FORT Victoria is a handy ship to have around – she and her sister Fort George are often described as floating warehouses, although even that does not quite cover the waterfront.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is designated a Fleet Support Tanker and Stores, or Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) ship, and was originally intended to be the first of a class of six which could support deep ocean submarine hunts conducted by Type 23 frigates
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As such she was designed to operate quietly, and like the Type 23s she has a hull and superstructure with reduced radar reflectivity, but the end of the Cold War also spelled the end for four of the class, leaving just Victoria and George.

Although she was laid down almost a year before sister ship Fort George, Fort Victoria’s progress was delayed by damage sustained in a fire at the Harland and Wolff, and she was completed at the Cammell Laird yard in 1992 after initial sea trials.

Fort Victoria, which is civilian-manned, has four dual-purpose abeam replenishment rigs for simultaneous transfer of liquids and solids.

This means she can transfer both fuel and stores to two ships at the same time – the jackstay can handle up to two tons at a time on the traveller which shuttle back and forth.

She can also refuel a ship astern – not so efficient a method, but safer in severe weather conditions.

Fort Victoria has an impressive flight deck which is served by three hangars, each of which can handle an aircraft the sized of a Sea King or Merlin, and she has repair facilities on board for the latter.

With a flight embarked, the ship can also transfer stores from ship to ship or ashore by helicopter (vertical replenishment or ‘vertrep’).

Fort Victoria was in refit between April and October last year, and was due to complete her Operational Sea Training under Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) as Navy News went to press.

She will then become FOST’s training tanker, before taking part in a Joint Maritime Course (JMC) later this month off Scotland.

Facts and Figures
Class:	Fort Victoria-class fleet replenishment ship
Pennant number:	A387
Builder:	Harland and Wolff/Cammell Laird
Launched:	June 12, 1990
Commissioned:	June 24, 1994
Length:	203.5 metres
Beam:	30.3 metres
Draught:	9.7 metres
Displacement:	36,580 tons fully loaded
Machinery:	Two Crossley SEMT-Pielstick 16 PC2.6 B 400 diesels, two shafts
Speed:	22 knots
Weapons:	Two DES/MSI DS 30B 30mm/two Vulcan Phalanx 20mm Mk15
Radars:	Air search: Plessey Type 996; Navigation: Kelvin-Hughes Type 1007 Aircraft Control: Kelvin-Hughes NUCLEUS
Aircraft:	Two deck spots; can handle five Sea King or Merlin-sized helicopters
Complement:	134; 95 RFA plus 15 RN plus 24 civilian stores staff, also 154 air crew
Cargo Capacity:	12,505 m sq liquids, 3,00 m sq solids

(Ship of the Month February 2005)

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