Australian Warship 93 PDF

ISSUE No.
93
9.95
A CENTURY OF CHANGES
PAGE 13
HMAS Moreton recommissioned

Naval news and history
from Australia, NZ and
around the world
Australias Naval Shipbuilding Policy

Selecting new submarines
RIMPAC 2016 in Hawaii
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ON THE COVER:
725 Squadron MH-60R Romeo helicopter conducts an anti-submarine exercise with HMAS
Rankin in the Jervis Bay area. LSIS Sarah Williams.
08
Century of changes
The RAN across 100 years
FE ATURES
20 HMAS Moreton recommissioned

Shore establishment with a proud history
23 Australias Naval Shipbuilding

Policy
43
Sam Goldsmith discusses the nations underlying

insurance policy
26 RIM OF THE PACIFIC EXERCISE 2016

largest international maritime exercise
34 Royal Navy visits Australia 1966

How much has changed in 50 years!
40 Selecting new submarines

The Government announces the winning design
43 New Hobart class destroyers
47
Photo album update
45 French Battleship Richelieu

British naval historian Trevor Piper outlines the
history of the famous French battlewagon
49 Book Reviews
Two new naval books are highlighted
50 What aircraft carrier is that?

Tom Lewis visits the new HMAS Adelaide
55 Same names
Chris Gee reports from Fremantle
56 56 Special UK carrier report

A 65,000 tonne giant warship
Australian Warship
Issue 93
DE PAR TME NTS
4 Editorial
4 Your Views
5 RAN News
11 Reunion Board
54 European Pics
58 Aussie Waters
60 RN Report
61 USN News
62 Late Signals
3
EDITORIAL
YOUR VIEWS
Slowly, but surely
Keeping current
The election is well and truly past all of us now, so where to next for the RAN
and the current Governments plans for the senior service?
At the end of this year we will have a much better idea of the designs to be
selected and what they will offer for the next generation Future Frigates
(or FFX in American terms), as well as the offshore protection vessel (OPV)
replacements for the existing Armidale class patrol boats (ACPBs).
With 2018 announced as the building start date for the new OPVs, time will
pass quickly as both Navy and the nation head towards the keel laying of
the lead (and name ship) craft. From what I can see, the three designs to be
considered as Armidale replacements are all large enough to be classified as
corvettes, and accordingly, be able to perform many more missions and at
greater distances from their Australian homeports than the current units.
The naming policy for the twelve new vessels, will it is hoped, follow the
tradition of the earlier Fremantle and Armidale classes, with the major local
towns, ports and cities, to again carry these important names around the
nation and into south-east Asian waters.
Fitting out
Good to see that AW is keeping its readers up to date, and in some

