Royal Australian Navy Commissions Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment Ship HMAS Supply
The Royal Australian Navy commissioned its newest Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment ship, the HMAS Supply, at Fleet Base East in Sydney on 10 April. HMAS Supply is the first of two ships in the Supply class of Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) ships, which will replace HMAS Success and Sirius in their role of providing logistics replenishment to naval combat units at sea, extending their range and endurance.
In a press statement announcing the commissioning, Minister for Defence Peter Dutton said:
“With regional security challenges on the rise, it is more important than ever to have robust operational support capabilities for Australia’s maritime assets.
Supply will help sustain our lethal naval capability and will play a critical role in enabling our Joint Force to maintain the security, sovereignty and prosperity of Australia and our regional partners.”
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price noted the “key role” of Australian industry in the construction process of the Navantia-built ship, with 4,500 tonnes of Australian BlueScope steel used in its construction, as well as the final fit out of the ship in Western Australia. She continued:
“As Supply embarks on her long life serving the Nation, Australian industry will carry out a central role in the sustainment of the capability, creating long term opportunities for Australian businesses and jobs for Australian workers.
The AORs are an example of making the best use of our Defence platforms, with the introduction of a combat management system not present in predecessors, HMA Ships Success and Sirius.”
HMAS Supply’s home base will be Fleet Base East in Sydney, while its sister ship Stalwart will be home based at HMAS Sterling, part of Fleet Base West on Garden Island, Western Australia. In addition to their fleet replenishment missions, they will also support domestic and regional Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.