10th June 2025 at 2:39pm
RFA Tidespring has carried out its first replenishment at sea of the week, refuelling New Zealand warship HMNZS Te Kaha in the Gulf of Oman.
The operation saw both ships sail side by side while a line and fuel hose were passed across to replenish the frigate’s fuel supplies.
HMNZS Te Kaha is one of two Anzac-class frigates serving in the Royal New Zealand Navy.
- Armed and exposed in hostile waters: The Royal Navy’s bold push east to the Red Sea
- HMS Prince of Wales transits Suez Canal and Red Sea as she leads CSG25 towards Australia
- HMS Dauntless keeps deck gun ready and Wildcat armed with Martlet missiles
The Carrier Strike Group 25 recently regrouped in Oman after taking separate routes through different theatres.
While aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, HMS Dauntless and HMS Richmond transited the Suez Canal and Red Sea, RFA Tidespring took the longer route around the southern tip of Africa.
The ships reunited last week at the UK Joint Logistics Support Base in Duqm, Oman.
RFA Tidespring spent only a short time alongside before heading back to sea, where she resumed operations with the strike group.
Its Norwegian counterpart, HNoMS Maud, had been supporting the deployment but detached from the group in the northern Red Sea and has since returned to the Mediterranean.
The replenishment at sea shows how the group maintains operational readiness across vast distances, with support vessels playing a key role in keeping warships fuelled and supplied during long deployments.
The CSG25 deployment, also known as Operation Highmast, involves around 4,500 British military personnel, including nearly 600 RAF and 900 soldiers alongside 2,500 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines.
For more reports about Carrier Strike Group 25, click here.
https://ift.tt/PCzIwY3