instances, looking far ahead into what will be the RAN of the
Future. Now with the election finally over, it will be interesting to
see just how the returned Government will keep to its timetable
for the four new major classes of ships to be procured for the RAN;
the frigates, submarines, offshore patrol vessels and oilers. And
then of course, the Hobart class will be coming on line, all about
the same time.
Paul Blackett via email
Numbers game
We now have five or six big ships all of which have minimal or
no self defence. We talk about how we can escort these ships
with the eleven frigates now in service, three of which are elderly
guided missile frigates (FFGs). Of the other eight, Anzac is now 20
years old.
With the new and larger OPVs to be ordered in 2018, lets hope that an improved
policy is implemented that will see the class fitted with the proper variety of weapons
systems including a medium calibre gun, some smaller weapons, a pair of RHIBs, and
of course, a helicopter and/or drone for extended air operations. Whether or not,
this will entail additional orders for more Seahawk Romeos, or a small number of less
sophisticated helicopters is a question yet to be answered. The new class will also
assume some of the roles of the frigate force, and therefore extend the usefulness
and careers of these larger fleet units.
Assuming four of the eleven escorts are in refit at any time that
leaves the nation with two LHDs, Choules, and the pair of tankers
to be escorted by a maximum of eight ships. In any normal hot
spot like the Persian Gulf you will find at least one ship heading
home to re-arm and refit and another sailing back to the region,
which leaves six in the theatre. If this is an issue, some of them will
be lost or damaged and there we reach the big trouble.
Many activities
The Anzacs have very little in the way of missile loads. We do not,
as far as I know, have a missile re-load capability from either of the
tankers. Incidentally, as far as I can find out, we dont make any
guided weapons in Australia - not even torpedoes now. We do
make projectiles of some sorts. So we fire a salvo of missiles, then
we sail all the way home to get some more. Thats if weve already
received a new order from the USA. In the Iraqi War the USA ran
out of some missiles and used their reserves. Tough luck if wed
wanted a refill at the same time.
As this editorial is written the first of the LHDs, HMAS Canberra, is exercising
in Hawaii as part of RIMPAC 2016, with an accompanying task force of one
RNZN and two Australian ships. The newer HMAS Adelaide has been busy
shifting Army vehicles from Queensland to South Australia for Exercise
HAMEL 2016 . While alongside Port Adelaide, the crew conducted a Freedom
of Entry on 24 June, followed by open ship to 5,000 visitors on the 26th.
HMA Ships Canberra, Ballarat and Success deployed with HMNZS Te Kaha
to participate in Navys first task group certification, with the group tested
across the five warfare domains: land, air, maritime, space and cyber. The
work allowed the ships personnel to bring the task group together much
more effectively. That model will be put to the full test during Exercise
TALISMAN SABRE 2017, a biennial joint military exercise between Australia
and the USA. By 2018 Navy is aiming to generate and deploy self-supported
and sustainable maritime task groups capable of accomplishing the full
spectrum of maritime security operations.
Ross Gillett
Editor
Publisher
Maurice Kelly
Where is this all leading?

Today we have a one shot navy (and RAAF) which is much more
dangerous looking than it actually is.
Editor
Ross Gillett
Production & Design

Dylan J. Simpson
Regular contributors
Graeme Andrews OAM (NSW), Paul Charlton (SA), Dale E. Crisp (VIC), Kevin Dunn/
Fleetline (VIC), Vic Jeffery (WA), Brian Morrison (TAS), John Mortimer (ACT), Michael
Nitz (Naval Press Service, Germany), Trevor Piper (UK), RAN Imagery Units, Lindsay
Rex (TAS/VIC), John Rogers (Save the Cerberus), Chris Sattler (Pacific) and Dr. Joe
Straczek (ACT).
Phone (02) 9683 1200 Email customerservice@topmill.com.au
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You may have noted of late that the NRMA pointed out that
Australia holds only about three weeks liquid fuel in reserve. I
believe the USA holds more than 50%! Bass Strait oil is down to
about 5% of our use and needs, so all oil is imported - in other
peoples ships. While oil is still relatively cheap wed be wise to
enlarge our supplies, but has there been any mention of such a
plan?
G. K. Andrews
2016 Topmill Pty Ltd. All rights reserved. Published in Australia

