Tidespring, Tiderace, Tidesurge and Tideforce will be the titles of four new tankers being built to sustain to Royal Navy’s global operations.
The names of the ships, which will begin to enter service in 2016 to replace existing single-hull tankers, resurrect three historic titles from the history of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary… and introduce a new one.
A computer graphic of a Tide-class tanker refuelling a Type 45 destroyer – a common occurrence come 2016
AFTER a 25-year absence three famous old tanker titles will be resurrected and a fourth ship will get a new one as the titles for four new Royal Navy support ships are announced.
Royal Fleet Auxiliaries Tidespring, Tiderace, Tidesurge – all historic titles – and RFA Tideforce will begin replacing some of the older tankers in service from 2016 as part of a £450m overhaul of the oiler fleet.
The quartet will each displace 37,000 tonnes, stretch for more than 200 metres (650ft) and be able to pump enough fuel to fill two olympic-sized swimming pools in an hour.
The Tides will be built in South Korea by Daewoo to a British design; around one third of the money invested in the ships will be spent in the UK, such as on key equipment, systems and specialist engineering support.
The original Tides served from the mid-50s through to 1991, the first purpose-built replenishment tankers for the RFA, drawing on the lessons of the Pacific Campaign of WW2.
“The original Tides were the first purpose-built fleet tankers to support aircraft carriers and were highly-successful and popular ships,” explained Cdre Bill Walworth, head of the RFA.
“The new Tides promise to be better still. A large number of people have worked hard to get us to this point, with the ships on contract and the first to be delivered into service in 2016.
“Tidespring, Tiderace, Tidesurge and Tideforce, which is a new name, will be superb ships that will reflect the successful past and a confident future for the RFA service.”
As for history behind the three names being resurrected:
Tidespring – served for 30 years, earning a battle honour for supporting the Fleet during the Falklands conflict in 1982; she was paid off in 1991 and broken up the next year.
Tiderace – After service in the Suez Crisis, the Tiderace was renamed the Tideflow to avoid confusion with another vessel; she was dismantled in 1976.
Tidesurge – Originally launched as RFA Tiderange in 1954, she spent many of her early years east if Suez, serving until 1976.
The replacement tankers form one half of the RFA’s Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) project; the other half seeks to replace the ‘solid support ships’ – floating warehouses which provide food, ammunition, spare parts and other ‘dry’ stores.
