Tide Class Fast Fleet Tankers

The Tide Class Fast Fleet Tankers were tasked replenishing Royal Navy warships with Fuel Oil, Diesel, AVCAT, lubricating oils and fresh water, thereby allowing them to act independently of shore support and remain at sea for long periods of time. They were designed to replenish three ships simultaneously- one to port (preferably an aircraft carrier), one to starboard and one at the aft.

The class was built in two distinct groups: Tidereach, Tideflow, Tide Surge and Tide Austral were constructed between 1953 and 1956. Displacing 26,000 tons, the 'early Tides' had a complement of around 90 and were powered by three Babcock and Wilcox boilers, producing a speed of 17 knots. A further two vessels - Tidepool and Tidespring - were completed to a modified design between 1961 and 1963. They were slightly larger, displacing 27,400 tons, measured 177 metres in length and also had a speed of 17 knots. The hull was strenghtened to enable them to operate in frozen waters but more significantly they were the first RFA tankers built with a flight deck, a hanger and workshops and were capable of supporting three Wessex helicopters. The hanger was located on the port side of the funnel and could hold 3 helicopters. The starboard side had a garage that could be used for vehicles or as a hanger for 3 more helicopters. The helicopters had the dual role of transferring stores and equipment to other ships and providing anti-submarine defence for a convoy. They also carried two liberty boats on davits at the aft of the ship, and forward of the hanger there was even a swimming pool!

The design of the two later vessels, Tidespring and Tidepool, was similar to that later used for the Ol Class Tankers.

Tideflow was originally named Tiderace, and Tidesurge was named Tiderange. During the Suez conflict the Tiderace, the Tidereach and the Tiderange were all near Suez when one was short on oil and was directed to return to Malta to reload her tanks - the wrong one returned and it was realised that their names were all very similar and so hence the change of the Race to the Flow and the Range to the Surge. The name changes took place in 1958. (Thanks to Chris White for passing this on)

Ship	Pennant No.	Deck Code	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned
Tidereach	A96		Swan Hunter	1953	June 2nd 1954	August 30th 1955
Tideflow	A97	TF	Thompson	1953	August 30th 1954	January 25th 1956
Tidesurge	A98		Laing	1953	July 1st 1954	August 30th 1955
Tide Austral	??		Harland & Wolff	1953	September 1st 1954	May 28th 1955
Later Tide Class
Tidespring	A75		Hawthorne Leslie	24th July 1961	May 3rd 1963	18th January 1963
Tidepool	A76		Hawthorne Leslie	4th December 1961	December 11th 1962	28th June 1963

Above: RFA Tideflow (A97) in heavy seas. Photograph courtesy of George Mortimore.

Ship	History
Tideflow	Originally named Tiderace, but renamed Tideflow in 1958.
Tidesurge	Originally named Tiderange but renamed in 1958.
Tide Austral	Built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) but used by the Royal Navy until she was transferred in 1962 . She was renamed Supply (AO.195) on September 2nd 1962. In 1974 Supply completed a rebuild.
Tidespring	Launched by Lady Jarret, wife of the Secretary to the Admiralty. Supported British frigates on Cod War patrols. Attended 1979 Jubilee Fleet Review. Served in the 1982 Falklands Conflict under the command of Captain S. Redmond. She participated in the recapture of South Georgia and accommodated prisoners taken during the operation. Towards the end of the war she transferred one of her Wessex helicopters to Glamorgan, who had lost hers during at Exocet attack .Tidespring was to have been withdrawn from service 1981/2 but was retained after the Falklands, finally decommissioning on December 13th 1991. She was subsequently sold for scrapping in India, leaving Portsmouth for the last time on March 20th 1992.
Tidepool	Participated in the Beria Patrol during the 1960s and the Cod War in the 1970s. Sold to Chilean Navy in 1982 but whilst on route to her new owners was diverted to the Falklands, under the command of Captain J.W Gaffrey. After the war she was transferred to Chile on 13th August 1982 and renamed Almirante Jorge Montt. Decommissioned from Chilean Navy on December 15th 1997.

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