RFA Fort Austin (A386)

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Career

Name:	RFA Fort Austin
Ordered:	November 1971
Builder:	Scott Lithgow
Laid down:	9 December 1975
Launched:	9 March 1978
Commissioned:	11 May 1979
Fate:	Active in service as of 2008
General characteristics
Class and type:	Fort Rosalie-class replenishment ship
Displacement:	23,482 tonnes
Length:	185.1 m (607 ft 3 in)
Beam:	24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Draught:	9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Propulsion:	Sulzer 8-cylinder RND90 22,300 shp
Speed:	21 knots (38.9 km/h)
Complement:	114 RFA 36 RNSTS 45 RN Air Squadron personnel
Armament:	2 × 20 mm GAM-BO1 4 × 7.62 mm GPMGs

Service record
Operations	Falklands War Operation Palliser

RFA Fort Austin (A386) is a fleet stores ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Fort Austin was laid down at Scott Lithgow in 1975, launched in 1978 and commissioned in 1979. These ships were designed to carry a wide range of stores to support other ships; ammunition, food, explosives. They have extensive aviation facilities, with two flight decks, one to the stern and one spot on top of the hangar, up to four Sea Kings can be stored in the large hangar. These ships also have the capability to replenish ships at sea, via six RAS points. When the Falklands War began, the ship headed south, taking part in the landings at San Carlos Water as an ammunition ship. In 2000, the ship was part of the British deployment to help restore order in Sierra Leone.

As of September 2007, the ship is undergoing a major refit and modernization at the A&P Tyne shipyard in Hebburn, Tyne and Wear.