Royal Navy ship and crew visit Guernsey

A Royal Navy ship and its crew will be visiting Guernsey for the next few days.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tanker RFA Tiderace will be anchored off St Peter Port.

It will be there to support training but also incase it is needed by other UK military.

The tanker is 201 metres in length and 29m wide and is there to support the Royal Navy at sea.

Commanding Officer of RFA Tiderace, Captain Simon Herbert RFA, said: “It is an honour and a privilege for RFA Tiderace to be able to conduct a short unofficial visit to Guernsey and St Peter Port.

"My Ship’s Company and I very much looking forward to spending some time ashore and enjoying the wide variety of activities that the island has to offer.

“RFA Tiderace is the Royal Navy’s high readiness Auxiliary Tanker with a specific role in safeguarding the UKs territorial waters and I am hugely grateful to the Local Authorities and Guernsey Ports for their support in our visit which emphasises the deep and long relationship between the Islands and the Royal Navy/Royal Fleet Auxiliary.”

On board there are between 75-85 crew members who help run the ship.

The tanker can carry up to 19000 cubic metres of fuel which is a mix of aviation fuel and diesel for ships’ engines. For comparison, road tankers carry, on average, 20-40 cubic metres of fuel. This tanker can transfer fuel at a rate of up to 1500 cubic metres per hour. It also has a flight deck where UK maritime helicopters can land including the CH 47 Chinook. On board there are Machine Guns and Miniguns for self defence. There are also canons fitted to the ship.