Fleet auxiliary tanker to call in to island on unofficial visit
A ROYAL FLEET AUXILLIARY tanker is set to visit Guernsey next week.
RFA Tiderace is expected off St Peter Port on Friday.
Currently the vessel is operating in a dual role as the fleet operational sea training tanker, supporting training of Royal Navy and other Nato ships in the south coast exercise areas, and the fleet-ready tanker in support of United Kingdom tasking around the whole of the country.
Commanding officer Captain Simon Herbert said his crew was looking forward to the visit.
‘It is an honour and a privilege for RFA Tiderace to be able to conduct a short unofficial visit to Guernsey and St Peter Port,’ he said.
‘My ship’s company and I are very much looking forward to spending some time ashore and enjoying the wide variety of activities that the island has to offer.
‘RFA Tiderace is the Royal Navy’s high readiness auxiliary tanker, with a specific role in safeguarding the UK’s territorial waters, and I am hugely grateful to the local authorities and Guernsey Ports for their support in our visit, which emphasises the deep and long relationship between the islands and the Royal Navy/Royal Fleet Auxiliary.’
RFA Tiderace is the second of four Tide class tankers built for the Royal Navy.
She arrived in the UK in September 2017 to undergo a period of customisation at A & P Falmouth ship repair yard and was dedicated on 2 August 2018 by Lady Anita Lister, the ship’s lady sponsor.
At 201 metres in length, 29m breadth and with a draught of 10.4m, the Tiderace can carry up to 19,000 cubic metres of issuable fuel, a combination of aviation fuel and diesel for ships’ engines. An average road tanker carries 20-40 cubic metres.
Designed to support the Royal Navy at sea, and in particular the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier, Tiderace can transfer fuel at a rate of up to 1,500 cubic metres per hour using two replenishment rigs, which are on the starboard side of the vessel and set to align perfectly with the carriers.
The Tide class also has a flight deck designed to accept all UK maritime helicopters currently in service, plus the CH47 Chinook.
Self defence is provided by close range weaponry such as general purpose machine guns and miniguns.
For more robust defence the ship is fitted with 30mm cannon and can be fitted with the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System for protection against anti-ship missiles.
The ship has a crew of 75 to 80.
