UK Defence Forum

keep the Waves going and send them back to be sorted. however this is good timing with SSS contract up for grabs

Tempest414 wrote: good timing with SSS contract up for grabs

Did they not just give a £bn contract to keep the rest of the RFA fleet going for 15 yrs? Does it make the money available for SSS a bn? More? Less?
- I read something about the rqst being for 2 (+ an option for a third, I presume that one at the same, fixed price, too)

Getting all the prices fixed, far out to the future, might (?) clear the headroom, as it is known in the 10 -yr EP, for the third one

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tide-class_tanker

I think there was some healthy scepticism about the Wiki entry giving the Tides a speed of 27kts. Well now they only do 15 (even though they’ve been tracked on AIS at over 18).

Based on a wiki page?

Quote from Save the Royal Navy website,

"The Tide class are classed as ‘fast tankers’ with a sustained fully-loaded speed of 15kn in sea state 5, but have achieved over 20 knots on trials."
https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/suppor ... s-tankers/

Maybe the MOD themselves should have the most accurate figure. They list the Tide Class at 26.8knts.
https://des.mod.uk/what-we-do/navy-proc ... kers-mars/

Poiuytrewq wrote:"The Tide class are classed as ‘fast tankers’ with a sustained fully-loaded speed of 15kn in sea state 5, but have achieved over 20 knots on trials."

I have watched RFA Tideforce doing 20.7knots.

RichardIC wrote: think there was some healthy scepticism about the Wiki entry giving the Tides a speed of 27kts. Well now they only do 15 (even though they’ve been tracked on AIS at over 18).

Have a plotted two R.A.D.A.R. contacts on a tide tanker . Transferred the position to a paper chart and worked out just over 20 knots. I expect they have a 24 knot speed requirement for carrier group ops.The15 knots speed is the normal economical running speed.

I have a Wärtsilä brochure (the guys who built the propulsion), that lists the speed @19 knots

shark bait wrote:lists the speed @19 knots

And reference works have it @18.6
- would say the latter is the specced speed and 19 achievable

Carriers turning into the wind and sprinting... not as important as it used to be. But CSG might want to make better speed at times, so that then raises the 'escort question' if the supply train travels separately.

Did she pass FOST then? Or am I getting my Tides confused?

It’s been edited to reflect the speed listed by the MOD on the Tides page.

ArmChairCivvy wrote:so that then raises the 'escort question' if the supply train travels separately.

There is no issue keeping up with the carriers with a speed of 26.8kts.

Deagel.com (or then the other way round) may have got their metric vs. nautical mixed up, Deagel gives 27.8 kph??

Ron5 wrote:Did she pass FOST then? Or am I getting my Tides confused?

I was just thinking that. I was surprised to see one in Halifax!

The one that was meant to go to the US with QE (Tiderace) is not the one thats in Halifax (Tidespring).
Tiderace is still in Plymouth according to Marine Traffic AIS.

And Tidesurge (A138) is now in Portsmouth




(Amy Savage @AmzJS13)

She was the one in Halifax, Nova Scotia the other day...

Thats a lot of rusting for a new ship.

They're trialling the new rust dazzle camouflage that the French now have (see French thread)

Probably due to the new "Eco", paints used that are not water resistant.

Another FOST session.

Tiderace has made her first visit to Pompey


(Ships, planes and gaming) 30 Nov 2018

Those Tug shots are really cool...

That side shot of Tiderace. She looks more like 10 yrs old than a new ship. Truly battered and rusty. Not impressed.