"Planned maintenance" shackles Royal Navy support ship RFA Lyme Bay leaving amphibious fleet short
.jpg?width=96&crop=1:1,smart)
A Royal Navy support ship is going into maintenance and will leave few options for the Royal Navy amphibious fleet.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel RFA Lyme Bay will be undergoing a refit and not available for exercises and other operations. This means that RFA Argus is currently the only active amphibious/ littoral strike vessel in the fleet.
Mark Francois, Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, asked in a parliamentary written question what impact this refit will have on the operational capability of the Royal Marines. The Royal Navy said on its website that RFA Lyme Bay’s primary role is to deliver troops, vehicles, stores and ammunition on Fleet operations across the globe. She gives the UK a capability to conduct an amphibious assault, with the vessel earmarked for use on combat operations, international exercises, and humanitarian aid missions.
Responding to Mr Francois, minister for defence procurement Maria Eagle, Labour, said: “RFA Lyme Bay is undergoing routine planned maintenance to ensure continued sustainability for operations. Royal Marines operations continue to be supported by the remainder of the amphibious fleet. These ships will continue to support amphibious capabilities until the Multi Role Strike Ship enters service in the early 2030s.”
What sort of maintenance will take place?
Navy Lookout reports that RFA Lyme Bay will be at the A&P Tyne shipyard in the North East for maintenance and upgrades. Her Contractor Support Period (CSP) will last for eight weeks. This includes an overhaul of the diesel generators, refurbishment of the galley deck, improvements to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and annual testing and certification of machinery and onboard systems.
This is not considered a full refit. The naval news website said RFA Mounts Bay is also completing her CSP and is expected to be available in the late Autumn.
Multi Role Strike Ships
Multi Role Strike Ships are set to replace two landing platform docks, HMS Albion and Bulwark, which were decommissioned in November last year. The programme will be entering the assessment phase in 2026, where capability requirements and design implications will be considered. Captain Derek Powles, the Royal Navy’s MRSS Programme Director, previously said this will go far beyond being just an Albion-class vessel in the 2030s.