The new ships are being built by Navantia UK with Harland and Wolff, BMT and A&P Appledore, following the approval of their names by His Majesty the King. While only Resurgent’s name has been released, all three titles are intended to reflect the values linked to the Fleet Solid Support role during the RFA’s 120th anniversary year.
Commodore Sam Shattock, Commodore RFA, said: “The ship is innovative, to meet the latest environmental protection standards and designed from the bottom up to deliver maritime sustainment as efficiently as possible.” He added: “The construction will provide impetus to the UK shipbuilding industry, supporting jobs and local economies at the various construction and assembly locations in the UK. I’m excited to watch this ship join the RFA flotilla and demonstrate its capabilities in due course. A true warfighting enabler for the Royal Navy of tomorrow.”
Keith Bethell, DE&S Director, Maritime Environment, said: “This is a significant moment for everyone involved in the delivery of this programme.” He continued: “The Fleet Solid Support ships represent a major investment in the RFA’s ability to support frontline naval forces globally. Each vessel will serve as a crucial supply link for carrier-led operations, proudly built by skilled workers brought together for this shared mission.”
The 1.6 billion pound programme will be delivered across three shipyards and is expected to create 1,200 jobs. Appledore will manufacture the bow sections of all three ships, while Navantia in Cadiz will build the 120 metre central sections housing the main machinery, stores and operational systems.
Final assembly will take place at Harland and Wolff in Belfast, where the bow and central sections will be joined with the stern to form the complete 216 metre vessels. The ceremony in North Devon was attended by Ricardo Domínguez, Sir Alan Massey, Luke Pollard MP and Commodore Shattock, alongside other guests.
RFA Resurgent is the first ship in the class and carries a name previously used by a vessel converted to a fleet replenishment ship in 1957 and decommissioned in 1979. An islet in the Three Brothers group of coral islands in the Indian Ocean also bears the name after the ship supported a 1975 joint services scientific expedition in the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Source: Royal Navy (press release).
