RFA Tidesurge in Cornwall on 27 March 2018. | |
History | |
---|---|
United Kingdom | |
Name | RFA Tidesurge |
Ordered | February 2012 |
Builder | DSME |
Laid down | 7 December 2015 |
Launched | 4 June 2016 |
Sponsored by | Lady Joanna Woodcock |
In service | 20 February 2019 |
Homeport | Marchwood Military Port, Southampton [1] |
Identification |
|
Status | In service |
General characteristics [2] | |
Class and type | Tide-class fast fleet tanker |
Displacement | 37,000 t (36,000 long tons) |
Length | 200.9 m (659 ft 1 in) |
Beam | 28.6 m (93 ft 10 in) [3] |
Draft | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
Propulsion | CODELOD |
Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
Range | 18,200 nautical miles (33,700 km; 20,900 mi) |
Capacity |
|
Complement | 63 plus 46 non-crew embarked persons (Royal Marines, flight crew, trainees) |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | 1 medium helicopter with full hangar facilities (Merlin / Wildcat), flight deck capable of landing Chinook-size helicopter |
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. [7]
The third-in-class, Tidesurge was built by DSME in Okpo, Geoje, South Korea. She was laid down on 7 December 2015 and was launched six months later on 4 July 2016. [8] A series of builder's sea trials commenced soon after and, during November 2017, the ship formed a "sistership bond" with the Republic of Korea Navy frigate ROKS Daegu. [8] Following the completion of builder's sea trials, Tidesurge departed Opko en route for her delivery to the United Kingdom. During her journey, she made stopovers at United States Fleet Activities Sasebo in Japan and Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. She then transited the Panama Canal into the Atlantic Ocean, anchoring off Antigua before continuing her transit to Falmouth, England. [8] She arrived in Falmouth on 27 March 2018 and underwent UK customisation work, including the fitting of self-defence weaponry, communications systems and armour, in the A&P Falmouth shipyard. [9] [10] Further trials took place within British waters and, in November 2018, the ship carried out helicopter landing trials with a Chinook helicopter — a "first" for the class. [11] In February 2019, she carried out her first replenishment at sea (RAS) with Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender and, on 20 February 2019, she was welcomed into the RFA fleet in a ceremony attended by her Lady Sponsor, Joanna Woodcock, in the ship's affiliated town of Greenock. [12] [7]
On 9 May 2019, Tidesurge joined two other RFA ships, Fort Victoria and Tideforce, to assist with the latter's sea trials. The manoeuvres involved the first "Tide-to-Tide" RAS in history. [13] Two months later, Tidesurge assisted with the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker, named Grace I, which was believed to be heading to Syria. Royal Marines from 42 Commando fast-roped onto the oil tanker via a Wildcat helicopter which launched from Tidesurge. The oil tanker was impounded in Gibraltar, an act which was condemned by Iran as an "act of piracy", before later being released. [14] Between entering service and August, Tidesurge had seen a "surge in demand", operating in the Norwegian Sea, North Sea, Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Circle, including with an 814 Naval Air Squadron Merlin helicopter on board. [15]
In October 2019, Tidesurge participated in Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) before joining Exercise Joint Warrior, a large-scale NATO military exercise in Scotland. During the exercise, she carried out a RAS with U.S. Navy destroyer USS Donald Cook — reportedly a "first" for the class. [16]
In January 2020, Tidesurge underwent general repair and maintenance at Cammell Laird's shipyard in Birkenhead, England. [17] The ship was again reported to be in dry dock for refit at Cammell Laird in October 2023. [18]
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.
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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.
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The Wave-class tankers are a class of fast fleet tankers in service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The class is tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world. There are two ships in the class, RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler. The ships were ordered to replace the aging Ol-class tankers RFA Olna and RFA Olwen. The two vessels have seen service in a number of locations, including anti-drug and hurricane relief operations in the Caribbean Sea, anti-piracy activities around the Horn of Africa, and deterrent patrols in the South Atlantic. As of early 2022, both ships were earmarked for "extended readiness" status.
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.
The Rover class is a British ship class of Small Fleet Tankers, active from 1970 to 2017 with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Two remain in service, one having been sold to Portugal and one to Indonesia; the rest have been scrapped or are awaiting disposal. They are tasked with the replenishment at sea of naval warships with fuel oils and with limited supplies of other naval stores. For RAS tasking, they can refuel a vessel on either beam and a third trailing astern and have a large flight deck to allow vertical replenishment with helicopters.
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The Tide-class tanker (formerly the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) project) is a class of four fast fleet tankers that entered service with the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 2017. The 37,000 t ships provide fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world. Norway ordered a similar 26,000 t version with a 48-bed hospital and greater solid stores capacity, but reduced liquid capacity; it was delivered in November 2018 as HNoMS Maud two years after originally planned. The two classes are very similar but are not directly comparable due to large variance in capabilities delivered.
A fleet solid support ship is a type of Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship designed to supply solids, such as ammunition, explosives and food, to Royal Navy ships at sea. The term can also refer to the programme to replace the RFA's existing solid support ships, the Fleet Solid Support Ship Programme.
RFA Tidespring is a Tide-class replenishment tanker of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Built by DSME in 2016, the ship entered service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in November 2017.
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RFA Tideforce is a Tide-class replenishment tanker of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). Launched in 2017, the ship entered service with the RFA in 2019.
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