Bay Class

Type Designation: Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) - LSD(A)

Specification

Displacement: 16,190 tonnes deep displacement.
Dimensions: 176.6m length overall; 26.4m beam; 5.1m design draft.
Speed: 18 knots
Range:  8000 nautical miles at 15 knots. 
Engines: Diesel-Electric propulsion systems with 2 azimuthing thrusters and bow thruster. 4 main diesel generating sets - 2 x Wärtsilä  8L26 engines (2,240kW each), 2 x Wärtsilä 12V26 engines (3,360kW each). 1 auxiliary Wärtsilä standby diesel generating set. Dynamic positioning system
Armament: None, but fitted to receive military weapons and self defence systems, including Phalanx CIWS.
Complement: 59 crew (accommodation for 75 augmentees)
Load: 356 troops; 1200 Linear metres of vehicles (e.g.  24 Challenger 2 MBT's or 150 light trucks); 12 x 40 TEU or 24 x 24 TEU containers, 2 Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP) Mk.5 and 1 Landing Craft Utility (LCU) Mk10; two Mexeflote powered rafts.
Aircraft: Twin spot flight deck with limited facilities to transport and operate Merlin, Chinook and V22 Osprey.

Notes:

Project designation:  URD 7078
Status: Currently in the Demonstration and Manufacture Phase.  No further decisions points.
In Service Date:  August 2006 (originally July 2004)

The Bay-class Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) are a new class of landing ship logistic.  Tasked by the UK Royal Navy but manned and operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary service (hence "Auxiliary"), a Landing Ship Logistic (LSL) provides tactical sealift as part of an amphibious group. They are also used for routine freighting duties and ad-hoc logistic support operations. 

The RN had determined an operational requirement for 6 LSL's, but budget constraints reduced the planned number to 5 in 2000 (four new Landing Ships, plus the existing RFA Sir Bedivere), and by late 2005 it had been cut again to 4 - i.e. the Bay-class.

Unfortunately the project has been bedevilled by severe cost increases and delays, the first ship finally entered service in mid-2006 - two years later than hoped and at double the anticipated cost.

Project Origins

The Alternative Landing Ship Logistic (ALSL) project was set up in 1997, to replace RFA Sir Geraint and RFA Sir Percivale.  These ships were initially planned to undergo a Ship Life Extension Programme, but this was abandoned in favour of new-build ships.  The LSD(A) requirement was endorsed in 1998 by the Strategic Defence Review which committed to providing specialist amphibious shipping for the Joint Rapid Reaction Force (JRRF).

In the autumn 2002 the ALSL Bay Class Vessels adopted the new nomenclature of Landing Ship Dock Auxiliary, LSD(A).  This change reflects the new number designation for the vessels "L3000" and meets NATO designation requirements for a vessel that has an integral dock.

The new LSD(A)'s are intended to provide the operational capability to underpin amphibious operations by carrying most of the amphibious force and its equipment into the operating area.  Although the Albion Class Landing Platform Dock (LPD) provides the command and control function, it is the LSD(A)s that will embark the largest balance of men, vehicles and stores that will sustain an amphibious assault.

The LSD(A)s are to transport troops, stores, equipment and vehicles world-wide and deploy them into battle.  The ships are to be capable of offloading at sea, ‘over the horizon’.  They will operate with other ships of the amphibious task group, but will be manned and operated by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.  The LSD(A)s may operate autonomously as supply ships. In addition to their war-fighting role, the LSD(A)s will be suited to disaster relief and other humanitarian missions.

The original solicitation issued in early 1998 by the UK Ministry of Defence Procurement Executive ­ now the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) required the new ALSL's to have to carry a minimum payload of 350 troops, 500 lane metres of vehicles and 70 tonnes war maintenance reserves (stores, fuel, ammunition etc). Facilities are required to embark and operate helicopters and mexeflotes, with provision for vehicle offload in conditions up to Sea State 3.  The DPA's ALSL Integrated Project Team received in mid-March 1999 non-committal proposals, intended to inform requirements scoping and affordability analyses in advance of a formal invitation to tender (ITT), from Swan Hunter (Tyneside) Ltd., Marconi Marine (VSEL) Ltd (now part of BAE Systems), Appledore Shipbuilders, Cammell Laird (now part of BAE Systems), DML, Harland & Wolff, Kvaerner Govan (also now part of BAE Systems), Brown & Root, British Aerospace (now BAE Systems) and BMT Defence Services.