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and advertisements in Australian Warship.
Issue 93
Australian Warship
NAVAL NEWS
RIMPAC 2016
The RAN has deployed the
LHD HMAS Canberra on her
first international exercise,
Exercise RIMPAC 2016. The
multi-nation exercise will
seek to improve the ships
interoperability with other
navies in the Pacific region.
RIMPAC is a biennial series
of naval drills hosted by the
USNs Pacific Fleet around
the Hawaiian Islands and is
held in the period from late
June to early August. This
years RIMPAC will be the
25th in the series.
For Canberra, RIMPAC 2016
will demonstrate the LHDs
ability to interoperate
with other armed forces,
including aircraft operated
by the USN, including the
USMCs MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft and CH-53 Sea
Stallion helicopters.
The ship will also embark
a range of nations on
board from a land force
perspective for the actual
exercise. Canberra was
joined by the Anzac class
helicopter frigate HMAS
Ballarat and fleet oiler
HMAS Success. Later
Success proceeded to
Darwin prior to her southeast Asian deployment.
In early June HMNZS Te
Kaha worked with the
Australian Naval task group
off the coast of Australia
in preparation for RIMPAC.
The Anzac force, consisting
of HMNZS Te Kaha and
HMA Ships Canberra,
Warramunga and Ballarat,
conducted advanced officer
of the watch manoeuvres
with all of the ships
manoeuvring in close
proximity to one another. Te
Kahas new SH-2G(I) model
Kaman Seasprite helicopter
cross decked with Canberra
during the week.
The ships departed Sydney
on 8 June and arrived in
Cairns on the 12th for a well
deserved break, before
sailing to Hawaii on the 15th
and arriving in Pearl Harbor
on 28 June.
Australian Warship
More from Spain

One more positive outcome
from Australias recent
acquisition of two Canberra
class amphibious ships,
three Hobart class guided
missile destroyers (DDGs),
and the two recently
ordered (May 2016)
support ships from Spanish
shipbuilder Navantia is the
close relationship being
forged between the RAN
and the Armada Espaola.
The Spanish Navy has also
announced it will deploy
its fifth F 100 lvaro de
Bazn class guided missile
frigate to Australia for four
months from early 2017.
The ship will support the
introduction into service of
the RANs first Hobart class
DDG.
SPS Cristbal Coln (F 105)
is planned to arrive at Fleet
Base East in late February
and operate with the new
Hobart for four months,
for what Captain Raymond
Leggatt, Australias Madridbased defence attach,
described as activities
intended to de-risk the
introduction of Hobart into
the Australian Fleet .
Missiles for RAN

The USA has approved the
sale of up to 80 Standard
Issue 93
SM-2 Block III anti-air

missiles. The contract,
valued at more than
$400 million, will deliver
SM-2s to be embarked in
the Hobart class guided
missile destroyers (DDGs).
According to a report from
the USA in early June,
the missiles will counter
incoming supersonic
missiles after the three
DDGs are commissioned in
the next few years.
SM-2s will allow the RAN to
protect the fleet or troops
ashore by destroying
attacking aircraft or
incoming missiles from up
to 90 nautical miles away.

The US State Department
approved the sale of the
missiles and the supporting
equipment.
The SM-2 Block IIIs will be
carried in vertical launch
systems (VLS) aboard
each DDG, which will also
fire Evolved Sea Sparrow
Missiles (ESSMs) for shorter
range defence out to 50 km.
Each of the Hobart class will
be fitted for 48 VLS, with
space for 32 SM-2s and 64
ESSMs, dependant on the
tactics and overall mission
to be achieved.
From top:
HMA Ships Ballarat, Success
and Canberra, during their
pre RIMPAC 2016 work-up
with HMNZS Te Kaha, on 6
June 2016. RNZN.
SPS Cristbal Coln, during
exercises with the US
Navy, will be deployed to
Australia in 2017. Cristbal
Coln entered service in
2012. USN.
NAVAL NEWS
The Australian Army

Eurocopter Tiger ARH will
begin sea trails in mid 2017.
RAN.
Tigers prepare for

sea duties
First of class flight trials
of the Armys Tiger
armed reconnaissance
helicopter are planned to
be conducted aboard the
RANs LHD amphibious
assault ships in the first
quarter of 2017.
Results from this activity
and the deck handling
trials will provide a basis
for establishing the
applicable ship-helicopter
operating limit for the
Tiger helicopter/LHD
combination, an ADF
spokesman said.
Handling trials will be
followed by flight trials
in June next year, the
spokesperson added, when
HMAS Adelaide is planned
to be alongside in Brisbane.
The trials will confirm if the
LHD flight deck markings
and aircraft securing
fittings are suitable for
Tiger operations. As well,

