The first of three new Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships, which will form the logistical backbone for UK aircraft carrier operations, is being built in sections across Navantia’s yards at Appledore, Cadiz in Spain, and Belfast with all the modules being transported to Harland & Wolff’s Belfast facility for final integration.
During the keel-laying ceremony for RFA Resurgent, head of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), Commodore Sam Shattock, revealed the second and third vessels would be named RFA Reliant and RFA Resourceful.
“Today represents the moment when vision becomes reality, when plans and drawings come to life, effectively becoming the ship’s birthday,” said Cdre Shattock, who added the occasion was particularly fitting as it fell on Merchant Navy Day.
“RFA Resurgent‘s name speaks of renewal, resilience and the ability recover stronger from challenge,” he added. “Those qualities are reflected not only in the ship itself, but also in the people who will design, build, support and ultimately sail her.”
As is tradition, a coin was welded to the keel of RFA Resurgent by a Navantia UK apprentice.
The vessels are designed to deliver crucial munitions, supplies, and provisions to the Royal Navy while at sea.
They will provide logistical and operational support, including counter-piracy and counter-terrorism missions, and will collaborate with allies on operations.
Each ship will have a core RFA crew of 101, with accommodation provided for an additional 80 personnel operating helicopters, boats, or performing other roles when required.
The ships are designed with an emphasis on minimizing carbon emissions, equipped with energy-efficient technologies to decrease power consumption, and are adaptable to reduce their carbon footprint by using low-carbon, non-fossil fuels and future sustainable energy sources.
They are also designed to be adaptable from the outset to achieve a Carbon Zero status by the end of their 30-year operational lifespan.
The names are intended to convey values associated with the role that FSS ships will play for the Fleet.
RFA Resurgent is the First in Class. The name RFA Resurgent has been borne by one ship previously, a merchant ship converted to a fleet replenishment ship in 1957 and decommissioned in 1979. There is an islet named after her in the Three Brothers groups of coral islands in the Indian Ocean, after she supported a 1975 Joint Services scientific expedition to the area around Danger Island, within the British Indian Ocean Territory.
RFA Reliant has been borne by three ships previously: a stores carrier, an air stores support ship, and a helicopter support ship. The most recent was a merchant ship converted and taken into naval service in 1983. She supported a multinational force in Lebanon during the 1984 crisis and had a significant role in the evacuation. She was sold in 1986, by which time she had been replaced in the helicopter support ship role by RFA Argus.
RFA Resourceful is a new name chosen for consistency with the rest of the class, as all names are adjectives denoting particular qualities. Of note, there was an armament stores ship named RFA Resource, who earned battle honors for the Falklands and Kuwait during her service, 1966–1997.
The program supports investment in UK shipyards, skilled employment, apprenticeships, and supply chains. It also strengthens the UK’s shipbuilding resilience by combining domestic industrial capability with international expertise and technology transfer.