The Alternative Landing Ship Logistic (ALSL) requirement was originally only for replacements for Sir Geraint and RFA Sir Percivale and budgeted at about £87 million ($140 million), but had to be increased to £138 million ($200 million) for two ships based upon these initial supplier responses. 

A formal Invitation to Tender (ITT) was issued on 13 April 2000 for the design and build of two ALSL vessels, with options for up to a further three ships of the class later, to five UK shipbuilders:  Swan Hunter (Tyneside) Ltd; BAE SYSTEMS Marine Ltd at Govan, Scotland; Harland and Wolff, Belfast; Cammell Laird, Birkenhead; and Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd, North Devon.

One notable change in the ITT requirements was an increase in the minimum required load of war maintenance reserves to 106 tonnes.  Three tenders were received back from industry on 13 June 2000 from Appledore, BAE Systems Marine and Swan Hunter.  Revised and confirmed bids were received on 18 October.

During the assessment of the tenders MOD looked carefully at the strong operational reasons for replacing more of the ageing LSL's, and identified cost-benefit justifications and sufficient funding for immediately order two additional ALSL's (i.e. a total of 4) because each new ship is only expected to cost as much as a major reconstruction of one of the existing 30-year-old RFA vessels.  The existing and already modernised RFA Sir Bedivere would probably be retained to at least 2012 in order to achieve the required 5 ship force level.  [In late 2005 it was revealed that only 4 LSD(A)'s are required, and all the LSL's are likely to be out of service by 2007.]

Main Gate approval was given in October 2000 and it was announced on 26 October 2000 that four ALSL's were to be ordered at an expected total cost of around £300 million.  The MOD had selected Swan Hunter (Tyneside) Ltd as the preferred bidder for the design, and to build of two ALSL's.  In order to get the new ships introduced into service more quickly than serial construction at one shipyard would allow, the MOD decided that BAE Systems Marine should construct the other 2 ALSL's at its Govan yard to the same Swans’ design, and at a similar price.

The winning Swan Hunter LSD(A) design was based on Royal Schelde's Enforcer family, a tailored variant of the Royal Netherlands Navy landing platform dock HrMs Rotterdam.  The design was later described by the MOD as "a commercial exploitation of the Royal Schelde’s Enforcer concept that has been re-engineered to meet the UK specific requirements".  Swan Hunter was to be the lead yard and construction and final assembly would be undertaken at Wallsend (Govan for the BAE Marine ships), but Royal Schelde would provide design and naval architecture services.

An order for the design and construction of two ALSL ships (to directly replace RFA Sir Geraint and Sir Percivale) publicly valued at the time as £140 million  was placed on 18 December 2000 with Swan Hunter (Tyneside), creating 1,000 new jobs at their Tyneside shipyard, and sustaining 200 jobs off-site. Swan Hunter (Tyneside) Ltd was also to provide lead yard services and common equipment for the whole class.  It later emerged that the £140 million (actually £148 million) contract was just for the ships, and that Swan Hunter would be paid an extra £62 million for "lead yard equipment and services" and providing the design to BAE Systems.

On 19 November 2001 the Ministry of Defence placed another contract worth about £120 million for the construction of the third and fourth ALSL's with BAE Systems Marine at its Govan yard on the Clyde, this contract was expected to sustain about 600 jobs at the shipyard, plus 200 more among outside contractors in the region when construction is at its peak. These two ships were expected to enter service in 2005 and would replace the landing ships RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Sir Tristram.

In October 2000 it was expected that all four ships would be in service by Autumn 2006 (apparently based on an ITT requirement that assumed the winning yard would build all four), but with two yards now building ships the dates were advanced, and all four ships were now due to enter service between Autumn 2004 and the end of 2005.

