Tanker Tideforce powers NATO task group

While northern Europe basks in a heatwave, the day-to-day business of the Royal Navy continues as normal.

At last light on a balmy August evening, tanker RFA Tideforce – one of four built to support Royal Navy carrier group operations – rendezvoused with Canadian and Portuguese warships in the narrows between Denmark and the Scandinavian peninsula to support ongoing NATO operations.

HMCS Toronto and NRP Corte Real are attached to the alliance’s Standing Maritime Group 1, which patrols the waters of northern Europe from the Baltic to Atlantic carrying out collective training and championing NATO’s work and peacekeeping mission.

Fresh from working with HMS Mersey in these same waters, the NATO duo stationed astern of the 39,000-tonne Royal Fleet Auxiliary in near-perfect conditions in the Skagerrak to take on their black gold from Tideforce’s cavernous tanks.

The tanker called the warships forward and then conducted the replenishment at sea largely by visual signaling such as flags and Morse code by lamp as the sun descended.

“It was a privilege for RFA Tideforce to be able to support Maritime Group 1,” said Captain Simon Herbert, the tanker’s commanding officer.

“Both ships were able to benefit from our state-of-the-art replenishment at sea capabilities and remain on their tasking conducting NATO missions as part of the NATO Maritime Response Force.

“The replenishments clearly highlighted the integrated and flexible capability of the newest of the RFA Tide-class tankers.”