RFA Fort Rosalie (A385)

For other ships of the same name, see RFA Fort Rosalie.

History
RFA Fort Rosalie at West Float, Birkenhead, in June 2015
United Kingdom
Ordered:	November 1971
Builder:	Scott Lithgow
Laid down:	9 November 1973
Launched:	9 December 1976
Commissioned:	6 April 1978
Refit:	20 May 2008
Identification:	Pennant number: A385
Status:	in active service, as of 2016
General characteristics
Class & type:	Fort Rosalie-class replenishment ship
Displacement:	23,384 tons
Length:	185.1 m (607 ft 3 in)
Beam:	24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Draught:	9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Speed:	22 knots (40.7 km/h)
Complement:	114 RFA 36 RNSTS additional 45 RN Air Squadron personnel
Armament:	2 × 20 mm GAM-BO1 4 × 7.62 mm GPMGs
Service record
Commanders:	Captain Ross Ferris, OBE, MVO
Operations:	Falklands War Yugoslav wars Afghanistan War

RFA Fort Rosalie is the lead ship of her class of Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet replenishment ships. Fort Rosalie was originally named RFA Fort Grange, but was renamed in May 2000 to avoid confusion with the now-decommissioned RFA Fort George, a change which was not universally popular. February 2014, arrived at North Western Ship repairs, Birkenhead, for further refit.

History

Fort Rosalie was laid down in 1973, by Scott Lithgow on the River Clyde, launched in 1976 and commissioned the next year.

RFA Fort Rosalie during refit at Cammell Laird's Birkenhead Docks in February 2009

The ship saw her first war service during the Falklands War, and also supported British forces in the Balkans alongside at the port of Split from at least 1994-2000, being based at Cervena Luka (North Port) an area just outside Split, Croatia. Fort Rosalie also oversaw repairs to HMS Tireless at Gibraltar later in 2000. She is affiliated to Tamworth and Lichfield Sea Cadets under her former name, Fort Grange.

Fort Rosalie attended the HMNB Devonport Navy Days in August 2006, representing the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

In May 2008 the ship entered a £28 million refit at Northwestern Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders' Cammell Laird yard in Birkenhead.^[1]^[2]

Fort Rosalie supported COUGAR 11, the first partial deployment of the Royal Navy's Response Force Task Group.^[3] In 2011 it was announced that her service life would be extended by two years to 2024;^[4] the Fort class will ultimately be replaced by the Fleet Solid Support element of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme.

She spent early 2012 in the Caribbean and made a brief deployment to the Gulf of Oman in December 2012; since then she has been exercising in home waters and entered refit in 2013.^[5]

References

↑ "Shipyard wins new naval contract". BBC Website. 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
↑ "Fort Rosalie In Refit". Royal Navy Website. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
↑ http://www.navynews.co.uk/news/1212-tip-top-topping-up-gives-cougar-extra-legs.aspx
↑ "House of Commons Hansard Written Answers". UK Parliament. 11 June 2013.
↑ http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Royal-Fleet-Auxiliary/Stores/RFA-Fort-Rosalie

Adams, Thomas A; Smith, James R (2005). The Royal Fleet Auxiliary: A Century Of Service. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1861762593.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RFA Fort Rosalie (A385).

Fort Rosalie-class replenishment ship

Fort Austin Fort Rosalie

List of replenishment ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Current Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships

Tankers

Wave class	Wave Knight Wave Ruler

Rover class	Black Rover Gold Rover

Tide class (From 2016)	Tidespring Tiderace Tidesurge Tideforce

Replenishment ships

Fort Rosalie class	Fort Austin Fort Rosalie

Fort Victoria class	Fort Victoria

Landing ship docks

Bay class	Cardigan Bay Lyme Bay Mounts Bay

Other vessels

Aviation training/ casualty-receiving ships	Argus

Forward repair ships	Diligence

British Naval Forces of the Falklands War

Royal Navy	Active Alacrity Ambuscade Andromeda Antelope ^S Antrim Ardent ^S Argonaut Arrow Avenger Brilliant Bristol Broadsword Cardiff Conqueror Cordella Courageous Coventry ^S Dumbarton Castle Endurance Exeter Famella Fearless Glamorgan Glasgow Hecla Herald Hermes Hydra Intrepid Invincible Junella Leeds Castle Minerva Northella Onyx Penelope Pict Plymouth Sheffield ^S Spartan Splendid Valiant Yarmouth

Royal Fleet Auxiliary	Appleleaf Brambleleaf Bayleaf Blue Rover Engadine Fort Austin Fort Grange Plumleaf Pearleaf Olna Olmeda Regent Resource Sir Bedivere Sir Galahad ^S Sir Geraint Sir Lancelot Sir Percivale Sir Tristram Stromness Tidespring Tidepool

Ships Taken Up From Trade	Alvega Anco Charger Astronomer Atlantic Conveyor ^S Atlantic Causeway Avelona Star Balder London Baltic Ferry British Avon British Dart British Enterprise III British Esk British Tamar British Test British Trent British Wye Canberra Contender Bezant Eburna Elk Europic Ferry Fort Toronto G.A.Walker Geesport Iris Irishman Laertes Lycaon Nordic Ferry Norland Queen Elizabeth 2 Rangatira Salvageman Saxonia Scottish Eagle St Edmund St Helena Stena Inspector Stena Seaspread Strathewe Tor Caledonia Uganda Wimpey Seahorse Yorkshireman

Royal Maritime Auxiliary Service	Goosander Typhoon

^S - Sunk

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, October 26, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.