the LHDs two aircraft lifts,
mechanical handlers,
hangar arrangements
and procedures will all be
assessed for suitability in
moving, storing, securing
and controlling a small
force of Tigers, including
associated aerospace
ground equipment,
weapons, explosive
ordnance and role
equipment.
As part of the deck handling
phase, personnel will
assess the aircraft jacking
and engine/blade removal
procedures, similar to what
was recently conducted
with the much larger F
model Chinook helicopters.
The deck handling trial will
also provide an opportunity
for training and
familiarisation of LHD Air
Department personnel with
ARH explosive ordnance
and deck handling
procedures.
Scanning with eagle

eye
The RANs new unmanned
aircraft system unit has
completed the first of class
flight trial for the ScanEagle.
The Aviation Maintenance
and Flight Trails Unit
conducted the trial onboard
HMAS Choules, assessing all
facets of unmanned aircraft
systems operation in an
embarked setting.
The fixed-wing unmanned
aircraft system sends
video and telemetry to its
control station in near real
time to fulfil its primary
roles of surveillance and
reconnaissance. It can be
configured with various
sensors and propulsion
modules and has an
operating range of up to
200km and an endurance in
excess of 12 hours.
ScanEagle Detachment
Commander, Lieutenant
Commander Matt Hyam
said the trial validated the

systems operating limits
and allowed personnel
to gain their maritime
qualifications.
During the two weeks
on Choules, ScanEagle
conducted 26.1 hours of
embarked flight operations
during the trial, spread
across eight sorties.
The unmanned aircraft
system consists of a mission
control station, catapult
launcher, recovery system
and multiple unmanned
aircraft. The standard
Navy crew model is an air
vehicle operator, mission
commander and ground
crew. In what marks a
significant change in
the Fleet Air Arm, the
unmanned aircraft is flown
by non-commissioned crew,
with airspace and mission
control provided by aircrew
officers.
Navy Unmanned Aircraft

System Unit and Aviation
Maintenance and Flight
Trails Unit personnel with a
ScanEagle Air Vehicle. RAN.
Issue 93
Australian Warship
NAVAL NEWS
New Antarctic supply

research vessel
On 28 April the Australian
Government signed
a contract with DMS
Maritime, a wholly owned
subsidiary of Serco, for
the delivery, operation
and maintenance of a
new Antarctic supply
research vessel (ASRV) with
icebreaking capabilities.
The vessel will be built by
the Damen Shipyards Group
and will form an integral
part of the Australian
Antarctic Division (AAD)
programme in the coming
years.
The ASRV will facilitate
Australias wider
exploration of the Southern
Ocean and Antarctica. She
will measure 156 metres in
length, with a beam of 25.6
metres. The vessel will be
able to break ice up 1.65
metres at speeds of 3 knots
and will supply Australias
permanent research
stations in Antarctica and
Macquarie Island with
cargo, equipment and
personnel. Designed with
500 m2 on board laboratory
and office facilities, she
will also serve to conduct
research activities. After
completion at Damens
yard at Galati in eastern
Romania, the ASRV will sail
to DSNS in the Netherlands
for handover to the client,
scheduled for April 2020.
Navantia to build
replenishment ships
In May the contract was
signed with the Spanish
shipbuilding company
Navantia, to build
Australias two replacement
replenishment ships, with
the first to be delivered by
2020. The RANs current
auxiliaries, HMA Ships
Success and Sirius, will now
be replaced by a single
AOR class based upon SPS
Cantabria, which operated
on loan with the RAN a few
years ago.
The Government accepted
Defences recommendation
Australian Warship
to construct the two

