Нефтезаправщики и корабли снабжения ВМФ

Naval auxiliary ship

A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The United States Navy's hull classification symbol for this type of ship was 'AOR' (Auxiliary Oil Replenishment). Replenishment oilers are slower and carry fewer dry stores than the US Navy's modern fast combat support ships, which carry the classification 'AOE'. In 2020 the US Navy began to develop a new type of ship, the 'AOL' or light replenishment oiler; construction of the first is planned for 2026.

The development of the "oiler" paralleled the change from coal to oil fired boilers in warships. Prior to the adoption of oil fired machinery, navies could extend the range of their ships either by maintaining coaling stations or for warships to raft together with colliers and for coal to be manhandled aboard. Though arguments related to fuel security were made against such a change, the ease with which liquid fuel could be transferred led in part to its adoption by navies worldwide. One of the first generation of "blue water" navy oiler support vessels was the British RFA Kharki, active 1911 in the run up to the First World War. Such vessels heralded the transition from coal to oil as the fuel of warships and removed the need to rely on, and operate within range of coaling stations. During the Second World War, the United States Navy's dramatically enlarged fleets, especially those in the Pacific Theater, required massive quantities of black oil, diesel oil, avgas, and other fuels and lubricants to support American land, sea, and air operations against remote, widely dispersed Japanese forces. Those supply demands resulted in U. S. Navy personnel refining many established practices for oilers and creating new procedures for replenishing warships while underway and for transporting highly combustible materials with increased effectiveness through hostile waters and over vast ocean distances. Modern examples of the fast combat support ship include the large British Fort class, displacing and measuring 669 feet (204 m) in length and the United States' , which displaces and has an overall length of 754 feet (230 m).

For all but the largest navies, replenishment oilers are typically one of the largest ships in the fleet. Such ships are designed to carry large amounts of fuel and dry stores for the support of naval operations far away from port. Replenishment oilers are also equipped with more extensive medical and dental facilities than smaller ships can provide. Such ships are equipped with multiple refueling gantries to refuel and resupply multiple ships at a time. The process of refueling and supplying ships at sea is called underway replenishment. Furthermore, such ships often are designed with helicopter decks and hangars. This allows the operation of rotary wing aircraft, which allows the resupply of ships by helicopter. This process is called vertical replenishment. These ships, when operating in concert with surface groups, can act as an aviation maintenance platform where helicopters receive more extensive maintenance than can be provided by the smaller hangars of the escorting ships. Their size, additional facilities, and ability to support the operation of other vessels, means that replenishment oilers have been used as command ships, with some ships, such as the French , this capability being built into the vessels from the start.

Because the replenishment oiler is not a combat unit, but rather a support vessel, such ships are often lightly armed, usually with self defense systems (such as the Phalanx CIWS close in weapons systems), small arms, machine guns and/or light automatic cannons. They may also carry man portable air defense systems for additional air defense capability.

decommissioned BRP Lake Caliraya in 2020.
decommissioned NRP Bérrio in 2020. Two new Replenishment Oilers will be received until 2028.
decommissioned its only in 2001.