Summary
The Rover class is a British ship class of small fleet tankers, active from 1970 to 2017 with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Two remain in service, one having been sold to Portugal and one to Indonesia; the rest have been scrapped or are awaiting disposal. They are tasked with the replenishment at sea of naval warships with fuel oils and with limited supplies of other naval stores. For RAS tasking, they can refuel a vessel on either beam and a third trailing astern and have a large flight deck to allow vertical replenishment with helicopters.
 RFA Black Rover in Plymouth 2005
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Swan Hunter |
| Operators | |
| Succeeded by | Tide class |
| Built | 1968–1974 |
| In commission | 1970–2017 (RFA) |
| Completed | 5 |
| Active | 2 |
| Retired | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Tanker |
| Tonnage | 6,692 t DWT |
| Displacement | 16,160 t (15,900 long tons)[1] |
| Length | 461 ft (141 m) |
| Beam | 63 ft (19 m) |
| Draught | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Range | 15,000 nmi (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Capacity | 3,000 m3 (19,000 bbl) of fuel |
| Complement |
|
| Sensors and processing systems | Sperry Marine Visionmaster radars and ECDIS. 1690 I band navigation radars |
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | Helicopter deck but no hangar |
History edit
Tenders for what became five ships were invited in 1967. Problems with the original propulsion led to the first three of the class being re-engined in 1974. The final two had minor changes including improved accommodation and different stern anchor arrangements. Blue Rover suffered a fire during construction in 1970 which killed two shipyard workers. Costs ranged from £3m for Green Rover to £7.7m for Gold Rover, last of the class.[2][3]
Ships edit
| Name | Pennant | Builder | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Rover | A268 | Swan Hunter, Hebburn | 15 August 1969 | To Indonesian Navy 1992 |
| Grey Rover | A269 | Swan Hunter, Hebburn | 10 April 1970 | Scrapped 2010 |
| Blue Rover | A270 | Swan Hunter, Hebburn | 15 July 1970 | To Portuguese Navy 1993 as Berrio |
| Gold Rover | A271 | Swan Hunter, Wallsend | 22 March 1974 | Scrapped |
| Black Rover | A273 | Swan Hunter, Wallsend | 23 August 1974 | Scrapped |
Gallery edit
-
RFA Gold Rover (A271) leaving Plymouth Sound in March 2010 -
NRP Bérrio, 2007 (ex RFA Blue Rover)
Notes edit
- ^ http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/The-Fleet/Royal-Fleet-Auxiliary/Tankers/RFA-Black-Rover [dead link]
- ^ RFA Gold Rover Royal Fleet Auxiliary Historical Society
- ^ Five Small Ships Ships Monthly March 2020 pages 58-62
Bibliography edit
- Warships of the Royal Navy, Captain John E. Moore RN, Jane's Publishing, 1979, ISBN 0-531-03730-4
- Britain's Modern Royal Navy, Paul Beaver, Patrick Stephens Limited, 1996, ISBN 1-85260-442-5