Subsequent name:

Official Number:                    722240

Class:                                     FORT CLASS Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment Ship

Pennant No:                           A387

Laid down:                             4 April 1988
Builder:                                   Harland & Wolff,  Belfast
Launched:                              12 June 1990
Into Service:                           24 June 1994
Out of service:
Fate:

Items of historic interest involving this ship: -

Background Data:  The “one-stop” concept of the 2 ships in this Class dates back to 1978 with a Staff Target being generated in 1981. Feasibility studies were conducted by both the MoD and Industry, and a Staff Requirement was endorsed at the end of 1983. Ministerial approval was given in 1984 to invite Industry to tender for a provisional Class of 6 vessels. A wide range of shipbuilders and defence firms were invited to tender, but only 2 consortia submitted designs - Harland and Wolff (in association with Yarrow Shipbuilders) and Swan Hunter (in association with British Aerospace/Marconi). The tender submitted by Harland and Wolff was technically preferred by both the MoD and external consultants as it offered earlier delivery and a keener price. The Government announced on 24 April 1986 that a “design and build” contract had been awarded to Harland and Wolff to build the first ship of the Class. A second (and final) order was awarded to Swan Hunter the following year

17 November 1987 her Ship’s Badge was officially presented to her .

15 September 1988  laid down in the large dry dock by Harland & Wolff Ltd, Belfast as Yard Nr 1727

4 May 1990 floated out

19 June 1990 officially named FORT VICTORIA by HRH Duchess of York

6 September 1990 became the victim of two IRA bombs in her engine room. One was defused the other exploded causing damage and flooding

29 June 1992 sailed Belfast on Contractor’s Sea Trials 2 years later than originally planned

6 July 1992 arrived Birkenhead for completion and for rectification of damage sustained during sea trials. The Builders sub-contracted the work to Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd due  to the heavy backlog of shipbuilding work at Belfast

16 July 1992 The National Audit Office announced that both of the FORT CLASS AOR’s were subject to delays and cost overruns, FORT VICTORIA 32 months behind schedule and more than £63m over budget. Delays in the development of the command system for their air defence capabilities and difficulties in obtaining parts mean that neither AOR will go to sea with full air defence capabilities for some considerable time. The NAO also concluded that problems resulting from the privatisation of the shipyard  have played a significant part in the delay in delivery and the cost overrun

31 July 1992 adopted by the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley

March 1993 Cammell Laird Shipbuilders Ltd closed down

24 March 1993 Ship handed over to the MoD (N).  Captain Shane Redmond OBE RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

5 April 1993 sailed Birkenhead  with between 15,000 and 20,000 items incomplete

7 April 1993 arrived Portsmouth Dockyard for completion and defect rectification in D Lock  by  FMRO, 3 years behind schedule and £70m over budget

4 August 1993 sailed Portsmouth for  trials after completion at a total cost of £200m

12 August 1993 returned to Portsmouth after numerous systems’ failures had resulted in having to anchor in Weymouth Bay to carry out temporary repairs

7 January 1994 Finally sailed Portsmouth for her long- overdue Part 1V Sea Trials

24 February 1994 Captain Alan Roach RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

21 June 1994 Captain Shane Redmond OBE RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

Captain Shane Redmond OBE RFA

24 August 1994 1st Officer (E) Phillip L Bandy RFA discharged dead

25 August 1994 fire broke out in the cargo main pump room while at Torpoint, Cornwall. No casualties

13 September 1994 sailed Devonport after repairs

27 February 1995 humanitarian aid - rescued the 11 crew members of the Norwegian trawler ROALDNES  which sank off Aslasund. The crew were kept in the ship’s hospital overnight before being flown back to Norway the following day

4 June 1997 Captain David Gerrard RFA appointed as Commanding Officer

Captain David Gerrard RFA

2 September 1997 sailed Portsmouth for the Gulf supporting the carrier HMS INVINCIBLE

12 September 1997 at Malaga, Spain

14 November 1997 to 17 April 1998 along with the carrier HMS INVINCIBLE served on Operation Bolton - deployment to the Gulf to enforce UN Resolutions against Iraq

December 1997 Captain Christopher Knapp in command

18 January 1998 transitted the Suez Canal southbound and met up with the frigate HMS COVENTRY at the southern end of the Red Sea for a fast passage to the Gulf

26 January 1998 Entered the Straits of Hormuz

17 April 1998 departed the Gulf Areas for the U.K

May 1998 Captain Nigel Jones RFA in command

17 July 1998 with HMS Marlborough visited Latakia, Syria

1999 during a refit at Rosyth she was fitted with the Phalanx close-in weapon system with guns on her hangar and bridge roof

2 May 2000 Sailed U.K. as part of Task Group 2000 - the Eastern Adventure Deployment circumnavigation of the globe led by the frigate HMS CORNWALL - along with  RFA’s BAYLEAF (3) and DILIGENCE

7 August 2000 with RN and French naval units paid a visit to Hong Kong

2002 the ship and Barnsley celebrated their 10th anniversary with a Naval Parade through the town 

18 January 2003 Deployed on Operation Telic - the 2^nd Gulf War - along with 13 other RFA’s with.4 x Merlin helicopters from 814 NAS embarked

