RFA Fort Austin

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RFA Fort Austin at West Float, Birkenhead, in July 2015
History
United Kingdom
Name	RFA Fort Austin
Operator	Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Ordered	November 1971
Builder	Scott Lithgow
Laid down	9 December 1975
Launched	9 March 1978
Commissioned	11 May 1979
Out of service	31 March 2021[1]
Homeport	Marchwood Military Port, Southampton[2]
Identification	IMO number: 7342938 MMSI number: 233261000 Callsign: GSEV Pennant number: A386
Fate	Sold to Egypt October 2021
General characteristics
Class and type	Fort Rosalie-class replenishment ship
Displacement	23,482 tonnes
Length	185.1 m (607 ft 3 in)
Beam	24 m (78 ft 9 in)
Draught	9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	Sulzer 8-cylinder RND90 22,300 shp
Speed	21 knots (38.9 km/h)
Complement	114 RFA 36 RNSTS (historically) 45 RN Air Squadron personnel
Armament	2 × Phalanx CIWS 2 × 20 mm GAM-BO1 4 × 7.62 mm GPMGs
Service record
Operations:	Falklands War Operation Palliser

RFA Fort Austin is a retired British Fort Rosalie-class dry stores ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

Fort Austin was laid down at Scott Lithgow in 1975, launched in 1978 and commissioned in 1979. These ships were designed to carry a wide range of dry stores to support fleet task forces; ammunition, food, explosives. They have extensive aviation facilities, with two flight decks, one to the stern and one spot on top of the hangar, up to four Sea Kings can be stored in the large hangar. These ships also have the capability to replenish ships at sea, via six RAS points.