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Time is up for RFA Black Rover
Posted: 06 Aug 2016 03:41
by glenhowells
It seams the RFA has the same problem as the RN. They refit ships then send them to the scrap yard. Black Rover although old has just completed a refit and she will be gone in a couple of months time. Early this year Orange Leaf had an extensive refit then sat along side doing nothing. She is in Turkey now being cut up as we speak.
Glen
Re: Time is up for RFA Black Rover
Posted: 06 Aug 2016 17:03
by rritchie71
It was probably to keep people in work, we are doing that with Anzacs, they are going 10years before their time, so people can build the replacements and stay in a job.
Hopefully, moving into this new business model of continuous building (it's a good thing) they will work out schedules accurately enough for building and refitting ships that we do not do what the RN is doing.
Cheers
Robert
Re: Time is up for RFA Black Rover
Posted: 06 Aug 2016 17:36
by glenhowells
Hi Rob
I see your point keeping people in work. The money they are paying for refits just to pay vessels off soon after, i think can be better invested. The RN are going to need 20 patrol vessels around 25mtrs in length if they take over boarder protection in the UK. It's one avenue they can look at to keep people in work
Cheers Glen
Re: Time is up for RFA Black Rover
Posted: 07 Aug 2016 11:11
by MikeJames
The Rovers must be getting very long in the tooth, so perhaps scrapping them was an economy measure, keeping ships that old maintained and running becomes a big strain on maintenance.
In addition, they weren't double-hulled, so they don't meet the ever more stringent environmental regulations coming into force. That's why we double-hulled Success at considerable cost and a reduction in available capacity.
The new Cantabria class (Supply, Success and Sirius perhaps) are delivered meeting all current environmental standards and are double-hulled.
Mike
Re: Time is up for RFA Black Rover
Posted: 07 Aug 2016 14:30
by littoralcombat
I did a refit on her in the mid-1990s at Devonport, she was, I thought at the time, in a poor material state then. We did not normally do RFAs but having done Sir Percivale and Gold Rover in quick succession I realised that all of their ships are worked very hard indeed.
As for refitting and then scrapping, not common sense, but every deployment would require some level of upkeep, whether it be a full refit, DED (docking & essential defects) or just a good old fashioned change the oil, check the tyre pressures, clean the windscreen type service.