replenishment ships in
Spain due to shipyard
capacities and the ability
to deliver the vessels in
the required time without
impacting other future local
shipbuilding projects like
the Future Frigate and new
OPVs.
The Minister for Defence
said the existing
replenishment ships
needed to be replaced as
a matter of priority. The
project with Navantia is for
A$640 million with more
than A$130 million to be
invested locally.
Meanwhile, on 23 April
Success celebrated her
pearl anniversary marking
30 years of service to the
RAN.
In the west
On 19 April 2016 the
Anzac class frigate HMAS
Parramatta ended her
long stay ashore at BAE
Henderson, being the sixth
of the eight Anzac class
to undergo the Anti-Ship
Missile Defence (ASMD)
upgrade. Parramatta was
returned to water via the
BAE shiplifter and moved
a short distance to berth
at the AMC2 berth for
completion of required
works. The following day,
the eighth and last Anzac to
be ASMD upgraded, HMAS
Stuart , was towed deadship from HMAS Stirling
base to Henderson and
berthed double-banked
alongside Parramatta. This
enabled the transfer of
materials and equipment
from Parramatta to Stuart
to prepare her for docking
ashore at BAE. The move to
the BAE shiplifter was made
on 3 May. Meanwhile the
seventh conversion, HMAS
Toowoomba, remained
on the BAE hard stand
undergoing major works.
Tug sold after 13

years
The former DMS Maritime
C-class harbour tug
Issue 93
From top:
Computer image of the
new ASRV on the ice shelf.
Damen.
HMAS Parramatta, taken

ashore on 19 April 2016.
LSIS Lee-Anne Mack.
HMAS Success inbound to

Melbourne on 6 May 2016.
Dale E. Crisp.
NAVAL NEWS
Seahorse Chuditch with her

new owners. TAMS.

successful Pacific Patrol
Boat design. Austal.
Chuditch, (ex Seahorse

Chuditch), was purchased
by the Fremantle based
TAMS Group in April 2014.
The January 2016 sale
included her sister-tug,
Seahorse Quenda, renamed
Quenda for local barge and
small ship handling.
As a result in the reduction
of available work at
Fremantle, TAMS sold the
2003 Singaporean built
Chuditch to Stradbroke
Ferries Ltd, of Brisbane,
Queensland. The tug is
now being used for the
Sibelco sand barge run from
Dunwich, Stradbroke Island,
to Brisbane and as yet has
not been renamed.
Chuditch departed
Fremantle in early February
for Brisbane via Albany and
arrived at her new home
port on the 13th. Quenda
remains in occasional work
with TAMS based in Rous
Head Harbour.
Both tugs were originally
built for service with
Defence Maritime Services
(DMS) with Seahorse
Chuditch based at HMAS
Stirling. Apart from the
removal of the DMS funnel
logos they have retained
the blue hull, buff upper
works colour scheme of
DMS since purchased by
TAMS. Report from Chris
Gee.
Austal wins with

new design
On 18 April Austal Limited
announced it had been
awarded preferred tenderer
status for the new Pacific
Patrol Boats Replacement
(PPBR) Project. PPBR will
deliver up to 21 steel-hulled
patrol vessels and through
life sustainment over 30
years in a total Government
expenditure of up to $900
million. Austals share of

the PPBR program will
include the construction
of the vessels and short to
medium term maintenance
components of the project.
Austal will construct the
Pacific Patrol Boats in its
shipyard in Henderson, WA,
with through-life support
to be performed at the
companys existing facility
in Cairns, Queensland.
The vessels will replace
the existing Pacific Patrol
Boat fleet, which is
approaching the end of its
service life, and will assist
Pacific Island countries to
continue to take an active
part in securing their
own extensive Exclusive
Economic Zones.
Construction of the Pacific
Patrol Boats will extend
Austals shipbuilding
capability into steelhulled vessels, which
will be important for the

