Navy

RFA Resurgent: What we know about the first of the Navy's Fleet Solid Support ships

Sparks are flying at North Devon's Appledore shipyard as construction gets underway on the first of three Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships.

The next-generation Fleet Solid Support vessels will form the logistical backbone for UK aircraft carrier operations and provide munitions, stores and provisions to Royal Navy task groups – primarily those led by the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers – around the world.

But who are the new additions to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary family, what will their role be, and how will they provide support?

Defence Readiness and Industry Minister Luke Pollard is shown a model of the new FSS ships during a visit to the North Devon shipyard (Picture: Royal Navy)

:: The Fleet Solid Support (FSS) ships are new RFA vessels which will provide vital at-sea logistics – munitions, stores, spares and provisions – to the Royal Navy's carriers, destroyers and frigates, enhancing sustained operations, taking over this role from RFA Fort Victoria.

:: They are large, modern, eco-friendly ships built collaboratively by UK and Spanish firms, replacing older support ships and boosting UK shipbuilding.

:: According to Navantia UK, their design includes modern and advanced features like energy-saving technologies, future-fuel adaptability and emission-reduction systems, aligning with ambitions for environmental performance.

:: They are set to use hybrid propulsion technology, which supports a more efficient and sustainable propulsion system.

:: Each FSS ship will be 216 metres long, weighing 39,000 tonnes, making them among the largest non-carrier military support vessels in UK service.

:: King Charles has approved the names of the new ships, although Resurgent is the only only revealed so far, but all three titles are intended to convey values associated with the role that FSS ships will play to provide irreplaceable support to the Royal Navy.

:: RFA Resurgent is the first in class and is a name that has been held by one ship previously, a merchant ship converted to a fleet replenishment ship in 1957 and decommissioned in 1979.