Fort Victoria was designed as a one-stop support ship for anti-submarine groups, carrying both fuel and dry stores and even a Seawolf magazine for self-defence. That combination limited capacity in each support role and added mechanical complexity. It was more workable when the RFA also possessed dedicated stores ships and numerous tankers. Once those companion capabilities disappeared, a mixed ship could not substitute fully for either category. The panel nevertheless argues that future auxiliaries need surface-to-air missiles and close-in weapons, while the new fleet-solid-support ships should restore dedicated dry-stores capacity.
Notable Point · 1:33:36-1:35:03
Why Fort Victoria's mixed support design needed a larger RFA
Fort Victoria's combination of fuel, stores, aviation, and self-defence made sense within a larger support fleet but became restrictive when too few specialized auxiliaries remained.