover Maritime Careers Festival on 23–24 March 2007, mooring at the Dover Western Docks. She was also in Fowey on 22 August 2008 for the regatta week. Mounts Bay was involved in Exercise Joint Warrior 2008, along with HMS Bulwark, which acted as the Fleets Amphibious Flagship. HMS Ark Royal and HMS Illustrious also took part in the two-week exercise off Scotland.

She attended The Tall Ships' Races event in Belfast Northern Ireland between 14–17 August 2009 which was the finishing line for the competition.

In April 2011, she was deployed as part of the Response Force Task Group's COUGAR'11 deployment. [11]

In early 2012, she joined the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious and fleet flagship HMS Bulwark to participate in Exercise ‘Joint Warrior’ and other training missions with warships from the United States, Norway and the Netherlands. [12]

On Armed Forces Day 2012, 30 June, she fired the salute in Plymouth as she steamed past HMS Argyll, with the Earl of Wessex and the First Sea Lord on board. [13] [14]

Mounts Bay is scheduled to depart for Exercise COUGAR 2013, with Viking armoured vehicles on board. [15] [16]

In January 2016, she set sail for the Mediterranean, carrying the new Governor of Gibraltar, Ed Davis. [17] [18] She has further been deployed to the Aegean Sea to help NATO forces deal with the European migrant crisis. [19] [20] Mounts Bay docked at Gibraltar for one month of repairs. [21]

On 19 May 2016 she was deployed to assist in the search for the missing EgyptAir flight MS804 in the Mediterranean between Crete and Egypt. [22] By June 2016 she was tasked to the European Union's Operation Sophia to target Daesh gun and people traffickers. [23]

After undertaking maintenance in Falmouth in March 2017, [24] Mounts Bay deployed to the Caribbean to provide support during the 2017 hurricane season. [25] She was tasked to assist in HADR operations at Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in September 2017 obtaining widespread media coverage. [26]

In September 2019, Mounts Bay delivered essential supplies to the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. [27] [28]

In March 2022, Mounts Bay participated in Cold Response 2022, a multinational NATO military exercise in Norway occurring biennially. [29]

Citations

  1. ↑ "FOI(A) regarding the Royal Navy" (PDF). What do they know?. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "The all-rounder – the 30mm Automated Small Calibre Gun in focus". Navy Lookout. 13 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  3. ↑ "Last ditch defence – the Phalanx close-in weapon system in focus". Navy Lookout. 10 August 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "In focus: the Fleet Solid Support ship design". Navy Lookout. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Saunders (ed.), Jane's Fighting Ships 2008-2009, p. 876
  6. ↑ Kemp, New UK landing ship takes to the water
  7. 1 2 3 Scott, The Royal Navy's Future Fleet
  8. ↑ Royal Navy website Archived 2006-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ RFA Mounts Bay (L3008) at toysoutofthepram.com Archived 2010-04-06 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "Failure of automatic release hook during fast rescue craft deployment from royal fleet auxiliary vessel Mounts Bay".
  11. ↑ "RFA Cardigan Bay". Royal Fleet Auxiliary Historical Association. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "HMS Bulwark". Flickr - Photo Sharing!. 24 April 2012.
  13. ↑ "Armed Forces Day National Event in Plymouth". Flickr - Photo Sharing!. 30 June 2012.
  14. ↑ "Armed Forces Day National Event in Plymouth". Flickr - Photo Sharing!. 30 June 2012.
  15. ↑ "Navy News - Reporting from the Fleet".
  16. ↑ "Royal Navy sails for annual 'Cougar' deployment".
  17. ↑ "New Governor arrives next week".
  18. ↑ "RFA Mounts Bays sails for Mediterranean deployment".
  19. ↑ "PM announces UK deployment for NATO mission in Aegean Sea to tackle migrant crisis".
  20. ↑ "Migrant crisis: UK to send ships to tackle people smugglers". BBC News . 7 March 2016.
  21. ↑ http://www.gibnews.net/cgi-bin/gn_view.pl/?HQBF160411_1.xml [ dead link ]
  22. ↑ "Cameron: 'Dreadful event'". BBC News . 19 May 2016.
  23. ↑ http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/west-ships-to-lead-mission-against-is-gun-runners/story-29458860-detail/story.html [ dead link ]
  24. ↑ Barnicoat, David (9 March 2017). "A&P tender for part of a ten-year, £900 million MoD contract to repair and refit ships". Falmouth Packet. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  25. ↑ "British navy to land equipment on 7MB". Cayman News. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  26. ↑ "Hurricane Irma causes devastation in the Caribbean". BBC News. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
  27. ↑ "RFA Mounts Bay delivers aid to the Bahamas".
  28. ↑ "RFA Mounts Bay delivers aid to the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian | Royal Navy".
  29. ↑ How Royal Marines Commandos move around the Arctic , retrieved 28 March 2022

