RFA Wave Ruler (A390)

For other ships with the same name, see RFA Wave Ruler.

Wave Ruler underway with a United States Coast Guard Eurocopter HH-65 Dolphin helicopter embarked
History
United Kingdom
NameRFA Wave Ruler
OperatorRoyal Fleet Auxiliary
Ordered12 March 1997
Builder
Launched9 February 2001
Commissioned27 April 2003
HomeportHMNB Devonport[1]
Identification
StatusExtended readiness (uncrewed reserve)[2][3]
Badge
General characteristics [4][5][6]
Class and typeWave-class tanker
Displacement31,500 tonnes approx
Length196.5 m (644 ft 8 in)
Beam28.25 m (92 ft 8 in)
Draught9.97 m (32 ft 9 in)
Propulsion
  • Diesel-electric:
  • 4 × Wartsila 12V 32E/GECLM diesel generators 25,514 metric horsepower (18.76 MW)
  • 2 × GEC Alstom motors with Cegelec variable speed converters 19,040 metric horsepower (14 MW)
  • 1 × shaft
  • 18t thrust electric Kamewa bow thruster and 12t thrust electric stern thruster, both powered by Cegelec variable speed drives and motors
Speed18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Range10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Capacity
  • 16,000 m3 of liquids (of which 3,000 m3 aviation fuel & 380 m3 fresh water)
  • 125 tonnes of lubricating oil
  • 500 m3 of solids
  • 150 tonnes of fresh food in eight 20 ft refrigerated container units.
Complement80 Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel with provision for 22 Royal Navy personnel for helicopter and weapons systems operations
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Surface search: E/F band
  • Navigation: KH 1077, I-band
  • IFF: Type 1017
Electronic warfare
& decoys		Sea Gnat decoy launcher system[8]
Armament
  • 2 × DS30B 30 mm cannon;
  • 2 × 7.62 mm Mk.44 miniguns (retired 2023);[7]
  • 5 × 7.62 mm L7 machine guns;
  • 2 × Vulcan Phalanx CIWS (all weapons removed given uncrewed reserve status)
Aircraft carried1 × Merlin helicopter with full hangar facilities

RFA Wave Ruler is a Wave-class fast fleet tanker of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) of the United Kingdom tasked with providing fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world.

Wave Ruler was built by Kvaerner Govan (after 1999, BAE Systems Marine) and launched in 2001. She was accepted into service in 2003 and is the second ship to bear this name in RFA service. Wave Ruler and her sister Wave Knight, were designed to replace Olna and Olwen, two 36,000-ton Ol-class fast fleet tankers which were built at Swan Hunter and Hawthorn Leslie in the 1960s.[9]

Wave Ruler was the last tanker commissioned into the RFA until RFA Tidespring became operational in late 2017.

  1. ^ "FOI(A) regarding the Royal Navy" (PDF). What do they know?. 27 April 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Why has the Royal Navy decommissioned 6 ships in a year?". Navy Lookout. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. ^ Allison, George (17 June 2023). "Wave class tankers to remain in extended readiness to 2028". UK Defence Journal.
  4. ^ Jane's Fighting Ships, 2004–2005. Jane's Information Group Limited. p. 817. ISBN 0-7106-2623-1.
  5. ^ Wave Class Fast Fleet Tankers at the Royal Navy homepage
  6. ^ "Wave Class Royal Fleet Auxiliary". naval-technology.com. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  7. ^ "In focus: the 50 cal heavy machine gun in Royal Navy service". Navy Lookout. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Royal Navy to equip 19 ships with trainable decoy launchers". Navy Lookout. 29 April 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  9. ^ "Olynthus Class". rfaaplymouth.org. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2020.