Problems

It was hoped at the time of the December 2000 announcement that steelwork in both yards would begin around the middle of 2001.  However by early 2001 it was apparent that due to delays in receiving technical information from Royal Schelde, Swan Hunter would be unable to produce on time the necessary technical information and plans needed to start  fabrication work and there was thus considerable delay.  On 1 October the first sheets of steel for the first "Bay Class" LSL(A), Largs Bay, were finally cut and welded by Swan Hunter.  Unusually the ship was to be assembled on, and floated out from, a new floating dock facility at Swan Hunter that has replaced the traditional slips.  The first (of 32) complete blocks for RFA Largs Bay were placed on the berth in May 2002, with the intent that she would be launched in early 2003.  Acceptance was scheduled for early 2004, later changed to mid/late 2005. 

Due to capacity limitations, Swan Hunters subcontracted some steel fabrication work (the bow section) to the Dutch yard Schelde Shipbuilding, this was much to BAE's annoyance - they claimed that they could have done the work just as cheaply at their Govan yard and that this would have reduced recent redundancies.  

LSD(A) module numbers.  (Source: Swan Hunter)

After many delays, steel work finally started on the first BAE Marine Govan ship (RFA Mounts Bay) in September 2002, more than a year later than originally hoped.  In February 2003 BAE Systems announced that its Sea Systems team had "reshaped its production plan to align it with a revised schedule from the lead shipyard Swan Hunter."  The first Govan ship, RFA Mounts Bay, was finally launched in April 2004 instead of the originally planned October 2003.   BAE spokesman Charles Thompson said the launch was on schedule, but conceded "the schedule has been revised", separately the RFA has acknowledged that the expected delivery of Cardigan Bay has slipped in to 2006.

Ther was therefore some surprise when the National Audit Office stated in its the MOD Major Projects Report 2003, dated January 2004, that "the [LSD(A)] programme is progressing satisfactorily and is on target to meet RFA Largs Bay Programme Acceptance Date (PAD) of March 2004 and its approved In-Service Date (ISD) of October 2004."

However in December 2003 it was reported that Largs Bay and Lyme Bay - the two vessels being built on Tyneside - were up to a year behind schedule because of design problems and Swan Hunter has confirmed.  This was said to be because of delays in receiving plans from lead contractor Swans, which bought and adapted a Dutch naval design when bidding for the work in 1999.  The delays have also held up work on the Mount Bay and Cardigan Bay - sister ships being built by BAE Systems at its Govan yard, Glasgow.  

The next NAO report noted "The In Service Date has slipped from 2004 owing to underestimation of the work involved in producing the LSD(A) design. This has resulted in rework on LSD(A)01 and delays to outfitting of the vessel, which has impacted on the whole programme."

Portsmouth South MP Michael Hancock raised the problem in Parliament on December 18 2003. Minister for Armed Forces, Adam Ingram, told him: "Claims for compensation have been made by BAE Systems Marine as a consequence of delays to its build programme at Govan."   The Government was unlikely to pass the cost of the BAE claim [reportedly amounting to £20m] on to Swan Hunter, as the Tyneside yard is itself facing multi-million pounds losses from the £160m LSD(A) contract because its costs have exceeded expectations.  The Ministry of Defence was said to be unlikely to bail out the yard, having "a fixed price contract with Swan Hunter."  The MOD estimated the final project cost as likely to be £320 million, although in January 2004 the NAO report had stated a unit cost of £91.5 million.

It was reported by the Newcastle Journal on 10 December 2004 that  "More than 1,000 shipyard jobs were secured yesterday with an £84m lifeline thrown to Swan Hunter by the Ministry of Defence."  An MoD spokesman was quoted as saying: "We needed to renegotiate the contract with Swan Hunter and we've now agreed new terms... The original requirements proved unattainable at the price we had agreed, so reapproval was needed."

On 24 February 2005, Mr. Ingram tried to clarify the increasingly confused situation when he stated:

"The original contract price for the design and construction cost of the two Swan Hunter Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) ships, Largs Bay and Lyme Bay, was £148 million and the anticipated cost is now £235 million.  The Ministry of Defence has made a provision of £40 million in the 2003-04 Accounts for delay and dislocation costs in respect to the two LSD(A)s that BAE Systems are building and has already paid £16 million as an initial payment.  Negotiations continue on the final settlement figure with the company. As further disclosure could prejudice these negotiations I am withholding further information under the commercial interests exemption of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.   The MOD will not be pursuing a claim from Swan Hunter in respect of providing information to BAE Systems as this would seriously jeopardise company's ability to delivery the Landing Ship Dock Auxiliary capability. The Swan Hunter undertook the engineering risk in delivering against the original contract.  However, in September 2003, when the company announced that it could not absorb the risk and complete the contract at the agreed price and timescale, both financial and timescale risks were in effect transferred to the MOD.  This new Landing Ship Dock Auxiliary class will provide a significantly enhanced capability that will enable the faster deployment of troops, vehicles and stores into operational and front line areas, at a safer distance and in worse sea conditions than the Landing Ships they will replace.  The construction of Largs Bay and Lyme Bay is virtually complete and the retention of Swan Hunter as the lead yard offers MOD and the taxpayer the best value for money solution for delivering this new capability."