future construction of the
RANs new force of twelve
offshore patrol vessels.
Dive wrecks
The Minister for Defence
has announced that exHMA Ships Tobruk and
Sydney, will be offered to
the States and Territories for
the creation of dive wrecks.
After decades of invaluable
service, Tobruk and Sydney
were decommissioned in
July 2015 and November
2015 respectively.
The two ships will be
demilitarised by the
Department of Defence.
The preparation and
funding of the vessels for
use as a dive wreck will
be the responsibility of
the State or Territory that
agrees to the terms and
conditions of the offer.
Issue 93
Australian Warship
NAVAL NEWS
Three exercises
The Navys newest warship,
HMAS Adelaide, operated
from Jervis Bay in April
2016, conducting unit ready
evaluations. Adelaide had
been conducting a series
of simultaneous evolutions
such as, helicopter and
amphibious operations,
all in an effort of readying
the ship for such missions
recently completed by her
sister ship, HMAS Canberra,
in Fiji.
Later, the ship joined
Exercise SEA EXPLORER 16
off the Queensland coast
from late May to early June,
then on 22 June, Adelaide
arrived in Port Adelaide
for the first time. She was
there to support the Armys
Exercise Hamel 16 (EXH16),
to test and evaluate its
capability as a maritime
strategy focused and
capable organisation.
Darwins 1st Brigade were
put through their paces
to ensure all elements
were ready to support
operational contingencies
ranging from humanitarian
assistance through to major
combat operations as they
entered the ready stage of
the Force Generation Cycle.
After arriving Adelaide
disembarked about 900
soldiers, 90 vehicles and
other related equipment.
Overall, EXH16 involved
approximately 8000 military
personnel from the RAN,
Army, RAAF, the United
States Marine Corps, the
United States Army (Pacific)
and the New Zealand Army.
It was the first year Hamel
had been conducted in
South Australia, around
Port Augusta, Port Pirie,
Whyalla and the Cultana
Training area between 26
June and 14 July 2016.
Adelaide brought about 90
Army vehicles for EXH16,
together with Australian
and American personnel.
The LHD departed 27 June
and returned to Sydney.
She may return to Port
Adelaide in August to
Australian Warship
retrieve the vehicles.
Aegis tested aboard

new Hobart
Lockheed Martin has
conducted testing and
integration of its Aegis
combat system into NUSHIP
Hobart, the RANs (RAN)
first Aegis-equipped guided
missile destroyer (DDG).
The destroyers will be
equipped with Lockheed
Martins Aegis Weapon
System, including the SPY1D(V) radar. This milestone
was a significant step
towards an increase in the
RANs maritime security
capabilities. Aegis, when
integrated with the MK41
vertical launching system
(VLS) will be capable of
Issue 93
delivering missiles for every

mission and threat scenario
in naval warfare.
The Hobart class DDGs are
a part of Australias SEA
4000 programme, which
will deliver three advanced
multirole ships and will be
the Fleets first naval ships
to be equipped with Aegis.
They will be capable of
defending and destroying
missiles and aircraft within a
range of 150km.
New helicopters
arrive
The first EC135 Airbus
training helicopter arrived
at HMAS Albatross on
31 March. Under the JP
9000 Phase 7 Helicopter
Aircrew Training System
(HATS) project, the new

joint helicopter training
system for both Navy and
Army aircrews will utilise
the EC135 T2+ helicopters,
along with flight simulators
and a new flight-deck
equipped sea-going
training vessel.
The EC135 T2+ is a
accomplished military
training helicopter, offering
a glass cockpit with high
visibility, a multi-axis autopilot, the performance and
safety of a twin-engine
helicopter replacing current
single types, plus other
advanced technologies to
help instructors perform
training missions.
From top:
HMAS Adelaide arrives at
Port Adelaide for the first
time on 22June 2016. ADF.
Airbus Helicopters EC135
T2+ N52-001 about to land
at HMAS Albatross airfield
for the first time. POIS
Kelvin Hockey.
NAVAL NEWS
From top:
A third OPV will join the
existing HMNZ Ships Otago
and Wellington. RNZN.
New LMV for Singapore.
via web
Project Resolve auxiliary
oiler replenishment vessel.
Davie Shipbuilding.
10
New Zealand news

