The Royal Naval Supply and Transport Service, or RNSTS, was the civilian-manned logistic

Logistic

Logistic may refer to:* Logistics, the management of resources and their distributions** Logistic engineering, the scientific study of logistics** Military logistics, the study of logistics at the service of military units and operations...

s service that supported the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 and Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...

 (RFA); being part of the MOD (Navy)

Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)

The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....

. It was formed in 1965 and was abolished in 1994, its role (excluding the Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary is a civilian-manned fleet owned by the British Ministry of Defence. The RFA enables ships of the United Kingdom Royal Navy to maintain operations around the world. Its primary role is to supply the Royal Navy with fuel, ammunition and supplies, normally by replenishment...

) being taken over by the Naval Bases and Supply Agency.

Responsibilities

The RNSTS was responsible for the maintenance, distribution and clerical oversight of all forms of stores between depot and ship. This included:

• General Naval Stores
• Electronic Stores (including radar
  Radar
  Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
  
  , sonar
  Sonar
  Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
  
  , electronic warfare
  Electronic warfare
  Electronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
  
   and communications equipment)
• Armaments
• Victuals
• Fuel
  Fuel
  Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
  
  
• Motor Transport

Some RNSTS personnel served at sea on RFA replenishment ships. During the Falklands War

Falklands War

The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...

 the RNSTS was responsible for supplying the task force

Task force

A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...

, as well as pressing over 50 commercial ships such as the Queen Elizabeth 2 into military service (known as STUFT

STUFT

STUFT is a nautical acronym for Ship Taken Up From Trade, and applies to civilian ships requisitioned for government use.The Falklands conflict of 1982 saw a diversity of Ships Taken Up From Trade...

, or Ships Taken Up From Trade).

The head of the RNSTS was the Director General Supply and Transport (Navy), or DGST(N). On 21 October 1982, following the conclusion of the Falklands operation, Sir Frank Cooper, PUS, sent a message to DGST(N) including

"...I would like you to convey to all members of the RNSTS, including the RFA,...my sincere appreciation of their considerable efforts. I know my appreciation is shared wholeheartedly by other members of the Defence Council. Without the sterling work of the RNSTS,the successful outcome of the Falklands campaign might well have been jeopardised. The tasks that fell to them were undertaken with a vigour, dedication and willingness which deserves the highest praise. I should like formally to commend the whole of the RNSTS, including the RFA, and to send congratulations and thanks to everyone involved."

After some 30 years in being (it was formed from the separate Directorates of Stores, Victualling, Armament Supply and Movements in 1965) the RNSTS ceased to be on absorption into the Naval Bases and Supply Agency (part of the Naval Support Command) on 1 April 1994.