Tri-Service

Why Britain's Sending RFA Mounts Bay To The Aegean

After the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK will provide "vital military assets", including RFA Mounts Bay, to help NATO tackle people smuggling in the Aegean, we look at what the ship will bring to the mission.

RFA Mounts Bay is one of three Bay-Class auxiliary landing ship docks - amphibious warfare ships that have the capability of launching landing craft and amphibious vehicles.

A 16,000-tonne vessel with a standard crew of 356, top speed of 18 knots and range of 8,000 nautical miles, she's capable of carrying and operating specialist boats to transport equipment and troops to shore during amphibious landings.

At 580ft (177m) long, Mounts Bay has a flight deck, a 1,200 sq m vehicle deck, wet dock, container storage, medical facilities and accommodation for more than 300 embarked forces.

She is also currently carrying a Wildcat helicopter from 825 Naval Air Squadron, allowing her to carry out aviation exercises.

Mounts Bay will help vessels from countries including Germany, Greece, Turkey and Canada as part of the mission to tackle people smugglers and help in the migrants crisis.

She's part of the RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary), a civilian-manned organisation which provides logistical and operational support for tasks undertaken by the Royal Navy, including counter-piracy measures and humanitarian and disaster relief.

Bay-Class ships are much larger, more capable, more flexible and have more than twice the capacity of the the old "Sir" class ships they replaced.

A Wildcat helicopter landing on RFA Mounts Bay

Mounts Bay was built by BAE at Govan on the River Clyde and was the first Bay-Class vessel.

She was launched in April 2004 by Lady Sarah Band, wife of Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, a former First Sea Lord, being accepted into service in July 2006 after extensive sea trials.

Named after Mounts Bay in Cornwall, a formal service of dedication for the ship took place in September that year to mark the transfer of operational command to the RFA.

In 2007, she received the honorary freedom of her affiliated town, Falmouth, and maintains close links with the Cornish region.

During operational service so far RFA Mounts Bay has played a key role in many amphibious exercises, including operations off Sierra Leone, the Baltic regions and also many more, closer to home, around the coast of the United Kingdom and western Europe.