Supply ready for international debut

The recently commissioned HMAS Supply is ready to play its role as a range extender for an array of international war ships as the sea phase of Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 commences in the waters off Hawaii.

CAPTION: HMAS Supply departs Pearl Harbour to begin the at-sea phase of Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. Story by Lieutenant Commander Anthony White. Photo by Leading Seaman Daniel Goodman.

RIMPAC will be the first time that Supply-class auxiliary oiler replenishment ship Supply will engage in replenishments at sea with multiple international navies and will be an important milestone for the ship and crew.

Replenishment ships are a critical enabler to support war fighting, search and rescue and humanitarian and disaster relief for long distances and large areas. For maritime nations like Australia, this ability to project its maritime forces far from our shores is particularly important.

For Supply’s Commanding Officer Commander Cindy Jenkins, RIMPAC provides an opportunity to demonstrate that one of the Royal Australian Navy’s newest ships is up to the tasks it was designed for.

“Transferring hundreds of tonnes of fuel and supplies between ships underway, themselves weighing thousands of tonnes each, is a task that is not always easy,” Commander Jenkins said.

“But as a maritime nation, our ability to deliver this capability is essential to maintaining Australia’s national interests.

“We’re very excited to work with multiple partner navies over the next few weeks and look forward to strengthening partnerships and enhancing interoperability.

“Our participation in RIMPAC is a great achievement and reflective of a lot of hard work by the ship’s company and those ashore to get Supply to where she is now.”

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