HMAS ''Supply'' (AO 195) was a of the

Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...

(RFA) and 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 ...

(RAN). Originally named ''Tide Austral'' and intended to be the first ship of a post-World War II Royal Australian Fleet Auxiliary, manpower and financial shortages meant that when the Belfast-built ship was launched in 1955, she could not be accepted into Australian service. Instead, she was loaned to the RFA, operating RFA ''Tide Austral'' (A99). In August 1962, the ship was commissioned directly into the RAN, then renamed a month later to HMAS ''Supply''. ''Supply'' operated as part of the RAN until her decommissioning at the end of 1985.

Design, construction, and acquisition

In the early 1950s, the RAN considered acquiring a fleet tanker to support their forces.Donohue, ''From Empire Defense to the Long Haul'', p. 106 It was suggested that Australia order a from the United Kingdom (the Royal Navy having ordered three ships of the design), as the backlog of Navy construction in Australian dockyards would prevent an Australian-built tanker from entering service until at least the late 1950s. The tanker was to be the first ship of a post-war Royal Australian Fleet Auxiliary, would be manned by merchant seafarers to reduce demand on RAN service personnel, and would reduce the RAN's dependency on foreign fuel suppliers. The acquisition was approved by the Defence Committee and the

Cabinet of Australia The Cabinet of Australia (or Federal Cabinet) is the chief decision-making organ of the executive branch of the government of Australia. It is a council of senior government ministers, ultimately responsible to the Federal Parliament. Minist ...

in August 1951, with the order placed by the end of the year. The ship, which was to be named RAFA ''Tide Austral'', was laid down by

Harland and Wolff Harland & Wolff is a British shipbuilding company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It specialises in ship repair, shipbuilding and offshore construction. Harland & Wolff is famous for having built the majority of the ocean liners for the W ...

Limited at

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

on 5 August 1952, and launched on 1 September 1954. The tanker was completed at the start of 1955, at a cost of £A3.13 million: 20% over the forecast price. However, financial difficulties and a manpower shortage meant that the RAN could not operate the ship, and efforts to find a merchant operator were unsuccessful. Efforts to sell the ship to another navy or a civilian operator also failed, but in March 1955, the British Admiralty offered to take ''Tide Austral'' on loan and operate her as part of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Operational history

RFA service

The tanker was operated by the British Admiralty with a civilian crew as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary under the name ''Tide Austral'' from 1955 to 1962. Her service under Admiralty control included various charter periods, including two years (1956–58) when she was employed at the Admiralty's discretion, operating in direct payment of a debt incurred for the taking over of Shell Tankers Ltd building berths.

RAN acquisition

In 1962, the ship was purchased by Australia and commissioned into the

on 15 August 1962, under her original name. She was renamed HMAS ''Supply'' on 7 September 1962 in a ceremony presided over by the wife of Rear Admiral Otto Becher, the Australian Naval Representative in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

RAN service

During her Australian service, ''Supply'', accompanied initially by

Royal New Zealand Navy The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN; mi, Te Taua Moana o Aotearoa, , Sea Warriors of New Zealand) is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force. The fleet currently consists of nine ships. The Navy had its origins in the Naval Defence Act ...

(RNZN) frigate , and later by RNZN frigate , sailed to

Moruroa Moruroa (Mururoa, Mururura), also historically known as Aopuni, is an atoll which forms part of the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is located about southeast of Tahiti. Administratively Moruroa Atoll ...

Atoll in official protest of the French ''Canopus'' atmospheric nuclear test. On 27 December 1974, ''Supply'' sailed from Sydney as part of

Operation Navy Help Darwin Operation Navy Help Darwin was a disaster relief operation initiated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) following the destruction of Darwin, Northern Territory by Cyclone Tracy during the night of 24–25 December 1974. 13 ships, 11 aircraft, an ...

; a 13-ship relief force sent to Darwin following

Cyclone Tracy Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from 24 to 26 December 1974. The small, developing easterly storm had been observed passing clear of the city i ...

.Frame, ''No Pleasure Cruise'', p. 252 In 1975, ''Supply'' was present for the proclamation of

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

's independence from Australia, and later for the bicentennial of the United States of America's independence from Britain. On 8 September 1980, ''Supply'' joined five other RAN vessels to form the Australia Squadron.Lind, ''The Royal Australian Navy – Historic Naval Events Year by Year'', p. 297 The Squadron, which included HMA Ships , , , , and spent two months in the Indian Ocean as part of a flag-showing cruise; the largest RAN deployment since World War II.

Fate

HMAS ''Supply'' paid off on 16 December 1985, and was replaced by .Frame, ''No Pleasure Cruise'', p. 286