The Royal Australian Navy’s new auxiliary oiler replenishment ship, NUSHIP Supply (A 195), has arrived at its homeport of Garden Island, Sydney. Supply is the second ship to carry the name and the first Navy vessel to be equipped with the newest generation of Saab Australia’s 9LV Combat Management System. It is one of two new auxiliary oiler replenishments that will provide combat and logistics support to the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet. Due to commission into service later this year, Supply and her sister ship NUSHIP Stalwart will carry fuel, dry cargo, water, food, ammunition, equipment and spare parts to provide operational support to deployed naval or combat forces based far from ports for long periods.
Commanding Officer NUSHIP Supply Captain Ben Hissink said,”The arrival of the ship in her homeport initiated the last stages of her journey to commissioning and represented an important milestone for the Navy and the crew. Supply is part of the largest regeneration of the Royal Australian Navy since World War II, as outlined in the Australian Government’s Naval Shipbuilding Plan. Supply represents the beginning of a new capability for the Royal Australian Navy, which will extend the endurance and operational range of Australia’s entire naval fleet, while also supporting air, surface and sub-surface naval warfare.
NUSHIP Supply (A 195), named after the Royal Navy ship HMS Supply, is the first ship of two Supply-class replenishment oilers used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The class is based on the Spanish Cantabria and is intended to be able to supply three ships at once with fuel, water, food, ammunition and other supplies. The contract to build the two auxiliary oiler replenishment ships was awarded to Navantia in 2016.The ship has the status of “NUSHIP” until it is commissioned into the navy, at which time it will become “HMAS” – Her Majesty’s Australian Ship. It is under construction at Navantia’s shipyard in Ferrol, Spain. It was launched in late November 2018.
The Supply class is a planned class of replenishment oilers of the Royal Australian Navy, a role that combines the missions of a tanker and stores supply ship. As such they are designated auxiliary oiler replenisher (AOR). They will be tasked with providing ammunition, fuel, food and other supplies to Royal Australian Navy vessels around the world. In addition to replenishment, the vessels can be used to combat against environmental pollution at sea. There will be two ships in the class, Supply and Stalwart. The project is expected to cost anywhere between $1 and $2 billion. Navantia were selected to build a design based on the Spanish Navy’s current replenishment vessel Cantabria, which entered service in 2011.
