HMAS ''Supply'' (A195), named after the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

ship , is the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very complex and may ...

of the s built for the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

Navantia Navantia is a Spanish state-owned shipbuilding company, which offers its services to both military and civil sectors. It is the fifth-largest shipbuilder in Europe and the ninth-largest in the world with shipyards around the globe. The heir to t ...

at their yard in

Ferrol, Spain Ferrol () is a city in the Province of A Coruña in Galicia, on the Atlantic coast in north-western Spain, in the vicinity of Strabo's Cape Nerium (modern day Cape Prior). According to the 2021 census, the city has a population of 64,785, maki ...

. The Australian ''Supply''-class ships are based on the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy or officially, the Armada, is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation, ...

's replenishment oiler . The vessel was launched on 18 November 2017 and commissioned on 10 April 2021.

Design and construction

The ''Supply''-class ships are intended to carry fuel, dry cargo, water, food, ammunition, equipment and spare parts to provide operational support for deployed Australian naval or combat forces operating away from the nation for long periods. In addition to replenishment, the vessels can be used to combat against environmental pollution at sea, provide logistics support for the armed forces, and to support humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations following a natural disaster. The contract to build the two auxiliary oiler replenishment ships was awarded to

in 2016. ''Supply'' was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 18 November 2017 and launched at the Navantia Shipyards in Ferrol, Spain on 24 November 2018. ''Supply'' is the second

(RAN) ship to bear the name after . On 2 October 2020, ''Supply'' arrived at

Fleet Base West HMAS ''Stirling'' is a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base that is part of Fleet Base West situated on the west coast of Australia, on the Indian Ocean. The base is located on Garden Island in the state of Western Australia, near the city of ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

for final fit out and testing activities. Ship acceptance by the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

occurred on 8 January 2021.

Operational history

''Supply'' replaced which was decommissioned in June 2019. The ship arrived in Australia in early October 2020. While the ship's operational home port is

Fleet Base East The Fleet Base East is a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) major fleet base that comprises several naval establishments and facilities clustered around Sydney Harbour, centred on HMAS ''Kuttabul''. The Fleet Base East extends beyond the borders of ' ...

, its ceremonial home port is the

Port of Eden The Port of Eden is a small seaport situated in Twofold Bay, adjacent to the town of Eden, located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. The Port is home to one of the largest fishing fleets in New South Wales; and woodchi ...

. The ship was commissioned on 10 April 2021 at Fleet Base East,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. The commissioning ceremony quickly became the object of national controversy because of the RAN's decision to invite a local group of scantily-clad dancers to perform a routine that included

twerking Twerking (; possibly from 'to work') is a type of dance that came out of the bounce music scene of New Orleans in the late 1980s. Individually performed chiefly but not exclusively by women, performers dance to popular music in a sexually provo ...

. An anonymous federal government frontbencher commented: "A question worth pondering: what would Horatio Nelson think of this shitshow?". ''Supply'' was tasked with supporting the Australian Government effort lead by the

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and inv ...

to the Kingdom of Tonga in February 2022 alongside HMA Ships ''Adelaide'' and ''Canberra'' provide Australian Aid supplies and water to the country affected by the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption and tsunami ''Supply'' participated in

RIMPAC RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise. RIMPAC is held biennially during June and July of even-numbered years from Honolulu, Hawaii, with the exception of 2020 where it was held i ...

2022.

References

Supply-class replenishment oilers 2018 ships Ships built in Spain {{Australia-mil-ship-stub