Posted on Monday 5 August 2019
ARNO Deputy Chair Commander Eunice Marland was at Portland in Dorset on 30 July to help welcome RFA TIDEFORCE into the Fleet:
“I was privileged to be invited on behalf of ARNO to attend the Service of Dedication of RFA TIDEFORCE, the last of the four new 39,000 tonne Tide class replenishment oilers. Cdre Lamb, RFA warmly welcomed guests including The Lady Sponsor, Lady Sarah Messenger and the Mayor and Lady Mayor of Weston-Super-Mare, the ship’s affiliated town, on what was an unseasonably wet and windy day in Portland. The Act of Dedication was led by the Deputy Chaplain of the Fleet before guests were able to take tours of this new and very impressive ship. Designed to provide a refuel capability for the QE class of aircraft carriers, the Tide class carry up to 15000m3 of diesel (a 65litre car tank is 0.065m3) and could fill a car tank in 0.3seconds! It was an honour to witness this important moment in the life of a key asset in the modern RFA fleet.”
This vast fleet replenishment tanker is one of the four biggest ships in service with the RFA. TIDEFORCE is the fourth and final vessel of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) tankers, which includes sister ships already in service, RFA TIDESPRING, TIDERACE and TIDESURGE.
TIDEFORCE will provide fuel and water for Royal Navy, NATO and allied warships around the world, as well as provide replenishment at sea capability and support to the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.