More Than a Floating Store

In her three years of service to date, Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fort George has already proved her versatility as store ship, tanker, helicopter platform - and rescue vessel.

Fort George, and her sister ship RFA Fort Victoria, combine the functions of ocean-going fast fleet support tanker and stores support ship - a new concept in logistics support policy at the time, as the prevailing fashion had been fro single-role support ships and tankers.

They were designed with Cold War anti-submarine patrols in mind, giving them the capability to operate independently in support of groups of frigates on patrol.

To enhance this capability they were built to run very quietly, and their superstructures slope at different angles to disperse radar reflections - one of the world's first stealth tankers perhaps?

Fort George is built to RAS - replenishment at sea - in three ways.

The four dual-purpose replenishment rigs amidships allow Fort George to transfer fuel, ammunition and stores simultaneously to two ships.

The fuel is transferred by suspending a hose from a tensioned cable, known as a jackstay, which runs between Fort George and the ship receiving fuel.

The hose is fitted with a quick-coupling probe which connects with the receiving point on the other ship, at which point Fort George pumps the fuel across.

The jackstay can also support a traveller device, which can carry loads of up to two tonnes.

In addition, Fort George carries a stern refueling rig called a Hudson Reel.

The fuel hose is trailed over the stern by Fort George, picked up and hauled aboard by the ship to be refuelled.

Although this system is not as efficient as beam replenishment, it is safer in severe weather, where it could be difficult for two ships buffeted by wind and high seas to hold a steady course side-by-side.

The Fort Victoria-class ships have a two-spot flight deck which can accommodate helicopters the size of Merlin or Sea King, which allows for efficient vertrep - vertical replenishment - operation.

Aircraft ferry stores from the Fort ship, either to speed up the replenishment process while fuel is being pumped, or to allow a ship to take on stores when there is no requirement to take on fuel.

RFA Fort George has been on Ocean Wave, along with auxiliary oiler RFA Olna, RFA Fort Austin (auxiliary fleet support, helicopter) and forward repair ship RFA Diligence.

The current Fort George is the second ship to bear the name, and the two vessels could not have been more different.

The original Fort George was a trawler of 180 tons, built just after the turn of the century, which was hired by the Admiralty as a decoy ship between 1917 and 1919.

RFA Fort George was laid down at Swan Hunter on Tyneside in March 1989, and was launched by Lady Annie Slater, wife of the then Commander-in-Chief Fleet Admiral Sir Jock Slater, just under two years, just under two years later. The ship was commissioned in July 1993.

She was originally going to be the second of six of this type of vessel, but there are now no plans to build any more of the class.

Facilities are spacious and comfortable; the ship can accommodate 280 people, and officers and ratings have single cabins with en-suite facilities.

Recreational spaces include lounges, a library, a cinema, gym facilities, a dark room, laundries and a NAAFI canteen. There is also an operating theatre.

The versatile ship added another string to her bow in June 1996, when she aided a stricken yacht.

The ship, under the command of Captain Carew, picked up a distress signal from the yacht Tiberias, with three people on board, which was on fire in mid-Atlantic.

Fort George, returning to the UK from her role in Exercise Purple Star, off the American east coast, altered course and increased speed to reach the Canadian yacht.

The yacht's wiring had been damaged, knocking out the generator and reducing radio range.

The crew went to Fort George for a shower and meal, while the RFA ship's mechanics and electricians repaired the generator and jury-rigged the radio. Fort George stayed in attendance for that night an most of the following day, until another yacht arrived to escort Tiberias to the Azores.

Facts and Figures
Class:	Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment vessel
Pennant Number:	A388
Builder:	Swan Hunter, Wallsend-on-Tyne
Launched:	March 1, 1991
Commissioned:	July 16, 1993
Displacement:	36,580 tonnes
Length:	204 metres
Beam:	30.4 metres
Draught:	9.75 metres
Speed:	18 knots normal, 21 knots maximum
Ship's company:	128: 95 RFA, nine Royal Navy and 24 civilian stores personnel, plus up to 154 aircrew
Machinery:	Two Crossley-Pielstick PC2 diesel engines, two shafts
Designed power:	23,680hp per engine
Cargo capacity:	12,505 cubic metres liquid, 6,234 cubic metres solids
Port of Registry:	London
Lloyds classification:	+ 100A1 DTsm Oil Cargoes, Ice Class 1D, (c.c.) +LMC, UMS, IGS +Lloyds RMC
Landing platforms:	Two-spot flight deck for Merlin, Sea King or Lynx; hangar and maintenance facilites for five Sea King sized helicopters
Replenishment:	Four dual-purpose abeam replenishment rigs for simultaneous transfer of liquids and solids; stern refuelling
Countermeasures:	Decoys; four Plessey Shield of four Sea Gnat six-barelled 130mm/102mm launchers; Greaseby Type 182; towed torpedo decoy
Radars:	Navigation: Kelvin Hughes Type 1007; I-band; aircraft control: Kelvin Hughes NUCLEUS; I-band
Combat data systems:	Marconi Matra SCOT 1D SATCOM

(Ship of the Month August 1997)

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