Originally Posted by Guernsey Girl II
Pompey Sailor shipmate,
I'm as 'joint' as the next man and to be honest more than most on this site.
However, my points re RFAs, fuel, ETA and host nation support were more aimed at the more rabid "Don’t Panic The Navy is Here!" comments from jimlad1 P.S. How will the CVS fuel hop on station? It's a long way to Souda Bay
Tankers, RAS (don't forget that the CVS has the ability to re-designate some of it's tanks in emergency to take on additional fuel as well). It's not really a problem and it's been done before, the SOA is modified so that the CVS RVs with tankers (US/UK/etc) and fuels on the move - and there are always plenty of multinational forces hanging around the Med! There is no need to go alongside to fuel. The tankers carry more than enough to support this kind of op.
The CVS' have the ability to set up for this on the move, the stores required for an evac are not massive - the evacuees will not expect, or get, hotel standard services. Failing that, the CVS has the ability to act as a mobile "hop-off" point for the RAF to land on, fuel, and keep taxiing these people to the nearest safe land (Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt) for onmove. The op won't be purely military, HMG will be co-opting civilian transport as well to get people back to the UK. Best will in the world, a CVS won't take 10,000 people!