This statement effectively admitted that the MOD had taken over from Swan Hunter all liability in respect to costs and timescales as far back as September 2003!

And an article in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle dated 25 March 2005 stated:

An £84m lifeline to the Tyneside shipyard Swan Hunter was offered on condition it cut its management and took on staff from a rival.  The owner of the Wallsend yard, Jaap Kroese, revealed the Government deal after rumours that the shipyard was facing a takeover by British Aerospace.  ....  Mr Kroese said the changes were part of an agreement with the Government to secure the £84m renegotiation of a contract for the two Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels being built at the yard.   The Government agreed to pay the cash after the £160m project went over budget due to problems adapting an off-the-shelf design.   Mr Kroese said the yard had to meet a number of conditions in order to secure the cash and, he said, this included allowing BaE managers on site and the restructuring of management.  He said: "We have taken on a couple of BaE guys. That was part of the deal for the £84m and we also had to make some changes to our management structure.  We were in dire straits at the time and I did not object against it.  We have a good relationship with BaE and they will remain on site. We will work together with BaE because we simply do not have the design capability to do it ourselves. We need help from someone like BaE."  Mr Kroese added that BaE had not made an offer to buy the shipyard despite the persistent rumours circulating among the staff.

It seems that engineering tests during April 2005 revealed major problems in the two Swan Hunter ships that would cost a further £20 million to rectify, and by June Swan Hunter sources confirmed that they were asking for more money.  MOD officials emphasised that the construction of RFA Largs Bay and Lyme Bay was virtually complete and the retention of Swan Hunter as the lead yard offered MOD and the taxpayer the best value for money solution for delivering this new capability.  However in practice the  BAE Systems built RFA Mounts Bay would now perform many lead ship functions, such as speed trials.

The RFA Mounts Bay moved under own power in April 2005 and after a docking period and began sea trials in early September 2005.  She was delivered to the MOD accepted by the RFA on 10 December 2005 and was expected to enter operational service after about six months of first of class trails and training in Spring 2006 - although the actual date was apparently early August.

In Spring 2005, Swan Hunter tried to interest the MOD in a proposal to convert and complete RFA Lyme Bay as a Joint Casualty Treatment Ship, but with no success.  It was planned to float out RFA Lyme Bay on the evening of 26th August 2005 (a bank holiday weekend), with no ceremony. Then attempt was aborted because there was apparently not enough water, so the dry dock was pumped out again and the actual float out happened on 3 September 2005.

As late as September 2005, Swan Hunter ship officials were hoping that  RFA Lyme Bay would begin sea trials in November 2005, be delivered in December 2005 and enter service by summer 2006.  However new problems emerged (electrical systems this time) and the dates for the delivery of the Swan Hunters vessels remained very uncertain.  The MOD was now very dissatisfied with the ownership and management of Swan Hunter, and by mid-2005 completion of its two LSD(A) was being largely managed and supervised by 20 BAE Systems staff on-site in Newcastle.

On 2 November 2005 the MOD confirmed that the Team Leader of the LSD(A) Integrated Project Team (IPT), Mr Steve Rayner, had resigned the previous week and that Mr Tony Graham had been appointed as the new IPT Leader.  The MoD stressed that Mr Rayner had not been sacked: "A new leader has been appointed and will be leading the project through its next phase, which will cover delivery of the vessels to MoD. The former team leader is moving to another MoD appointment after more than 18 months in the post."  

