SPS Cantabria (A15)

SPS Cantabria (A15) is a replenishment oiler operated by the Spanish Navy. Acquired to provide logistical support for the Spanish fleet, Cantabria was commissined in 2010. Cantabria is the second-largest naval ship currently operated by the Spanish, behind the LHD Juan Carlos 1.

Design and construction
Cantabria is a replenishment oiler, referred to in Spanish as a Buque de Aprovisionamiento en Combate (BAC; Supply Ship in Combat). She was acquired to provide logistical support to the Spanish Navy during day-to-day operations, expeditionary forces or strategic projection deployments, and for humanitarian and disaster relief operations. The vessel has a displacement of 19,500 tons, is 170.4 m in length, has a beam of 23 m, and a draught of 8 m. Propulsion is provided by two diesel engines, supplying 10,890 kW to a single propeller shaft, which is fitted with a controllable-pitch propeller. Cantabria has a maximum sustained speed of 20 kn, and a range of 6,000 nmi. The ship's complement is 122.

The ship's capacity includes 8,920 cubic metres of ship fuel, 1,585 cubic metres of JP-5 jet fuel, 215 cubic metres of fresh water, 280 tons of ammunition, and 470 tons of general cargo. The fuel storage areas are double-hulled. Cantabria can replenish three ships simultaneously; one on each side, plus a third vis a stern refuelling station. She can carry three Agusta-Bell AB.212, two Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, or two NHIndustries NH90 helicopters to perform vertical replenishment.

Cantabria was laid down in the dry dock of shipyard of Puerto Real, Cadiz, on 18 July 2007; the first ship to be built there in 30 years. The ship was launched by floating on 21 July 2008, and was sponsored by Aurora Diaz Abella, the wife of Miguel Ángel Revilla, the President of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria. The ship underwent sea trials in the Bay of Cadiz from October to December 2009. She was commissioned into the Spanish Navy on 29 September 2010. The original budget was €213m but the final cost was €238m.

The design has been evaluated by foreign buyers. Canada approached Navantia to provide a design for the Joint Support Ship Project based on Cantabria, but Navantia's proposal was not successful. The Norwegian Navy has also expressed interest, but has made no formal moves.

Operational history
Between 2 and 5 July 2012, Cantabria participated alongside the frigates Álvaro de Bazán, Almirante Juan de Borbón, and Méndez Núñez, the submarine Galerna, and AV-8Bs of the 9th naval air squadron during exercise MAR-22 on the Atlantic coast of Galicia.

On 3 July 2012, the Australian and Spanish governments signed an agreement to deploy Cantabria in support of the Royal Australian Navy during 2013. The ship will operate in Australian waters from February to November 2013, and will be used to provide replenishment support to the Australians while the oiler HMAS Success (OR 304) undergoes maintenance. The deployment will also allow Australian personnel to train on systems similar to those in the Spanish-designed Hobart- and Canberra-class ships being acquired, and allow the Royal Australian Navy to evaluate the design as a possible replacement for its replenishment vessels.