The retirement of the long
serving NZDF Seasprite
SH-2G(NZ) naval helicopters
was marked on 14 April
as part of a change of
command ceremony held
at RNZAF Base Auckland.
The old aircraft have been
progressively replaced
by eight newer SH-2G(I)
helicopters. The RNZAF
purchased five SH-2G(NZ)
aircraft from manufacturer
Kaman, and began flying
in August 2001. Since then
they flew over 15,000 hours,

and operated around the
world embarked on HMNZ
Ships Te Mana and Te Kaha
and Canterbury. Upgrading
the naval helicopter fleet
from five to eight plus a
simulator has given the
NZDF a significant increase
in capability, allowing the
Navy to embark up to three
helicopters from ships
concurrently as opposed
to the two previously
available.
DWP 2016 for New

Zealand
New Zealands Defence
Minister Gerry Brownlee
launched his nations new
Defence White Paper on 8
June announcing a 15-year
modernisation plan worth
nearly $20 billion.
While the paper announced
that several Navy assets
would be replaced or
enhanced, it did not provide
details on the options
considered or the level
of funds needed for such
acquisitions. Meanwhile,
the Government outlined
its intension to replace
the RNZAFs P-3K2 Orion
aircraft with a new asset to
safeguard New Zealands
maritime zone.
As well, the pair of Anzac
class frigates would
eventually be replaced
by new ships that could
perform global security
operations. Options
for such ships are to be
considered before the
frigates reach the end of
their service lives.
The nations two
offshore patrol vessels
will be augmented
by an additional, icestrengthened vessel. The
third OPV will operate in
the Southern Ocean and
near to Antarctica, with an
ice strengthened doublehull. It is expected to be
delivered by around 2020.
An endurance of around 30
days is required to enable
the OPV to sail south to
the Antarctic and remain
on station there for a
significant period of time.
The planned replacement
for the tanker HMNZS
Endeavour will also be
ice-strengthened. Another
planned acquisition will
be a littoral operations
support vessel to support
operations from the sea
onto land, including diving,
mine and other obstacle
clearance, hydrography
(mapping), and movement
of personnel. The vessel
would also be an additional
deployment option for

international coalition
operations.
First littoral mission

vessel delivered for
Singapore
Independence, the lead
unit of the Republic of
Singapore Navys (RSNs)
new class of 1250 tonne
littoral mission vessels
(LMVs) was delivered on 26
May. The new vessel is now
undergoing additional trials
by 182 Squadron.
Eight of these 80 metre long
multi-mission ships will
replace the Navys eleven
Fearless class patrol vessels
which have been in use
since the mid-1990s.
The new LMVs are being
built by Singapore
Technologies (ST) Marine,
the shipbuilding division
of local defence prime
ST Engineering, using a
design jointly developed
by ST Marine and Saab
Kockums AB. In an example
of proficient local naval
construction, all eight
LMVs are set to achieve full
operational capability by
2020.
Canadas Project
Resolve underway
at last
Canadian shipyard Davie
Shipbuilding has cut the
first steel for the Royal
Canadian Navys (RCNs)
new Resolve class auxiliary
oiler replenishment vessel
(AOR). The ceremony was
held in Lvis, Qubec on 24
May 2016. Known as Project
Resolve, the plan involves
the conversion of the
containership MV Asterix,
which arrived in Lvis in
October 2015, into an AOR
designed to support RCN
operations until two new
Queenston class multirole ships join the fleet in
2020-21.
The converted AOR
and two new ships will
replace Canadas two
decommissioned oilers,
Protecteur and Preserver, as
Issue 93
Australian Warship
well as the failed 2008 Joint

