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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008) |
 RFA Fort Victoria (A387) |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | Harland and Wolff : Fort Victoria Swan Hunter : Fort George |
| Operators: |  Royal Fleet Auxiliary |
| Built: | 1988–1991 |
| In commission: | 1993– |
| Planned: | 6 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Cancelled: | 4 |
| Active: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Replenishment oiler |
| Displacement: | 32,300 long tons (32,818 t) full load |
| Length: | 203 m (666 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 30 m (98 ft 5 in) |
| Draught: | 10 m (32 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 shafts, Crossley-Pielstick V-16 diesels, 23,904 bhp (17,825 kW) |
| Speed: | 20 knots (23 mph/37 km/h) |
| Complement: | 95 RFA / 15 RN / 154 FAA / 24 RNSTS civilians |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Radar Type 993 3-D surveillance |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
NATO Seagnat countermeasures launchers Type 182 towed decoy |
| Armament: | • 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS • 2 × 20 mm Oerlikon / BMARC KAA guns in GAM-B01 mounts |
| Aircraft carried: | Up to 5 × Sea King or Merlin helicopters (3 in hangar) |
The Fort Victoria or Fort class is a class of replenishment oiler of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, a role that combines the missions of a tanker and stores supply ship. As such they are designated auxiliary oiler replenisher (AOR).
Six ships were planned to supply the Type 23 class frigates in their North Atlantic anti-submarine role. The Type 23 was at the time planned to be a low cost, lightly armed class. The Fort class ships were therefore expected to defend both themselves and the Type 23 with the Sea Wolf vertical launch surface-to-air missile (SAM).
The lessons of the Falklands War and the end of the Cold War lead to a re-evaluation of this plan. The Type 23 emerged as a much more potent, multi-role vessel and the requirement for the Fort class was reduced from six to two.
Fort Victoria was built by Harland & Wolff and Fort George by Swan Hunter and the ships entered service in 1993.
Ships
- RFA Fort Victoria (A387) - built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast, commissioned 24 June 1994, under "assisted maintenance" at Rosyth Dockyard
- RFA Fort George (A388) - built by Swan Hunter, Wallsend, commissioned 16 July 1993
References
- Beaver, Paul, Britain's Modern Royal Navy, Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996, ISBN 1-85260-442-5
See also
- Fort Rosalie or Fort (i) class RFA auxiliary replenishers
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