RFA Fort Rosalie (A385)

RFA Fort Rosalie (A385) is the lead ship of her class of Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleet replenishment ships. Fort Rosalie was originally named RFA Fort Grange, but was renamed in May 2000 to avoid confusion with the now-decommissioned RFA Fort George, a change which was not universally popular.

History
Fort Rosalie was laid down in 1973, by Scott Lithgow on the River Clyde, launched in 1976 and commissioned the next year. The ship saw her first war service during the Falklands War, and also supported British forces in the Balkans alongside at the port of Split from at least 1994-2000, being based at Cervena Luka (North Port) an area just outside Split, Croatia. Fort Rosalie also oversaw repairs to HMS Tireless (S88) at Gibraltar later in 2000. She is affiliated to Tamworth and Lichfield Sea Cadets under her former name, Fort Grange.

Fort Rosalie attended the HMNB Devonport Navy Days in August 2006, representing the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. HMS Albion (L14) was berthed astern.

In May 2008 the ship entered a £28 million refit at Northwestern Shiprepairers & Shipbuilders' Cammell Laird yard in Birkenhead.

Fort Rosalie supported COUGAR 11, the first partial deployment of the Royal Navy's Response Force Task Group. In 2011 it was announced that her service life would be extended by two years to 2024; the Fort class will ultimately be replaced by the Fleet Solid Support element of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability programme.

She spent early 2012 in the Caribbean and made a brief deployment to the Gulf of Oman in December 2012; since then she has been exercising in home waters.