The first steel has been cut on RFA Resurgent, the first of three Fleet Solid Support vessels which will eventually resupply Royal Navy warships at sea.
The three logistics Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels are being built by Navantia UK, which took over the £1.6bn contract when it acquired Harland & Wolff last year after the firm went into administration.
The steel-cutting ceremony took place last week at the Appledore shipyard in north Devon, where the bow sections of all three ships will be made.
But as per a Royal Navy press statement, construction is taking place across three sites; Navantia will manufacture the central parts of the ships — 120-metre sections housing the vessels’ running systems, and stores — at its shipyard in Cadiz, Spain.
And the 39,000-ton, 216-metre vessels will be assembled at the Harland & Wolff yard in Belfast; the first-in-class, RFA Resurgent, is currently expected to enter service in 2031.
Minister of Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard was in Devon to watch work begin last week, alongside other VIPs including President of Navantia, Donato Domínguez and Commodore Sam Shattock, Commodore RFA.
Keith Bethell, DE&S Director, Maritime Environment, said: “This is a significant moment for everyone involved in the delivery of this programme.
“The Fleet Solid Support ships represent a major investment in the RFA’s ability to support frontline naval forces globally.”
Cdre Shattock added: “The ship is innovative, to meet the latest environmental protection standards and designed from the bottom up to deliver maritime sustainment as efficiently as possible.”
Mr Martínez said: “We have worked tirelessly across all our shipyards to reach this milestone. It is a proud day for the entire team, whose commitment has brought us here.
“The FSS program continues to deliver on two fronts: providing critical capability for the Royal Auxiliary Fleet and creating long-term industrial sovereignty for the UK, thanks to investment in infrastructure, technology, and skills. Today’s steel cutting is proof of what we have always said: when we commit, we deliver.”
- You can read more details on the Royal Navy website and the Navantia website