FDR – Maritime Logistics #2
Possibly less contentious than previous articles on the surface fleet and submarine fleet, this article aims to highlight the parlous state of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The RFA supports not just the navy in its global roles and deployments, but also in various indirect fashions it supports the army and the RAF, by transporting various stores and munitions. Although the Army is currently engaged in a land locked area of operations, a lot of its kit was supplied to Iraq by sea, and they really should remember that both Lord Wellington and Field Marshall Montgomery relied upon, and were indeed big fans of sea borne logistics.
The RFA carries out these important logistical tasks with a very old and dwindling fleet. The 4 Bay Class landing ships and the two Knight class ‘Fast Fleet Tankers’ are the only ‘new’ ships in the flotilla.