The next day, the Minister of State for the Armed Forces, Adam Ingram, revealed to Parliament that the cost of two Swan Hunter built ships had effectively had risen by a further £73 million to £309 million when he stated “The current contract values for the costs associated with the build of the Swan Hunter vessels is £236 million and £176 million for the BAE Systems vessels. In addition the Swan Hunter contract includes £62 million for the provision of Lead Yard Equipment and Services in support of the construction of the two BAE Systems ships, and £11 million for initial spares provisioning for all four ships. Both companies have indicated likely cost increases to their programmes.”  The original value of the Swan Hunter build contract was £148 million.

It was confirmed in February 2006 that the MOD was seeking bids for a "get well programme" for the Swan Hunter vessels, with BAE Naval Ships the firm favourite.

The BAE built RFA Mounts Bay was accepted off-contract in December 2005 and began extensive trials, culminating in mid 2006 with Full Amphibious Capability Demonstration Trials which involved landing Challenger Tanks and Royal Marines and operating helicopters.  She achieved her In-Service Date on 13 July 2006 and Operational Command was formally transferred to Fleet after a service of dedication ceremony at Falmouth on 15 September 2006 before proceeding on her first operational tasking - the Vela Deployment.

The Swan Hunter built RFA Largs Bay finally began sea trials on 2 March 2006 and was accepted and delivered to the RFA on 25 April 2006 "in good condition" - although it was unclear whether her defect list had been fully resolved and that no additional "get well" expenditure would be incurred by the MOD.  Her sister ship Lyme Bay was due to be delivered some time in 2007.

The second BAE Systems ship, RFA built Cardigan Bay completed Contractor Sea Trials in June 2006, was formerly accepted on 3 August and in-service by January 2007.

On 13 July 2006 the MOD announced that it was terminating the LSD(A) contract with Swan Hunter.  Minister for Defence Procurement Lord Drayson said: "This has been a difficult decision for the MoD.  Our priority has always been effective delivery of the required military capability, which we have attempted to achieve through successful completion of the contract with Swan Hunter.  However the cost growth and delays on this project have been unacceptable. The MOD has reached the conclusion that the contract no longer represents value for money.  ... "The MoD will make payment to Swan Hunter in full and final settlement for work done up to the date of closure in accordance with the terms of the settlement."

The cost of the two Swan Hunter ships was believed to have risen from an original £210 million to £309 million incurred so far, and the cost of the BAE ships had risen from £122 million to £187 million - largely because of problems associated with Swan Hunter.  The MOD confirmed that both figures would "increase under the settlement".

The last uncompleted Swan ship, RFA Lyme Bay was towed to BAE Systems' Scotstoun shipyard just a week after the termination announcement.  Sources indicated that initial surveys suggested that 6-9 months of rectification and completion work would be required, mostly to be undertaken at the BAE Govan yard.  The ship now seems likely to undertake contractor sea trials in Spring 2007.  The Swan Hunter shipyard, still employing about 160 staff in July 2006, closed soon after her departure.

The project effectively reached a conclusion on 5 July 2007, when RFA Lyme Bay, was delivered to the Ministry of Defence - the last of Bay-class landing ship (LSD) to be completed.  RFA Lyme Bay commissioned on 2 August 2007.

Design
The new Landing Ship Dock Auxiliary class will provide a significantly enhanced capability that will enable the faster deployment of troops, vehicles and stores into operational and front line areas, at a safer distance and in worse sea conditions than the Landing Ships they will replace.

The new ships at over 16,000 tonnes full load will be much larger, more capable and flexible than existing RFA LSL's, and have more than twice their capacity.  They will provide a major increase in the capability of the RFA to support amphibious operations and other military tasks such as peacekeeping duties and disaster relief around the world. Military communications and command support systems are required, along with some specific survivability and self-defence features - they will be fitted to receive military weapons.   Otherwise, the ships will be built to Class 1 Passenger Ship Certification commercial standards and be classed by Lloyd's Register.

Compared with the initial ITT requirements the military load has greatly increased thanks to increased size of ship.  The ships are designed to carry an Embarked Military Force of 356 fully equipped troops, although this can be increased to 500 using undesignated space, or to 700 in war "overload" conditions.  As well as transporting troops, the ships will be able to carry about 1200 Linear metres of vehicles and carry 12 x 40 TEU or 24 x 24 TEU containers.

