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Item Details
Fourth Force: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary Since the War

ISBN: 9781848320468
Image copyright Seaforth Publishing  (2009)
Author Puddefoot, Geoff
Format HB
Publisher Seaforth Publishing  (2009)
Price £25.00
Availability In stock
Please note that while information as to availability is as up to date as we can manage, we do not guarantee it. Please contact us to confirm delivery if your requirement is urgent.






Set up in August 1905, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary was originally a logistic support organization, part of the Navy proper but run on civilian lines, comprising a miscellaneous and very unglamorous collection of colliers, store ships and harbour craft. Just over a century later it has evolved beyond recognition: its ships compare in size, cost and sophistication with all but the largest warships, and the RFA itself has developed into an essential arm of all three Services. It is truly the Fourth Force as it is known to its own personnel and without it, the current worldwide deployment of British service men and women would be simply impossible. This book charts the veritable revolution that has overtaken the RFA since the end of the Second World War. New technology and techniques reflect the rapid growth in the importance of logistics in modern warfare, while the broadening role of the RFA is to be seen in the history of its operations, many of them little known to the public. Woven together from a combination of technical ship data, official correspondence and personal recollections, it is predominantly about the men and women of the RFA and their stories giving an insight into the underreported history of a service whose initials unofficially translate as Ready For Anything.