In 2004 during an exhibition in Sydney, Australia the famous British company Rolls Royce unveiled a series of four Naval ship concept designs based on a fast monohull that would, if one particular design had been adopted, given the RFA a unique vessel.

In 2004 during an exhibition in Sydney, Australia the famous British company Rolls Royce unveiled a series of four Naval ship concept designs based on a fast monohull that would, if one particular design had been adopted, given the RFA a unique vessel.

The design envisaged a steel hull to reduce costs and increase the list of shipyard’s capable of building the vessel.  The ship would have been 120 metres long with a combined diesel, gas turbine power plant capable of powering the vessel at 40 knots.  The main machinery would have been a single Rolls Royce MT30 Gas Turbine and twin Rolls Royce Crossley-Pielstick Diesel engines.

The ship was designed to transport up to 2,500 tons of cargo, as well as 350 troops.  The ship had a range of up to 4,000 miles, whilst giving the soldiers a far smoother ride than existing ships, thereby cutting down on the effects of sea sickness.  It would also have an excellent loiter capability and the hull design would give a high degree of damage tolerance to fire and hull damage.  There was also provision for a flight deck capable of operating most helicopters up to a Chinook.