The flight deck is large enough to enable operations by the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, Chinook helicopter and the planned FRC.  The ships have an aviation capability of transporting and operating two medium (EH101 Merlin size) and Chinook helicopters, having power for starting and servicing the aircraft, and the ability to re-fuel the aircraft on deck and in-flight, although the ships will initially have only one fully serviced spot.  Sufficient flight deck space exists to simultaneously operate two Merlin's     The ships can carry two of the afore mentioned helicopters as deck cargo, however there are no permanent hangar facilities on board but a helicopter shelter could be fitted in future if required.

No floodable dock was specified in the ITT requirements, but the final Swan Hunter design included a small dock able to accommodate a single LCU Mk10.  Two LCVP Mk5 and 2 Mexeflote powered rafts will also be carried, and two upper-deck cranes and strong ramps will help load and unload these.  The existing LSLs were designed to be capable of beaching and landing tanks and vehicles through bow doors directly on to the shore. This capability to beach and off-load direct to land is now rarely employed and so was excluded from the ALSL specification. The new ships will operate over-the-horizon in the initial stages of an operation and land troops and equipment using helicopters and their landing craft and Mexeflote powered rafts, they will not have any beaching capability. 

Major LSD(A) improvements over the existing RFA force of LSL's include:

• More helicopter space and a flight deck big and strong enough to handle Chinook and Merlin helicopters and the US Marine Corps V-22 Osprey;
• The ability to carry more troops, equipment and stores than the existing ships;
• Wider passage ways to let fully equipped troops to reach embarkation areas quickly;
• Twice the number of vehicles, and able to offload them at sea much more quickly using a stern dock for landing craft than with only Mexeflote rafts;
• Improved cargo-handling facilities;
• Improved seaworthiness for offloading vehicles in rough seas and stronger ramps;
• Diesel electric propulsion with bow thruster and azimuthing thrusters;
• Dynamic positioning system to be fitted;
• Twin spot flight deck with limited facilities to transport and operate Merlin, Chinook and V22 Osprey;
• Fitted with a floodable dock sized to operate on LCU Mk 10;
• Carry and operate two LCVP Mk 5;
• Wide, uncluttered assault routes to allow fully-kitted troops unhindered passage to points of offload;
• NBCD citadel;
• Two 30 tonne capacity upper-deck cranes for cargo handling and transfer of equipment to alongside landing craft or mexeflotes.

Other sources mentioned an ability to carry up 24 Challenger tanks and 150 trucks.

Interestingly the new ships will be equipped with steerable electric-powered propulsors and, as a result, will not have traditional rudders.  Both these changes are firsts for major MOD vessels.

Mission

From 2005, a Royal Navy Amphibious Task Group (ATG) - sometimes referred to by its American designation of Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) - will include at least one Albion Class Landing Platform Dock (LPD) as the command ship, one Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH - either HMS Ocean or if unavailable an Invincible Class in its secondary LPH role), and normally two Bay Class Auxiliary Landing Ship Dock (LSD(A)).  The Embarked Military Force (EMF) will usually be major elements of 3 Commando Brigade, Royal Marines, although British Army units may also be embarked to a greater or lesser degree.

In an assault landing operation, the first wave of troops are landed on the beach by landing craft from the LPDs - HMS Albion and/or Bulwark - and by a "vertical assault" on vital points somewhat inland by helicopters from the LPH (e.g. HMS Ocean), to establish a beachhead and landing zone. The LSD(A)'s are initially positioned about 20nm offshore and remain over-the-horizon during the first wave assault, they may use landing craft and helicopters to help offload the second wave and subsequent waves of troops and equipment from themselves.  When the beach area and landing zone have been finally confirmed as secure, the LSD(A)'s will approach the landing zone and from just one or two thousand yards off-shore will deploy Mexeflotes (motorised pontoons) to assist in the quick and efficient offloading of the heavy vehicles and equipment that they carry.  Once a harbour has been secured, Point Class "Ro-Ro" Strategic Transport's and ships taken up from trade (STUFT) will bring in further reinforcements and re-supply the force.

Names

It's been officially stated that the first two ships will be named Largs Bay and Lyme Bay.  Apparently the original names proposed — Quiberon Bay and Aboukir Bay, commemorating British victories over the French Navy—were rejected, because they were not "politically correct"! 

The two BAE Systems ships will  be named RFA Mounts Bay and RFA Cardigan Bay.

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