How the RFA is adapted for the Carrier Strike Group

It has often been said that conflict outcomes are decided by the number of resources a country can get hold of. This has been demonstrated throughout the last century, from WWII where the US sustained the allied attacks by providing much-needed food, ammunition and steel; to the Falklands, where the British prioritised the need to overcome the logistical challenges of sustaining a harsh war, some 12,560km away. This falls to the job of the Royal Navy’s resident support logistical experts, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and due to the regeneration of the Navy's carrier capability, the RFA has had to equip itself adequately, so it can sustain Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers beyond the ships' 19,000km range. Here is how its done it:

The new ‘state-of-the-art’ Tide class tanker program is near its completion, as RFA Tideforce undergoes sea trials, creating four 39,000-ton tankers. Each one can sustain themselves for up to 33,700km equipped with amphibious and air capabilities, meaning that hypothetically, 1 Tide class, can sustain one QE class to the Falklands and back, and has 2460km of fuel left over. This immense range will be able to sustain a carrier strike group, plus aircraft, with the use of its 3 RAS (Replenishment-at-sea) stations abeam of the ship, able to refuel in aviation fuel, diesel and fresh water, as well as stores from up to 160 containers.

HMS Queen Elizabeth and RFA Tidespring carrying out their first Replenishment-at-Sea together

As the 4th oldest in the RFA fleet, RFA Fort Victoria was due a bit of “TLC”, from which she only returned from in November 2018. ‘Fort Vic’ has had new hull compartments fitted around the fuel tanks, and new RAS rigs have been modified in order to work better with the new carriers. However, the refit was focused more on being compatible for the smaller vessels in a strike group, like the Type 45 destroyer, and the Type 23 and Type 26 frigates; used to protect the carrier from air and underwater attacks. This modernisation of this 25-year-old ship, which has seen so much, like IRA bombings (listing the ship at 45° angle and nearly sinking it), will allow her age to not hinder the future Royal Navy fleet.

RFA Fort Victoria, which entered RFA service in 1994

RFA Argus has had a major refit in 2018, overhauling both its engines (consisting of a full piston and liner change), and its flight deck inspected and repaired, complimented by a lick of paint. This increases the reliability of its peacetime role: aviation training. The aviation component of the ship has become increasingly important as more and more naval and RAF pilots will be landing on flight decks at sea when the Royal Navy is operating its two supercarriers, so the more practice on this 28,081-ton ship, the better.

Merlins from 845 NAS on board RFA Argus

Various other RFA ships have been through recent refits in order to ‘future proof’ them, like RFA Fort Rosalie, having life extension maintenance in 2015, and RFA Fort Austin had a refit in 2017, bringing her planned decommissioning to 2024. These steps are in order to keep up the quality of the RFA’s Fleet Solid Support ships, until the mid-2020s, when their replacements will be found, and a more permanent and integrated solution for this role will be in service.

But how is this Replenishment-at-sea done? Well there are two ways of RAS used by the Royal Navy, Alongside Connected Replenishment (CONREP) and Verticle Replenishment (VERTREP). The first of these involves the process of the two ship travelling at the same speed alongside each other, no more than 42 metres apart, whereby a pneumatic line thrower will throw a line, which will pull along the messenger line. This messenger line will be attached to other equipment such as transfer rig lines for cargo, as well as fuel hoses which use a standardised probe to bell-mouth setup, which enables international RAS between ships of different countries. RAS for the QE carriers will always be on the starboard side, as that is where the twin islands are located on the deck. Although due to the fluid dynamics of the process, where it can cause a ‘suction’ in between the two ships, any tiny error in course or speed, can cause the lines to break or even a collision between the vessels. It is important to note that the RFA ship gives all the commands, and remains in charge until the process is complete. It is very weather dependent, as the RN and RFA are all too aware, as the first RAS for HMS QE was abandoned due to weather.  

Cargo being transferred during a replenishment at sea

The VERTREP system involves a helicopter, usually for the Royal Navy this would be done by a Merlin or Wildcat, and where permitted, a Chinook. They would have an underslung load with crates of food and supplies. However, it is not very practical to transfer fluid using this method, due to the movement of the liquid, swinging the load. VERTREP can be done from ship to ship, or from land to ship, and are only limited by the size and ability of the helicopter in question.