In pictures: HRH The Duke of Edinburgh attends 120th birthday of RFA as guest of honour
The Duke of Edinburgh joined sailors, veterans and families to mark the 120th birthday of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA).
The Duke, who is the Commodore-in-Chief of the Service, was the guest of honour at the Royal Navy's indispensable support fleet's birthday event in Portsmouth.
The event looked back on the service's successes, thanked RFA sailors and their families for commitment to current operations and looked to the arrival of innovative new ships which will carry the service into the second half of the 21st Century.
Celebrating 120 years of vital service
St Barbara's Church at HMS Excellent, on Whale Island in Portsmouth, was the setting for a short commemorative service, before an official reception for around 200 people closely associated with the RFA, including serving personnel and loved ones, veterans, senior military officers, industry leaders and supporting charities.
Commodore Sam Shattock, the head of the RFA, praised the "quiet professionalism" shown by generations of sailors who had forged a force which had become "the beating heart behind Royal Navy operations", ensuring that the Fleet was "never without the support it needs".
"From supplying the Grand Fleet at Jutland, to sustaining operations in the Falklands, the Adriatic, the Gulf, and today across the globe, the RFA has been there – steadfast, reliable, and ready," he told the audience.
"Our people have sailed side by side with the Royal Navy in the face of danger, and done so with courage, from Arctic convoys to modern conflicts, often unheralded, but always essential."
Cdre Shattock added that the RFA has been at the forefront of naval innovation, from tanker RFA Petroleum – one of the first vessels acquired in 1905, which pioneered refuelling ships at sea – to the newest auxiliary, RFA Proteus, which has been bought by the MOD to monitor the UK's critical underwater infrastructure.
In December, construction will start on a £1.6bn investment on the first of three Fleet Solid Support ships which are fundamental to both the future of the service and the Royal Navy's carrier strike group.
Ready for anything
Known simply by its initials RFA – which, according to its 1,700 personnel, also unofficially stands for 'Ready For Anything' – the service is the largest employer of British merchant sailors in the UK.
Its personnel are civilians who serve alongside soldiers, sailors, aviators and Royal Marines. They support the crucial work of the Royal Navy worldwide and conduct vital frontline operations, from serving as a launchpad for anti-submarine Merlin helicopters in the mid-Atlantic to conducting counter-narcotics and disaster relief operations in the Caribbean.
Right now, tanker RFA Tidespring is supporting the multi-national UK Carrier Strike Group, led by UK flagship HMS Prince of Wales, providing fuel and other supplies to British warships and those of our allies and partners.
Meanwhile, deep inside the Arctic Circle, RFA Lyme Bay is supporting amphibious operations and raids by Royal Marines Commandos and Norwegian allies on Exercise Tarassis to bolster the security and defence of the Scandinavian-Baltic region.
Prince Edward took the opportunity to speak to RFA sailors during the event, including Able Seaman Matthew Walton, who joined the RFA after he was unable to join the military.
"I've taken part in the coronation, the remembrance parade at the Cenotaph in London, and then today, here, I'm meeting royalty," he said.
"These are events which will stand out for the rest of my life, as will some of the great people I've served with."
Commodore Jamie Miller, a retired naval officer, was helped by the RFA in the Falklands, and went on to command a sizeable number of their vessels during the 2003 invasion of Iraq as the Commander of the UK Amphibious Task Group.
Surviving the sinking of destroyer HMS Coventry in 1982, he and shipmates were accommodated in RFA ships before being repatriated.
"The RFA sailors showed great empathy and care – and bravery, for they were in harm's way too," the 73-year-old from Cornwall said.
"We could not have done what we did either in the Falklands or in Iraq, where I commanded 14 of them.
"They were absolutely essential then [and] they remain absolutely essential to the Navy today – but they are rarely recognised."
To mark the 120th anniversary, every serving member of the RFA received a specially cast commemorative coin, funded by the RFA's Central Benevolent Fund and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.
Join Our Newsletter
