The RMAS had a lot of specialist vessels, mostly designed around the armed forces requirements. Fleet and experimental trials vessels, Admiralty mooring vessels, sonar propagation vessels, de-gaussing vessels, armament vessels, research vessels, torpedo recovery vessels, etc. These vessel types were true seagoing vessels and much different from the naval base harbour/smooth water vessels like tugs, fleet tenders and small tankers of one kind or another. That's not to say they didn't go to sea as many of them did if the tasking required it. All run by private contractor now - Serco Defence. Many of the seagoing tasks have ended as the RN has shrunk in size. Much of the mooring work was done on behalf of the RAF - bombing targets of one type or another around the UK coast; many of these now removed.
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