Bay Class

Empowering ground forces, our amphibious landing ships can offload embarked troops and armoured vehicles with speed and efficiency.

Supporting in extreme conditions

Comprising of three ships (RFA Lyme Bay, Mounts Bay and Cardigan Bay), the role of the Bay Class vessels is to offload embarked troops and armoured vehicles from ship to shore using Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVP) and Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels. These versatile ships can operate in extremely rough weather to support amphibious operations and ground forces across the globe.

Rigid-hulled inflatable boat being deployed from the hull of the RFA Mounts Bay

Statistics

Displacement

16,160 tonnes

Length

176.6 metres

Speed

18 knots

Range

8,000 nautical miles

The ultimate troop transporter

RFA Mounts Bay at sea, with a helicopter flying off into the distance

Stability in the extreme

The Bay Class ships use diesel-electric propulsion to drive two thruster pods. These pods are rotated to provide steering as well as thrust to eradicate the need for rudders. Along with the bow thruster, a dynamic positioning system can hold the ship in place, even in the most extreme weather conditions.

Royal Marine commandos wait on quay and walk up the gangplank onto RFA Cardigan Bay

Troop transportation

The standard RFA crew compliment for the Bay Class ships is 59, with accommodation for up to 75. There is also good accommodation for an embarked military force of 356 fully equipped combat troops, which can be increased to 500 using camp beds in spare compartments.

Units and squadrons

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