"Longest-serving ship" RFA Argus back at sea after two years ahead of fleet return to support Royal Navy

RFA Argus is back on the open water for sea trials and other training following a docking period in Falmouth. She will soon be returning to the fleet full-time, where she will support Royal Navy operations by transporting supplies and completing other tasks.

The force said “the longest-serving ship in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary” will soon be re-joining frontline operations. A delegation of dignitaries, including Portsmouth North MP Amanda Martin and other politicians - as well as the Naval Regional Commander for Wales and West England Commodore Tristram Kirkwood - stepped aboard the vessel during a logistics stop in Portland.

Commanding Officer Captain Marcus Patterson welcomed guests and gave them a brief on the history of the 28,000 tonne ship. He said: “It has been a pleasure to welcome the members of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme on board as we continue the transition from our planned maintenance cycle to regenerating and training for future tasking.

“This scheme is an integral mechanism in providing Members of Parliament with invaluable exposure to the Armed Forces and its supporting organisations. It gives MPs the chance to speak with personnel who work day in, day out to support and achieve defence outputs, providing them with a deeper appreciation of capabilities, and allows them to develop a stronger understanding of defence matters, which they will carry with them throughout their parliamentary careers.

“Visiting RFA Argus, the MPs have been able to see first-hand how different aspects of defence work together to achieve a common goal, as demonstrated by our crew of Royal Fleet Auxiliary seafarers and our permanently embarked Royal Navy personnel. Their visit to a Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel was especially welcome, given that this year marks the 120th anniversary of our formation – further highlighting the integral role the Royal Fleet Auxiliary holds within Defence.”

RFA Argus most recently served as an aviation launchpad for helicopters from the Commando Helicopter Force during a mission to the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific. With her vast hospital facilities, She takes on the role of Primary Casualty Receiving Ship and Aviation Training Ship, and regularly deploys with the Littoral Response Group – a Royal Navy task force designed to respond to global crises.

It was with this group that she last deployed, initially to the Eastern Mediterranean in 2023 in response to regional unrest, before sailing through the Suez Canal and into the Indo-Pacific . This eventually lead to exercises in Australia alongside RFA Lyme Bay. RFA Argus was launched in 1980 and was commissioned into the fleet in 1988.

The government previously pledged that revolutionary changes would be made to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, after a historic pay deal with secured with personnel in January. Personnel in the force have been hit with severe staff shortages, a recruitment crisis which caused ships to be left in dock and unable to go on deployments, staff being “harassed” into returning to work early to fill gaps and other complications.

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard previously told The News: “We’ve got the opportunity to reset the relationship with the seafarers within the RFA, and it means we can start the process of valuing the RFA more. I feel they have been undervalued in the past. They perform vital tasks in support of the Royal Navy and UK military objectives. All to often, the RFA is a story we have not told.”