Filling up nicely… Tidesurge supports UK and NATO ops in North Atlantic

In just two months of operations in the Atlantic the tanker has safely pumped enough fuel into the tanks of Allied warships to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool – or more than 40,000 family saloons.

Though routine, the manoeuvre – a Replenishment at Sea, commonly reduced to ‘RAS’ in naval parlance – demands skilful seafaring from both warship and tanker.

The two are separated by a distance of about five London bus lengths, travelling parallel on the same course at the same speed, typically for a couple of hours – depending on how much fuel needs to be transferred. 

“A replenishment at sea is a dangerous and challenging evolution for all involved,” explains Tidesurge’s Third Officer Josh Sylvester.

“Carefully closing the distance between two ships, edging them closer together, matching their course and speed until there are only 42 metres between them, then passing a series of lines across and bringing them under tension so that you are able to pump a volatile commodity through a replenishment rig suspended across a span of thrashing sea, all the while being challenged by the pressures of the swell and the elements of the weather takes skill, concentration and experience – something that increases amongst everyone involved after every successful evolution.”

It is something crew are expected to be available to provide come night or day, good weather or poor, and at short notice. If they can’t, the warship will have to break off its mission and return to port to refuel/take on supplies.

Tide-class ships are also expected to carry limited ‘dry’ stories: food, consumables, every-day essentials which can be transferred either on a pallet by wire (a traditional ‘jackstay transfer’) or by air, slung beneath a helicopter in a huge sack (a ‘vertical replenishment’ or vertrep) – in this case food, spare parts and toilet rolls ferried to waiting ships by allied NH-90 helicopters. 

Despite being in demand almost constantly, there have been opportunities for Tidesurge’s sailors to let their hair down.

Although the ship herself has ventured into the Arctic Circle (66° 30'N latitude) before – celebrated with painting the bull ring on the bow blue – some three dozen crew had not, and were introduced to the centuries-old seafaring ceremony of ‘crossing the line’, receiving permission to enter the Arctic from ‘King Neptune’ with certificates to celebrate the occasion before mugs of hot chocolate and ice creams were distributed and Arctic veterans (known as ‘blue nosers’) regaled shipmates with stories of life operating in the High North. 

And there have also been several unique sights and experiences afforded by a career at sea. 

“Cruising over 12,500 nautical miles of open sea has provided the ships’ company with some of outstanding displays of natural beauty,” Josh added, “including the Northern Lights, sailing alongside different species of whales, dolphins and other marine mammals, and offering a remarkable vantage point for spotting tabular and pinnacle icebergs. 

“Passing slowly at a safe distance, the ship’s company could look on in awe at the natural wonder of these frozen leviathans. We were close enough to spot the frozen cyan rivulets crossing the face of the bergs like rivers leading to the sea, yet far enough away to respect their submerged scale and silent might as they continue on their long-lived journey.” 

Having completed all that was asked of her in the Atlantic/Denmark Strait/Arctic the tanker will return to Portland shortly for a spot of maintenance, a crew change, and then she’ll head back to sea for continued duties.

Iceberg image: C/O(E) David Mann, RFA Tidesurge