Royal Navy Royal Fleet Auxiliary and Other Ships
Aviation Training and Primary Care Hospital
Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Argus A-135 (1988) LOA 574′ / 175 m TDISP 28,000 tons. Originally a container ship, then under contract to the Ministry of Defence from 1982, originally as MV Contender Bezant, with service in the Falklands War.

Fleet Replenishment
Fort Rosalie (originally Fort George) Class Fleet Replenishment LOA 603′ / 183.8 m TDISP 23,400 tons (2 built 1978, both still active)RFA Fort Austin A-386 (1979) Laid up at Birkenhead Docks, 2018
Fleet Tankers
Tide Class LOA 659′ / 200.9 m TDISP 3,900 tons (4 active, service since 2017) Korean built.
Rover Class small fleet tankers LOA 461′ / 140.5 m TDISP 11,500 tons (5 built, 2 transferred to other navies, 3 RFA units retired)
RFA Black Rover A-273 (1974-2015)
Hydrographic Survey
Echo class LOA 297′ / 90.5 m TDISP 3,700 tons (2 active, service since 2003)

HMS Scott H-131 (1997) LOA 430′ / 131.1 m TDISP 13,500 tons

Antarctic Patrol Ship
HMS Protector A-173 (2013) LOA 292′ / 89 m TDISP 5,000 tons
Forward Repair Ship
RFA Diligence A-132 (1984-2016) LOA 367′ / 111.9 m TDISP 10,600 tons. Laid up first at Birkenhead Docks then Portsmouth. Had been a civilian ship requisitioned by the UK Government, based on a oil rig support vessel

Depot, Repair and Maintenance Ships
HMS Rame Head A-134 Beachy Head Class LOA 442′ / 134.7 m TDISP 8,500 tons. The last of 21 ships, built in Canada as a modification of the Fort merchant ship design (called “Park” ships if they served the Canadian Merchant Marine, Fort if they served the British) during and immediately after the Second World War. After a long career the ship was laid up in Fareham Creek near Portsmouth, and then scrapped at Galloo shipbreakers, near Ghent, Belgium mid-2009. This was the last known Fort or Park ship in existence. The US Liberty ship design shares the same origin.

Cable Layers
HMS Bullfrog (1944-1946) LOA 252′ / 76.8 m TDISP 1540. Swan Hunter built boom defence / cable layer, later served as CS Retriever then transferred to South Africa as Cable Restorer. Given to the Simon’s Town Maritime Museum, on display 1993-2018. Broken up late 2020-2022.
Troop Transport / Hospital Ship (replica)
Olympic Class ocean liner (White Star Line) LOA 882′ / 268.8 m TDISP 52,000 tons. Yes, we know that this is a full-size replica of the RMS Titanic, building in a land-locked location in Daying County, China, for resort goers to stay in. But we are choosing to show it as illustrative of two ships that had naval careers during the First World War: HMT Olympic (1911), the first sister-ship to the doomed Titanic, which served as a troop transport, and the third sister, HMHS Britannic (1914), which only ever served as a hospital ship before being sunk in the Mediterranean by a mine. Olympic could carry 6,000 soldiers at a transit, and was a frequent visitor to Halifax, Nova Scotia, carrying Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers throughout the War (and then bringing them home). She was armed eventually with 6″ guns, Port and Starboard on her forward well deck, and also on her stern.

