The ships will deliver ammunition, spare parts, food and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels while they are deployed. This will allow naval forces to remain at sea for longer periods, including during carrier strike group operations.
About £100 million will be invested in Navantia UK’s shipyards at Appledore in Devon and Belfast under the programme. The government expects the work to create 1,200 jobs and hundreds of apprenticeships while supporting the reindustrialisation of British shipbuilding.
“The Royal Fleet Auxiliary are the backbone of our Royal Navy and these new ships will keep our navy ready to operate at range for longer,” said Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard. “This investment is helping bolster UK shipbuilding, backing thousands of skilled jobs and apprenticeships in Appledore, Belfast and beyond.”
Ship modules are now under construction at Appledore, Navantia UK’s Harland & Wolff facility in Belfast and Navantia yards in Spain. Final assembly, systems integration and trials will be conducted at the Belfast yard.
“Today’s keel laying marks the formal start of assembly of the first Fleet Solid Support ship and an important moment for Appledore, where shipbuilding has returned to a yard with more than 170 years of history,” said Donato Martínez, chief executive of Navantia UK. “FSS is rebuilding sovereign industrial capability in the UK, creating skilled jobs, developing apprentices and strengthening the supply chain for future naval programmes, including the autonomous and uncrewed platforms of the future Hybrid Navy.”
Each ship will have a core Royal Fleet Auxiliary crew of 101 and accommodation for another 80 personnel. The additional personnel may operate helicopters and boats or perform other roles required for a mission.
RFA Resurgent remains on schedule to enter service with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary in the early 2030s. Its keel laying follows the cutting of the ship’s first steel last year and marks the point at which its structure formally begins to take shape.
A specially commissioned coin was placed inside the ship’s structure by Navantia UK apprentice Tyler Lister during the ceremony. Another will be presented to the captain and crew when RFA Resurgent is ready to sail.
“Today’s keel laying marks another important step in the delivery of RFA Resurgent and the wider Fleet Solid Support programme,” said Commodore Sam Shattock, Head of the RFA. “Seeing construction progress here in Appledore demonstrates the momentum behind a project that will provide the Royal Fleet Auxiliary with world-class capabilities to sustain Royal Navy operations across the globe.”
The Fleet Solid Support programme forms part of the government’s Defence Investment Plan. It also sits within the government’s wider £298 billion commitment to defence investment.