18 May 2003 returned to Crombie on completion of Operation Telic duties

2003 following participation in Operation Telic  her ensign was presented to the borough of Barnsley and this is displayed in the foyer of Barnsley Town Hall

10 September 2004 while at Falmouth a Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) surveyor, and a lifeboat crew member, sustained back injuries during a planned lifeboat exercise drill. The on-load release gear was operated without another check being made on the boat’s distance above the water. This resulted in the boat freefalling a distance of about 1.2m, before striking the water. The impact with the water resulted in one crewman being hospitalised due to a fractured vertebrae, and the surveyor suffering a back injury which required subsequent medical assistance 

28 June 2005 took part in the International Fleet Review for Trafalgar 200 at Spithead along with RFA’s ARGUS, FORT GEORGE, ORANGELEAF (3), SIR BEDIVERE, SIR  GALAHAD (2) , SIR TRISTRAM and WAVE RULER (2)

20 July 2005 visited by HRH the Prince of Wales and the  Duchess of Cornwall

29 March 2006 Sailed Portsmouth as part of the Aquila 06 Deployment to the Middle East  led by  the carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS - along with RFA’s BRAMBLELEAF (3) and DILIGENCE

17 May 2006 involved with RN and Indian Navy units in Operation Konkan, a training operation off Goa, India

13 June 2006 During Operation Aquila in the northern Indian Ocean, she conducted a fresh water  RAS with the Pakistani dhow SUBHANALLAH

16 July 2006 Supported Operation Highbrow - the evacuation of British nationals from the Lebanon - with the carrier HMS ILLUSTRIOUS, the assault ship HMS BULWARK, the destroyers HMS GLOUCESTER and HMS YORK and the frigate HMS ST ALBANS

12 December 2006 with RN units involved in a search off Portland Bill, Dorset for a fisherman who had fallen overboard from a fishing vessel. Not found despite over 6 hours of searching

27 October 2008 sailed under tow from Portsmouth Dockyard for a refit in Birkenhead

10 September 2009 suffered a fire in a cargo store area near the engine room while under refit at Cammell Lairds - fire contained and no one was injured.

10 November 2009 while in refit at Liverpool at NE Canada Dock an employee of a Cammell Lairds supplier fell some 24 feet to his death in the engine room.

11 November 2009 sailed Liverpool after refit

18 October 2010 while conducting piracy patrols as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151off the coast of Somalia the ship identified a "suspicious whaler towing a skiff". The whaler contained a significant amount of fuel barrels and when approached by the ships helicopter, four of the nine passengers tried to hide themselves from view. Suspecting that they may have found a Pirate Action Group (PAG), Fort Victoria was granted approval to conduct a boarding by the CTF 151 Commander, Rear Admiral Sinan Ertugral, Turkish Navy. Royal Marines from the Fleet Protection Group (FPGRM) approached, the suspected pirates attempted to flee for shore but were rapidly surrounded, the Royal marines found they were carrying six AK-47s, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher with four warheads and six RPG booster charges along with hand-held GPS units, mobile phones and other equipment. The nine suspects were transferred to the smaller skiff, and the Royal Marines disabled the outboard engine and gave them oars, Once they were safely ashore, the whaler was rigged with explosives and destroyed along with other confiscated pirate paraphernalia.

13 November 2010 while conducting piracy patrols as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 (Operation Ocean Shield) between the coast of Somalia and the Seychelles detected another boat with ten pirates with ammunition and ladders. The pirates admitted to throwing their firearms over the side. The pirates were returned to Somalia, the boat, ammunition and ladders were seized.

12 October 2011 while conducting piracy patrols as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 (Operation Ocean Shield) off the coast of Somalia and in company with the USS De Wert stopped, boarded and released from the clutches of pirates who had seized the Italian bulk carrier the 56,000 ton MV Montecristo. Eleven pirates were detailed

14 October 2011 some 200 (320km) off the coast of Somalia, together with HMS Somerset closed on a pirate dhow mother ship Hibid Fidi which was boarded. Four suspected pirates were detained and handed over to the Italian authorities. The genuine crew of the dhow were released

31 October 2011 anchored off Mahe, Seychelles

2 November 2011 alongside at Victoria, Mahe, Seychelles

28 December 2011 alongside at Dubai

2 January 2012 sailed Dubai

10 January 2012 off Somalia forced a gang of pirates to abandon an attempt to hijack cargo ships by identifying a hijaked ship - mv Liquid Velvet - which had sailed from Somalia to act as a 'mother ship' by a gang of pirates. The mv Liquid Velvet returned to her anchorage off Somalia when her way was cut off when it was 90 miles off the coast.

13 January 2012 off Somalia in a join Royal Marine (off the RFA Fort Victoria) / USS Carney operation 13 suspected pirates were detained in a dhow in which a cache of weapons were discovered 

23 February 2012 alongside at Port Rashid, UAE

3 May 2012 members of the US Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron Severn Severn (HSM-77) "Sabrehawks" from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN72) with one MH-60R helicopter under the command of Lieutenant Commander Aric "Bull" Edmondson USN embarked on RFA Fort Victoria

Notes: