Photo credit: Royal Navy

His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh joined sailors, veterans and families celebrating ‘the beating heart behind Royal Navy operations’ as the Royal Fleet Auxiliary marked its 120th birthday.

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 on current operations and looked to the arrival of innovative new ships which will carry the service into the second half of the 21st Century.

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: serving personnel and loved ones, veterans, senior military officers, industry leaders and supporting charities.

Guests heard Commodore Sam Shattock, the head of the RFA, praise 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.

“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.”

Commodore Shattock said that the service had 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 (a mainstay of operations 120 years later), through 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 in the future of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary: 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.

Built by the British-led consortium Team Resolute the trio will carry the spare parts – as large as and heavy as replacement engines for F-35 Lightning stealth fighters – to ammunition from bullets and bombs to the latest missiles, and food and provisions to sustain sailors.

Frequently 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 and its ships are integral to anything the Royal Navy does, especially beyond home waters. They support the crucial work of the Royal Navy worldwide and conduct vital front-line 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. The tanker’s presence makes the task group truly expeditionary and spares the need for the ships to make frequent port calls.

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.

Among the many serving RFA sailors His Royal Highness chatted with was 31-year-old Able Seaman Matthew Walton from Gateshead.
Unable to join the Forces, he picked the RFA as “the next best thing” – and has never regretted the decision.

In his eight-year career as a deck hand, he has served in the Caribbean, Gulf, India, Australia, Brunei, the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia, plus some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

“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.”

First Officer Paul Fears appreciated the Service’s rare day in the limelight – beyond seafaring and maritime circles, the RFA is not widely known.

“Today is great – to have royal recognition for what we do is very much appreciated. His Royal Highness is very supportive of what we do. And it’s been great seeing so many veterans here,” he said.

He chose a career in the RFA over the Merchant and Royal Navies to enjoy the mix of both.

“You get the best of both worlds – you are a civilian but with military training. Conditions on the ships are more comfortable and you get a good amount of leave.

“But you also get to see the world and do things you wouldn’t in commercial ships, where it’s all about money, money, money.

“You provide humanitarian relief, help out with charity projects and at schools, take part in engagement events representing the country because of our ties with defence.”

Commodore Jamie Miller is a retired naval officer who was helped by the RFA in the Falklands, then commanded 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. They remain absolutely essential to the Navy today – but they are rarely recognised.”

Chief Petty Officer Mark Amato spent 14 years in the Royal Navy before transferring to the RFA in 1998.

His service as a communications rating has taken him to west Africa helping to tackle an Ebola outbreak, peacekeeping operations in the Gulf, patrols of the Falklands and the Caribbean.

“The proudest moment has to be sailing into Malta aboard RFA Mounts Bay,” said Mark, who hails from the Commonwealth country.

“I could see my dad, parked up with his Land Rover, and my mum as well. Very emotional.

“Being part of this event – something we have worked very hard for – is a pinnacle, something all of us here will remember, and all of us here have enjoyed.”

To mark the 120th anniversary every serving member of the RFA will receive a specially-cast commemorative coin, funded by the RFA’s Central Benevolent Fund and the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity.