Wave Class Auxiliary Oilers
The number of tankers in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) has declined over the last few decades alongside the fall in front line warships. By the time the Tide Class were withdrawn in the 1980s the only fast fleet tankers left in service were the three ships of the 'Ol' Class but with the retirement of Olmeda in 1993 this has fallen to just two: Olna and Olwen. However both are now over 30 years old and in need of replacement having become increasingly costly and difficult to operate and maintain: both spent significant parts of 1999 and 2000 laid up at Portsmouth and Gibraltar. In 1996 tenders were invited for the construction of two new vessels to replace both Olna and Olwen. On March 12th the following year a contract worth £200 million was placed with VSEL (Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering Limited), who managed to fight off strong competition from BAeSEMA. There was some political disagreement over the order with Michael Forsyth, the Scottish Secretary, believing the contract should have been awarded to Kvaerner Govan. Upon loosing the order, the Clyde shipyard was likely to shed at least 300 jobs and Mr Forsyth no doubt feared for his tiny majority in his Stirling constituency.
The names Wave Knight (A389) and Wave Ruler (A390) were chosen for the vessels, commemorating two of the long serving post war Wave Class Tankers. Classified as Auxiliary Oilers (AO) the Wave Class will carry out similar tasks as the 'Ol' Class- replenishing warships with fuel, water and other stores whilst at sea. They will also have capabilities to provide humanitarian relief as demonstrated by another Auxiliary, RFA Fort George, after the Mozambique floods in March 2000. However they will differ somewhat in design from the Ol Class, with the entire superstructure- including the bridge- positioned at the aft of the ship slightly forward of the flight deck, with the front and mid section of the vessel taken up by the replenishment rigs and machinery: the 'Ol class was designed with the bridge superstructure near the bow of the ship with a second superstructure at the aft and the oil rigs in between. As civilian manned ships flying the Blue Ensign, the vessels will largely be built to commercial standards and will have to meet the latest Lloyd's safety requirements. For environmental reasons they will be constructed with a double hull which will be able to hold 16,000 cubic metres of dieso, 3000 cubic metres of aviation fuel, 380 cubic metres of fresh water, 125 tonnes of lubricating oil, 500 cubic metres of refrigerated solids and dry stores and eight 200-ft containers.
Wave Knight and Wave Ruler will displace around 31,500 tonnes (full load), measure 196 metres in length and 27.20 metres in breadth. Four diesel generators will drive through a single shaft, producing a speed of 18 knots. Bow and stern thrusters will aid maneuverability. They will be manned by approximately 80 RFA and 22 Royal Naval personnel. Although auxiliaries, they will be armed with two 30mm guns, four general purpose machine guns and two Phalanx Close in Weapon System (CIWS) and for self defence, which is most appropriate considering that their predecessors served in several war zones (Olna in the Gulf War, Olmeda in the Falklands and Olna & Olwen off Bosnia). They will also have limited command and control facilities. Like the 'Ol' class they will be equipped with a flight deck and hanger which will support the new Merlin helicopter. The estimated cost of each vessel is £110 million. Although RFA vessels do not have base ports, whenever possible they will operate out of Devonport Dockyard.
Wave Knight was laid down on May 22nd 1998 at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria in a joint ceremony that included the keel laying of Amphibious Assault Ship Albion. Performing the ceremony, Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Henry Leach said: "I am pleased to see the rapid progress made by these vessels, which will take UK maritime power into the next millennium. The speed and flexibility that they will provide is clearly matched by the speed and flexibility of their radical building process". Wave Knight was constructed in units, which were transported to Devonshire Dock Hall at Barrow and combined into twelve blocks. These were largely outfitted before being taken to the superberth where they were assembled together.
Despite subsequent delays in construction Wave Knight was scheduled for an autumn 2000 launch. This event required a great deal of planning as the last vessel launched 'dynamically' down the slipway at Barrow was the submarine Talent in 1988 whilst the last launch of a surface vessel in the traditional manner had been 20 years ago! Walney Channel (the stretch of water separating Walney Island from Barrow) had to be suitably dredged to remove silt and sand and even this work had to be carefully scheduled to avoid disturbing the gulls' breeding season. Wave Knight was due to enter the water at 11.51 on September 28th 2000 but although she was named by her sponsor, Lady Guthrie (wife of Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Charles Guthrie) and despite boasts that the launch would go ahead "come rain, hail or shine", "prevailing weather conditions" meant she didn't actually take to the water until 12:29pm the following day. Speaking after the launch the Minister for Defence Procurement, Baroness Symons, said "I am delighted that after three years work the first ship is being launched. This is a tremendous achievement for the shipyard and for the DPA Project Team and I congratulate all those involved". Keith Whitworth, a spectator at the launch, described the feelings of those present at the event: "After a twenty year wait for a dynamic launch at Barrow-in-Furness, the send off for Wave Knight was terrific. Seeing and hearing the drag chains suddenly take hold as the hull slid into the water was very dramatic. I had traveled up from London to see my first launch since I was a child, the cancellation of the launch the day before only increased the sense of anticipation. I was very proud to stand next to my father , who had been a shipwright all his life in the yard." . Wave Knight will now start fitting out at Barrow before beginning sea trails towards the end of 2001. She is currently scheduled to enter service in February 2002.
Construction of sistership Wave Ruler was transferred to Govan in 2000 amidst to fears she would fall behind schedule if built at Barrow-in-Furness. Her construction was essential in saving the Govan yard from immanent closure. Wave Ruler was launched at 13:30pm on February 9th 2001 by Ms. Elaine Dumelow, wife Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence. Principal guests at the launch included the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Nigel Essenhigh, Controller of the Navy Rear Admiral Nigel Guild and Commodore Peter Lannin of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Wave Ruler was the first vessel launched at Govan since the yard was bought by BAE Systems in 2000. Geoff Hoon, said: “Wave Ruler and her sister, Wave Knight, will provide enhanced capability for the Royal Navy’s operations well into this century. I congratulate all those involved; at the shipbuilder, the Defence Procurement Agency and associated organisations". BAE Managing Director Simon Kerby added "Wave Ruler has played a significant role in our efforts to try to ensure a future for shipbuilding on the Clyde." Following the launch she will be fully outfitted with all her equipment and systems before undertaking sea trials in March 2002 and entering service in September that year.
In early Spring 2001 it emerged that BAE Systems had placed an unsolicited bid with the Ministry of Defence to build a further two Wave Class tankers. This speculative tendering results from the fact the BAE is struggling to provide enough work to keep its three yards at Govan, Barrow and Scotstoun afloat. Reportedly, Govan is not in a position to begin cutting steel for the two Bay Class Landing Ships and, with only an tug (being built for Stirling Offshore ) and ten small landing craft (for service with Albion Class Assault Ships) under construction, has extra shipbuilding capacity this year. BAE believe that experience gained in the construction of Wave Knight and Wave Ruler will allow significant savings to be made in the construction of additional vessels. However the Ministry of Defence have indicated they are unlikely to accept the bid.
The Building of RFA Wave Knight and RFA Wave Ruler
Above: An artist's impression of a Wave Class tanker at sea. A Merlin helicopter is shown landing on the flight deck- the Ol Class Tankers, which the Wave Class will replace, were sometimes used for aviation training and could operate three Sea King helicopters.
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Above: The aft section of Wave Knight. On July 1st 1999 this 2032 tonne section was transported from the Devonshire Dock Hall to the superberth on a 200 tonne steel supporting structure. The journey took one hour and included two stops. (© BAE Systems)
Above: The assembled hull of Wave Knight (left) and that of HMS Albion, a Landing Platform Dock (right). (Picture © BAE Systems).
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Above: (left) Wave Knight under construction at Barrow-in-Furness. Already it is clear that her profile is significantly different to the 'Ol' Class tankers she replaces. (right) RFA Wave Knight prior to launch. (Pictures © BAE Systems).
Above: Wave Knight leaves the 223.4 metre launchway stern first in order to maximize buoyancy on entering the water. She was the first vessel launched 'dynamically' at Barrow since HMS Manchester in 1980.(Copyright unknown).
Above: April 2000. The stern and midships sub-assemblies of Wave Ruler shortly after being placed on the main slipway at BAE Systems' Govan Shipyard. Photo kindly provided Stuart D Cameron.
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Above: April 2000. Parts of Wave Ruler's superstructure were transferred from BAE Systems' yard in Barrow, where she was to have originally been built, to BAE Systems' new yard in Govan. Photo kindly provided Stuart D Cameron.
Above: April 2000. Stern (left) and midships (right) hull section, the latter still to be lifted onto the berth. Photo kindly provided Stuart D Cameron.
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Above (left and right): August 2000. The aft section and helicopter deck of Wave Ruler. The ship was assembled on what was once the main slipway of Fairfield Slipbuidiers. Photos kindly provided Stuart D Cameron.
Above: By late September the bow section was moved out onto the stocks from the module hall. Photo kindly provided Stuart D Cameron.
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Above: (left) The bow section in isolation awaiting unification with the rest of the ship. Photo kindly provided Stuart D Cameron. (right) The aft section seen under construction from the River Clyde. Photo kindly provided by ClydeSite - a superb source of information regarding Clyde Shipbuilding.
Above: Wave Ruler seen from a distance under construction on the slipway at BAE Systems' Govan shipyard. The bow and aft sections have yet to be joined. Photo kindly provided by ClydeSite - a superb source of information regarding Clyde Shipbuilding.
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© Written and researched by Jeremy Olver. Last updated February 17th 2000. Disclaimer.