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Ocean</i> (L12) 1998 unique amphibious assault ship of the Royal Navy

HMS Ocean was a Landing Platform Helicopter, formerly the UK's helicopter carrier and the fleet flagship of the Royal Navy. She was designed to support amphibious landing operations and to support the staff of Commander UK Amphibious Force and Commander UK Landing Force. She was constructed in the mid-1990s by Kvaerner Govan on the River Clyde and fitted out by VSEL at Barrow-in-Furness prior to trials and subsequent acceptance in service. Ocean was commissioned in September 1998 at her home port HMNB Devonport, Plymouth.

HMS <i>Albion</i> (L14) 2003 Albion-class landing platform dock of the Royal Navy

HMS Albion is a landing platform dock of the Royal Navy, the first of the two-ship Albion class. Built by BAE Systems Marine in Barrow-in-Furness, Albion was launched in March 2001 by the Princess Royal. Her sister ship, Bulwark, was launched in November 2001, also from Barrow. Affiliated to the city of Chester and based in Plymouth, she is the ninth ship to carry the name Albion, stretching back to the 74-gun 1763 warship, and last carried by an aircraft carrier decommissioned in 1973 after 19 years service. Designed as an amphibious warfare ship, Albion carries troops, normally Royal Marines, and vehicles up to the size of the Challenger 2 main battle tank. She can deploy these forces using four Landing Craft Utility (LCUs) and four Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVPs). A flight deck supports helicopter operations.

HMS <i>Argyll</i> (F231) 1991 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

The third and current HMS Argyll is a Type 23 Duke-class frigate. She is currently the oldest serving Type 23 frigate in the Royal Navy. Like all of her class she is named after a British dukedom, in this case that of Argyll. HMS Argyll was laid down in March 1987 by Yarrow Shipbuilders at Glasgow, and launched in 1989 by Lady Wendy Levene, sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Paviors. She was commissioned in May 1991. Argyll is currently based at HMNB Devonport.

HMS <i>Somerset</i> (F82) 1996 Type 23 or Duke-class frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Somerset is a Type 23 frigate of the Royal Navy. She is the eleventh ship of the class to join the fleet since 1989. She was built by Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd on the River Clyde, in Scotland and was launched in June 1994 by Lady Elspeth Layard, wife of then 2nd Sea Lord Admiral and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command Admiral Sir Michael Layard. She entered service in 1996. Lady Layard is the ship's sponsor. She is named after the Dukedom of Somerset.

RFA <i>Argus</i> (A135) Aviation Support and Littoral Strike Ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Argus is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary operated by the Ministry of Defence under the Blue Ensign. Italian-built, Argus was formerly the container ship MVContender Bezant. The ship was requisitioned in 1982 for service in the Falklands War and purchased outright in 1984 for a four-year conversion to an Aviation Training Ship, replacing RFA Engadine. In 1991, during the Gulf War, she was fitted with an extensive and fully functional hospital to assume the additional role of Primary Casualty Receiving Ship. In 2009, the PCRS role became the ship's primary function. Argus is due to remain in service beyond 2030. In July 2022 it was reported that the future Littoral Strike Role would be assumed by Argus after a refit to convert her to this role. As of October 2023, Argus had started her deployment to serve as part of Littoral Response Group (South) based out of the UK Joint Logistics Support Base in Oman.

RFA <i>Fort Austin</i> Retired British Fort Rosalie-class dry stores ship

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

<i>Albion</i>-class landing platform dock Type of amphibious warfare ship in service with the Royal Navy

The Albion-class landing platform dock is a class of amphibious warfare ship in service with the Royal Navy. The class consists of two vessels, HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, ordered in 1996 to replace the ageing Fearless class. Both ships were built by BAE Systems Marine at the former Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering yard in Barrow-in-Furness. Albion was commissioned in 2003 and Bulwark in 2004. Each of the ships has a crew of 325 and can accommodate up to 405 troops. Thirty-one large trucks and thirty-six smaller vehicles and main battle tanks can be carried inside the vehicle deck. To disembark troops and vehicles, the vessels are equipped with eight landing craft.

