Elderly Fort – the Replenishment Ship RFA FORT AUSTIN, first commissioned in 1979, under refit at Birkenhead is nearing the end of a 15 month refit.    The 33 year old ship (37 if you count from the date the ship was laid down) is being fully modernised and brought up to date which should extend her life for another decade and should have an ”Out of Service Date” of 2021.    The work scope includes renewing the crew accommodation, a new galley, stripping out the all asbestos in the ship and replacing it with modern materials, stripping down the main engine and overhauling it, overhauling or replacing all the auxiliary equipment and extensive upgrading of her electronic and communications equipment to enable her to operate with the latest warships.      In the summer of 2009 the RFA FORT AUSTIN was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Portsmouth and was towed by commercial tugs in May 2011 to in Birkenhead for refit.  The fifteen months are up in September 2012 when the RFA FORT AUSTIN will undergo sea trials before re-joining the fleet later this year.

The sister ship to the RFA FORT AUSTIN, the RFA FORT ROSALIE is currently “East of Suez” and is expected to run on until 2022 and by then both ships will have completed their 43^rd year!