View source for Engineering:Combat stores ship

{{Short description|Ships that provide supplies and propulsion and aviation fuel to combatant ships}}
[[File:FortVictoria Plymouth.jpg|thumb|{{RFAux|Fort Victoria|A387|6}}]]

'''Combat stores ships''', or '''storeships''', are ships used to store naval supplies. They are used to deliver supplies such as provisions and fuel to combat ships on extended deployments. The {{wipe|United States}} Navy operated the {{sclass|Sirius|combat stores ship|5}} and {{sclass|Mars|combat stores ship|4}}es and the Royal Navy operated the {{sclass|Fort Rosalie|replenishment ship|5}} class and continues to operate one {{sclass|Fort Victoria|replenishment oiler|4}} ship, having scrapped the other. They carried or carry the fleets's refrigerated stores, dry provisions, technical spares, general stores, fleet freight, mail and replacement personnel or specialists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/afs.htm|title=AFS - Combat Stores Ship|website=www.globalsecurity.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navsource.org/archives/09/52/5201.htm|title=Combat Stores Ship Photo Index|website=www.navsource.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navsource.org/archives/09/52/5202.htm|title=Combat Stores Ship Photo Index|website=www.navsource.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.navysite.de/afs/index.html|title=Combat Stores Ships - AFS|website=www.navysite.de}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.defenceiq.com/events-supportships|title=Support Ships|website=Support Ships}}</ref> Storeships should not be confused with [[Engineering:Fast combat support ship|fast combat support ship]]s which are high speed auxiliary ships or [[Engineering:Destroyer tender|tenders]] which provide maintenance support to flotillas.

==Storeship==
[[File:USS Celtic (1898-1923, later AF-2), circa in May 1898 (NH 912).jpg|thumb|{{USS|Celtic|AF-2|6}} in the Spanish–American War in 1898.]]
Both the United States and the {{wipe|United Kingdom}} used stores ships in the War of 1812. In both the Mexican–American War and in the American Civil War, captured enemy prizes that were not considered "warlike" enough to be sold for prize money often became stores ships for a naval force operating where no friendly ports are nearby. {{USS|Fredonia|1845|6}} took part in the Baja California Campaign in the Mexican–American War. In both the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War the US Navy acquired the stores ship {{USS|Celtic|AF-2|6}} and other similar vessels to serve in its Asiatic Squadron.

==Combat stores ship==
===US Navy===
Six combat stores ships operated by Military Sealift Command provided supplies, including frozen, chilled and dry provisions, and propulsion and aviation fuel to United States Navy combatant ships at sea for extended periods of time. Combat stores ships did not carry ammunition for resupply.

Combat stores ships provided underway replenishment of all types of supplies, ranging from repair parts to fresh food, clothing and mail via tensioned cargo rigs and CH-46 Sea Knight [[Engineering:Helicopter|helicopter]]s or their commercial equivalents. Combat stores ships have been replaced by the more capable {{sclass|Lewis and Clark|dry cargo ship|1}}s in the US Navy.

==Former combat stores ships==
[[File:US Navy 040826-N-1205W-002 Military Sealift Command (MSC) combat stores ship USNS Spica (T-AFS 9) conducts a vertical replenishment at sea with the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67).jpg|thumb|''Sirius''-class stores ship {{USNS|Spica|T-AFS-9|6}}]]
Three ships were transferred from the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary to MSC in 1981–83: {{USNS|Sirius|T-AFS-8|6}} on January 18, 1981; {{USNS|Spica|T-AFS-9|6}} on November 5, 1981 and {{USNS|Saturn|T-AFS-10|6}} on December 13, 1983. Five Navy {{sclass|Mars|combat stores ship|1}}s were transferred to Military Sealift Command in 1992–94: {{USNS|Concord|T-AFS-5|6}} on October 15, 1992; {{USS|Mars|AFS-1|2}} on February 1, 1993; {{USS|San Diego|AFS-6|2}} on August 11, 1993; {{USS|San Jose|AFS-7|2}} on November 2, 1993 and {{USS|Niagara Falls|AFS-3|2}} on September 23, 1994. ''San Diego'' was deactivated on December 10, 1997 and ''Mars'' was deactivated on February 12, 1998. ''Sirius'' was sold in 2005, ''Spica'' was used as a target ship and sunk in 2009 and ''Saturn'' was used as a target ship and sunk in 2010.

==See also==
*{{slink|List of auxiliaries of the United States Navy#Combat Stores Ships (AFS, T-AFS)}}
*[[Engineering:Replenishment oiler|Replenishment oiler]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Ship types]]

{{Sourceattribution|Combat stores ship}}