HMS <i>Bulwark</i> (L15) 2005 Albion-class landing platform dock of the Royal Navy

HMS Bulwark is the second ship of the Royal Navy's Albion-class assault ships. She is one of the United Kingdom's two landing platform docks designed to put Royal Marines ashore by air and by sea.

HMAS <i>Choules</i>

HMAS Choules (L100) is a Bay-class landing ship that served with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) from 2006 to 2011, before being purchased by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The vessel was built as RFA Largs Bay by Swan Hunter in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. She was named after Largs Bay in Ayrshire, Scotland, and entered service in November 2006. During her career with the RFA, Largs Bay served as the British ship assigned to patrol the Falkland Islands in 2008, and delivered relief supplies following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

RFA <i>Lyme Bay</i> Bay-class dock landing ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Lyme Bay is a Bay-class auxiliary dock landing ship of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Ordered from Swan Hunter in 2000, the ship was launched in 2005. However, cost overruns and delays saw the shipbuilder removed from the project, and the incomplete ship was towed to Govan for finishing by BAE Systems Naval Ships. Lyme Bay entered service in late 2007; the last ship of the class to join the RFA.

RFA <i>Cardigan Bay</i> Bay-class dock landing ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

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.

HMS <i>Queen Elizabeth</i> (R08) Royal Navy aircraft carrier, Fleet Flagship

HMS Queen Elizabeth is the lead ship of the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers and the Fleet Flagship of the Royal Navy. Capable of carrying 60 aircraft including fixed wing, rotary wing and autonomous vehicles, she is named in honour of the first HMS Queen Elizabeth, a World War I era super-dreadnought, which in turn was named after Queen Elizabeth I. The carrier Queen Elizabeth carries her namesake ship's honours, as well as her Tudor rose-adorned crest and motto.

Bay-class landing ship 2006 class of British landing ships

The Bay class is a ship class of four dock landing ships built for the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) during the 2000s. They are based on the Dutch-Spanish Royal Schelde Enforcer design, and replaced the Round Table-class logistics ships. Two ships each were ordered from Swan Hunter and BAE Systems Naval Ships. Construction work started in 2002, but saw major delays and cost overruns, particularly at Swan Hunter's shipyard. In mid-2006, Swan Hunter was stripped of work, and the incomplete second ship was towed to BAE's shipyard for completion. All four ships, Largs Bay, Lyme Bay, Mounts Bay, and Cardigan Bay had entered service by 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Standing Royal Navy deployments</span>

Standing Royal Navy deployments is a list of operations and commitments undertaken by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy on a worldwide basis. The following list details these commitments and deployments sorted by region and in alphabetical order. Routine deployments made by the Navy's nuclear-powered submarines and their location of operations is classified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commander United Kingdom Strike Force</span> Senior post in the Royal Navy

The Commander United Kingdom Strike Force is a senior post in the Royal Navy.

RFA <i>Wave Ruler</i> (A390) 2003 Wave-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Wave Ruler is a Wave-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) of the United Kingdom tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world.

RFA <i>Wave Knight</i> (A389) 2003 Wave-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Wave Knight is a Wave-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) of the United Kingdom tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world.

RFA <i>Tiderace</i> (A137) 2018 Tide-class replenishment tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Tiderace is a Tide-class replenishment tanker of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Ordered from DSME in 2012, she was officially named on 1 December 2016 and was accepted by the Ministry of Defence in June 2017. Tiderace entered service on 2 August 2018.

RFA <i>Tidesurge</i> (A138) 2019 Tide-class replenishment tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

RFA Tidesurge is a Tide-class replenishment tanker of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Built by DSME in 2017, she entered service with the RFA on 20 February 2019.

A Littoral Response Group (LRG) is a Royal Navy task group consisting of at least two amphibious warfare ships, a company of Royal Marines and supporting elements primarily tasked with amphibious warfare from the littoral areas. They were first deployed in 2020 and have been described by the Royal Navy as being more flexible and agile compared to previous amphibious task groups with an emphasis on forward-basing, precision strike capabilities, high mobility, modern command and control technology, networked autonomous systems and deception capabilities. Multiple LRGs can combine to form a more substantial Littoral Strike Group (LSG) and they can also join a UK Carrier Strike Group to form an Expeditionary Strike Force.

References

Books
Journal articles
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.