RFA Wave Ruler (A390)

September 2004 saw Wave Ruler deployed to the Caribbean to provide hurricane relief operations.[3]

In 2006 the ship carried out three major cocaine seizures at sea. In September it recovered £64m of cocaine from an estimated cargo of £500m, after the crew of the fishing boat carrying the drugs set it on fire. On 2 November the ship and its accompanying Royal Marines captured 3 tonnes (3.0 long tons; 3.3 short tons) of cocaine worth £300m. On 29 November it seized a further 2.9 tonnes (2.9 long tons; 3.2 short tons), again from a fishing boat. All the raids took place in the Caribbean.[6][7]

Wave Ruler (foreground), USS Mahan, Almirante Latorre, Sachsen, and USS Samuel B. Roberts navigate together in formation during an exercise.

Wave Ruler (background) refuels USS Robert G. Bradley in the Pacific Ocean

On 31 August 2008 Wave Ruler was dispatched with HMS Iron Duke to assist relief efforts in the Caribbean for the Atlantic Hurricane Gustav. The vessels distributed food, water and first aid supplies to victims of the disaster as well as providing support restoring local infrastructure.[8] On 3 October 2008 the ship docked in Havana, Cuba. This was only the second time since the country's revolution 50 years earlier that a Royal Navy ship had visited the country. The five-day stay was part of an ongoing anti-drugs operation in the Caribbean, which saw the ship spend much of 2005–2008 in the region, confiscating over 13 tonnes (13 long tons; 14 short tons) of cocaine in total.[9] On 8 November 2008 the ship was sent to the Cayman Islands to provide humanitarian relief assistance in the wake of Hurricane Paloma.[10]

In June 2009, she took part in exercise Bersama Shield with HMS Ocean and HMS Somerset off the Malay Peninsula.[11]

During February 2010, Wave Ruler and the destroyer HMS York were deployed to the Falkland Islands during a period of increased tension between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the former's plans to begin drilling for oil in the seas surrounding the islands. While in the South Atlantic, Wave Ruler took part in the rescue of an I-Kiribati sailor who was taken seriously ill, refuelling an RAF 1564 Search and Rescue Flight Sea King helicopter while in flight.[12] The deployment also saw the ships visit Southern Thule in the Southern Sandwich Islands, the first British warships to visit the islands for nearly 10 years.[13][14] November 2010 saw the vessel back in the Caribbean, where she distributed 160 t (160 long tons; 180 short tons) of fresh water and 32,000 water purification tablets in St Lucia after the effects of Hurricane Tomas. The deployment also saw the vessel visit Antigua and the British Overseas Territory of Grand Cayman.[15]

Wave Ruler spent the summer and autumn of 2011 again in the Caribbean deployed as the United Kingdom's Atlantic Patrol Ship (North). She embarked a Mk 8 Lynx helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron for the duration.[5]

In October 2012, Wave Ruler transited the Suez Canal and took over from RFA Fort Victoria as Gulf Readiness Tanker in the Persian Gulf. The Gulf Readiness Tanker operates in support of UKMCC Bahrain.[16] In January 2013, Wave Ruler was relieved by RFA Fort Victoria.[17]

In late 2014, Wave Ruler deployed as part of the Cougar 14 Task Group, along with HM Ships Bulwark and HMS Northumberland, RFA Lyme Bay and the French frigate Courbet for naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea and Persian Gulf.[18] Wave Ruler remained east of Suez, operating with RFA Fort Austin until both ships were relieved by Fort Victoria in June 2015.[19]

Wave Ruler spent the latter part of 2016 and early 2017 operating in Scottish waters and the English Channel in support of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST).[20] As of June 2020, Wave Ruler was reported to be in reduced readiness (reserve)[21] but maintained in good condition and available for reactivation.[22]