List of amphibious warfare ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

This is a list of amphibious warfare ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the naval auxiliary fleet of the United Kingdom.

The list is divided into two parts: the first part is Active and includes current ships, whereas the second part is Out of service and encompasses all ships that have been previously operated.

Following the conclusion of the Second World War, the Royal Navy implemented a streamlined pennant number system. Within this system the letter L was designated for amphibious warfare vessels, while A was assigned to auxiliaries, which are ships belonging to the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

During the 1940s and 1950s, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary was involved in amphibious support roles through the use of auxiliary logistics ships. From the 1960s to the 2000s, the RFA operated the Landing Ship Logistics of the , also known as the Sir Lancelot class, marking the introduction of the first dedicated RFA amphibious warfare vessels. Since 1988, RFA Argus provided aviation and medical support for amphibious forces. However, she was taken out of service in 2025/26.

From 2006 to the present, the RFA has been operating the Bay-class dock landing ships, which serves as core modern amphibious lift ships. Looking ahead to the 2030s, there are plans for the multi-role strike ships (MRSS), intended to serve as a replacement with an expanded role in littoral strike operations.

Active

There is a single type of amphibious warfare ship currently in service with the RFA as of early-2026, totalling three s.

Consisting of three vessels (Lyme Bay, Mounts Bay and Cardigan Bay), the function of the Bay Class ships is to transfer embarked troops and armoured vehicles from ship to shore utilising Landing craft vehicle personnel (LCVP) and Landing craft utility (LCU) vessels. These ships are capable of operating in very severe weather conditions to assist amphibious operations. The three Bay class ships are projected to be removed from service by 2032.

List of current amphibious warfare ships of the Royal Fleet AuxiliaryDock landing ships Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status dock landing ship L3007 26 November 2007 — Active as of early 2026 L3009 18 December 2006 — Reported in refit as of April 2026 L3008 13 July 2006 — Returning to service with full crew as of April 2026

Out of service

Dock landing ships

Former amphibious warfare ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary now in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)Dock landing ships Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status dock landing ship L3006 17 December 2006 19 October 2011 Sold to RAN, currently in RAN service as HMAS Choules

Aviation support/casualty receiving ship Former Aviation support/casualty receiving ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Littoral strike ship Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status Aviation support/casualty receiving ship A135 1 June 1988 202537 years To be sold for breaking up

Landing ship logistics

Round table class

The Round Table-class landing ship logistics were a class of six ships, all of which would be named after Knights of the Round Table.

Former Landing ship logistics of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Round table class Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status landing ship logistics L3029 16 January 1964 31 March 1989 Scrapped 2008 (I) L3005 17 December 1966 8 June 1982 Destroyed during the Falklands War - Sunk as a war grave in 1982 L3027 1 January 1970 1 May 2003 Scrapped in India 12 December 2005 L3004 14 January 1970 18 February 2008 Sold to the Brazilian Navy as Almirante Saboia, 2008. As of March 2026, she is actively sailing in Brazilian service. L3502 30 January 1970 16 December 2005 Static training ship for Maritime Special Forces L3036 6 March 1970 17 August 2004 Broken up 2009 Modified Round table class (II) L3005 25 November 1987 20 July 2007 Sold to the Brazilian Navy as Garcia D’Avila, 2007. Sunk as target 2024. After the loss of RFA Sir Galahad and the damage to RFA Sir Tristam during the Falklands War, two commercial Roll-on/roll-off ferries were temporarily chartered Former Chartered Landing ship logistics of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status roll-on/roll-off ferry L3522 17 March 1983 29 June 1988 Returned to owners. As of 2026 actively sailing as Royal Nusantara in Indonesia. L3532 no image 11 March 1983 20 January 1986 Returned to owners. As of 2026, actively sailing as Fjärdvägen in Finland.

Strategic Sealift Strategic Sealift Ro/Ro Two commercial Ro/Ro vessels bareboat chartered for additional freight carrying capacity with formation of the Joint Rapid Deployment Force (JRDF). Former strategic sealift ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Strategic Sealift Ro-Ro Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status Strategic Sealift Ro-Ro A96 No image 10 October 1996 7 August 2003 Returned to owners. As of 2026 she is actively sailing as Jabal Ali 11. A98 18 October 1998 25 July 2002 Returned to owners. As of 2026 she is actively sailing as MSC Bridge.

Landing Ship Tank

Originally operated by the Royal Navy, in 1956 she was transferred to civilian administration as SS Empire Gull. She joined the RFA in 1970 and was in service until 1978, being the only Landing Ship Tank operated as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Former landing ship tank of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Landing Ship Tank Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status Landing Ship, Tank - 3 February 1970 19 October 1978 Scrapped 1980

Landing Ship Gantry Dale class

Three Dale-class tankers were converted into Landing Ship Gantry’s and were then reconverted back into tankers at the end of the Second World War.

Former landing ship gantrys of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Landing Ship Gantry Class / Type Ship Pennant No. Image In service Out of service Service life Status Landing Ship Gantry A114 No image 30 August 1941 (converted to LSG 1943) 19 May 1959 (converted back to tanker 1946) Sold commercially. Scrapped 1966. A151 No image 14 June 1941 (converted to LSG 1943) 6 May 1959 (converted back to tanker 1947) Broken up 1959 A173 11 July 1941 (converted to LSG 1943) 1 March 1958 (converted back to tanker 1946) Broken up 1959–60

See also

Roles and types Dock landing ship Landing Ship Logistics Landing Ship, Tank Amphibious transport dock

Future Multi-role strike ship (MRSS)

References