RFA Fort Rosalie Visits Naval Station GTMO, Cuba

A British ship patrolling the Caribbean made a port call to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Feb. 15.

The RFA, a civilian-manned flotilla owned by the UK Ministry of Defence, provides fuel, supplies and logistical support to Royal Navy warships around the world.

The U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command, Fleet Logistics Center Jacksonville, Guantanamo Detachment provided 246,000 gallons of fuel to the ship.

The ship conducts maritime patrols working with various agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard, local defense and police forces and many Caribbean nations focusing on countering drug trafficking in the Caribbean Region.

“The mission of Fort Rosalie is what the British call the Atlantic Control Tasking North and we’ve got three or four main roles within that tasking,” said Capt. Ross Ferris, RFA Rosalie’s commanding officer. “Primarily, we are here as assurance and reassurance to the UK overseas territories with a significant disaster relief capability and we are also here for counter-narcotics operations in the wider Caribbean.”

In the Caribbean, the UK overseas territories include Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Montserrat.

Ferris said that RFA’s counter drug trafficking mission in the Caribbean is important to the UK.

“The UK is affected the same as the rest of the world by illegal narcotics trafficking, so to be able to be involved in controlling narcotics is very important,” Ferris said. “To be able to patrol in the areas in the UK overseas territories with, very often U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment involved, is very important for the UK.”

Ferris said that it was also important that they are able to demonstrate to the overseas territories that they are there to help in the event of disasters and to assist with patrolling their overseas areas.

Naval Station GTMO provided the ship first class service logistically and administratively, according to Ferris.

“It is a good berth and we can get the right specification fuel easily here,” said Ferris. “There are very good facilities here for the ship to secure along the side, so we choose to come here because it is a very good naval base.”

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Naval Today Staff , February 20, 2012