Work has begun on the first of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s new Fleet Solid Support ships, following a steel cutting ceremony at Appledore shipyard in Devon.
The event also confirmed the vessel’s name, RFA Resurgent, marking the programme’s transition from design to full-scale construction.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the FSS programme is a core Strategic Defence Review commitment intended to ensure the Royal Navy can sustain global operations by providing munitions, spares, food and specialist stores at sea. The department states that £115 million has been invested across four UK shipyards to support the work, creating 1,200 skilled jobs and recruiting more than 200 apprentices.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard initiated the steel cut, saying “this is a significant moment as we begin the build of the RFA’s newest ship that will keep our Royal Navy ready to fight and able to deter future threats.” He added that “by backing British shipbuilding, we are creating more than 1,200 skilled jobs in Devon, Belfast and beyond,” calling defence “an engine for growth” for communities across the UK.
Construction of modules will take place at Navantia’s Appledore yard and other UK sites before final assembly at Harland & Wolff Belfast. The MoD says the programme ensures, for the first time in over a decade, that all four Harland & Wolff shipyards in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Devon are active and contributing to defence output.
Navantia UK chief executive Donato Martínez said the milestone reflects sustained commitment from UK and Spanish industry partners. “It is a proud day for the whole team, whose commitment has brought us to this point,” he stated. Martínez argued that the programme delivers both critical capability and “long-term sovereign industrial capacity for the UK through investment in infrastructure, technology and skills.”
Commodore Sam Shattock, head of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, revealed the ship’s name during the ceremony. He said Resurgent is designed to meet modern environmental and operational requirements. “The ship is innovative, meets the latest environmental protection standards and is designed from the bottom up to deliver maritime sustainment as efficiently as possible,” he explained.
Shattock added that the programme supports jobs and local economies across multiple shipbuilding regions and described Resurgent as “a true warfighting enabler for the Royal Navy of tomorrow.”
According to the department, RFA Resurgent is expected to be delivered in 2031.
It’s a good name. Fitting, given the current state of the solid support ships 🙂
Wonder if the rest if the names will begin with the R as well?
Just seen in Navy Lookout saying the chances are the other two will be called RFA Resource and RFA Regent.