Defence Minister names two new AOR ships for Australian Navy

Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne has announced the names of two of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) new auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOR) vessels.

The two future fleet replenishment ships will be named HMAS Supply and HMAS Stalwart.

The future HMAS Supply will be the second vessel in the RAN’s history to bear the name, which originates from the armed tender ship that accompanied the First Fleet to the country during the initial European settlement.

In addition, the Future HMAS Stalwart will be named after two previous destroyers that served with the navy.

The new AORs will replace the existing Australian Navy HMAS Success and HMAS Sirius once operational.

Payne said: “In considering names for classes and ships, the navy chose names with deep historical roots or names that are uniquely Australian.

“For these ships, we have been able to achieve both. Supply was instrumental in establishing the British colony and Stalwart, like the Australian Navy itself, has its origins in the Royal Navy and subsequently two Australian ships.”

The RAN has also laid the keel for the ships at Navantia shipyard in Ferrol, Spain, thereby marking the beginning of the vessel construction.

Payne further noted that the two new support vessels are slated to enter service with the navy from 2020.

The construction of HMAS Supply is scheduled to take two years to complete, with full operational capability currently slated for 2022.