Fleet solid support ship

Only Fort Victoria has undergone refit to enable her to supply the Royal Navy's new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers with solid stores.

[4][5] A programme to replace these ships, named the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) Fleet Solid Support (FSS), commenced in 2017, but was delayed in 2019.

The ships required a total cargo capacity of up to 7,000 m3 (250,000 cu ft), the ability to travel at a sustained speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph) without resupply, the capability of delivering non-bulk logistic material whilst underway at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and transfer single loads of up to 5 tonnes (4.9 long tons; 5.5 short tons).

[11] A list of bidders was subsequently selected with a British consortium consisting of Babcock, BAE Systems, Cammell Laird and Rolls-Royce, as well as international bidders consisting of Fincantieri (Italy), Navantia (Spain), Japan Marine United Corporation (Japan) and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) (South Korea).

[15][8] On 21 September 2020, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stated the vessels were "warships", effectively confirming they would be built in the United Kingdom.

[21] In November 2022 it was announced that Team Resolute (BMT, Harland & Wolff and Navantia) had been selected to build the ships with the start of construction anticipated in 2025.