WITH the waves crashing against Plymouth’s outer breakwater, RFA Fort George leaves the Royal Navy’s West Country home for the final time.
The one-stop support ship is one of the ‘forgotten victims’ of the Strategic Defence and Security Review; while all the media attention (and we too fell into this trap admittedly) focused on the demise of HMS Ark Royal, the Harrier jump jets and all four Type 22 frigates, three auxiliaries were also axed – a smaller surface fleet requires a smaller support fleet.
So the plug was pulled on veteran tanker RFA Bayleaf, nearly-new amphibious ship RFA Largs Bay and Fort George, 17 years old and – with her still-in-service sister Fort Victoria – the largest ship in the Fleet.
While Fort George’s demise may be untimely, she goes out on a high. She ended 2010 as the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s ‘Ship of the Year’, a title she earned after winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Surface Ship Effectiveness trophy for her work supporting a sizeable RN task force (two carriers, one assault ship and a couple of escorts) on the Auriga deployment to the USA.
In her 17-year career, the ship earned the Sword of Peace for her work helping flood victims in Mozambique in 2000, quickly followed by the peace mission to stablise Sierra Leone in the wake of civil war.
She was in the Hong Kong for the former colony’s return to Chinese rule, supported initial operations in Afghanistan over the winter of 2001-02 and was the host ship for the Royal Naval Reserve during the Trafalgar 200 Spithead review.
As for Fort George’s wind-down, aside from de-storing there’s been a farewell dinner for the ship’s sponsor Lady Slater and her husband Admiral Sir Jock Slater.
The ship is bound for Liverpool where she awaits disposal.
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