Support Ship plan.
Canadian media reports
have stated that the
conversion cost for the
future HMCS Resolve will be
approximately C$250-300
million. The converted
vessel will be delivered for
service in late 2017.
The Spanish Navy
(Armada Espaola) has

also announced that
it will send a second
supply ship to support
RCN fleet operations. The
deployment will span from
September to November by
the auxiliary SPS Cantabria
. The 17,000-tonne fleet
logistics tanker SPS Patio
completed the first loan
spell period, arriving home

at the end of March having
been on duty with the RCN
since 6 February.
Fifty year frigates

The Indonesian Navy plans
to decommission the first
of its six Ahmad Yani class
frigates in 2017. The ships
will be paid off at a rate
of one ship per year until

2022. Built originally for
the Dutch as the Van Speijk
class, the frigates were first
commissioned between
August 1967 and May 1968,
and were then sold to the
TNI-AL during 1986-89.
Soon to be
decommissioned, the
Indonesia frigate KRI Karel
Satsuit Tubun. USN.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
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Issue 93
Australian Warship
FUTURE FLEET
Century of Changes - 1966 - 2016 - 2066

AW editor examines the navy across 100 years
he RAN as we know it today is proceeding on

a steady course with new ships and aircraft
building, plans in progress for next generation
submarines, frigates and patrol boats, and working
with our Allies, preparing for a Futuristic Navy 25
years, even 50 years down the track, towards the
Fleet of 2066.
1966
But before we look at the RAN of the future, for
comparison purposes lets go back 50 years to early
1966. In that year Navy was a very effective force built
around two flat-tops, HMAS Melbourne serving as
an aircraft carrier and HMAS Sydney as a fast troop
transport, (an early forerunner of the current HMA
Ships Canberra and Adelaide).
The two largest front-line warships, Melbourne and
Sydney, were ably supported by;
- one Battle and three Daring class destroyers,
- HMA Ships Perth and Hobart, the first of the
modern Charles F. Adams class guided missile
destroyers,
- four of the state-of-the-art River class (Type 12)
anti-submarine frigates, and
- in reserve, just in case, three of the older Q class
(Type 15) anti-submarine frigates.
The Fleets main role in sixty-six was the conduct
of operations to defeat enemy submarines, with other
capabilities built around naval gunfire support, a small
force of Sea Venom jet fighters and Gannet patrol
aircraft flying from Melbourne and a few old T class
submarines, employed in the training role, and on loan
from the Royal Navy. To undertake the patrol boat role,

the six Ton class minesweepers were being used in
Malaysian waters during the Indonesian Confrontation
era.
Around this time Navy was also involved in the
conflict in South Vietnam from early 1967. HMAS
Brisbane, the third Charles F. Adams class guided
missile destroyer, was also due to commission in
1967, with construction underway at Cockatoo Island
in Sydney on the escort maintenance ship HMAS
Stalwart. Attack class patrol boats were ordered in
November 1965, while the Ton class minesweepers
and fleet oiler HMAS Supply had been active since
1962. The one-of-a-kind HMAS Kimbla, the last of
five purpose built boom defence vessels to serve in
the RAN remained active, serving as a trials vessel. As
well, some of the Second World War era River class
frigates were in use as survey or oceanographic ships,
in support of the modern 1964 commissioned survey
ship HMAS Moresby.
In summary, the Navy of 1966 was built around
some well tested warship designs, with new and
innovative classes of ships coming on line. On the
aviation front, new and modern types of aircraft
comprising ten Douglas A-4G Skyhawks and 14
Grumman S-2E Trackers, were ordered in 1965
and would enter service from 1968. In addition 27
Westland Wessex anti-submarine helicopters were also
operating in various numbers from Melbourne, Sydney
and ashore at HMAS Albatross.
The French DCNS Shortfin

Barracuda design was
formally announced in
Adelaide on 26 April 2016.
DCNS.
two new
support ships
from Spain
FUTURE FLEET
The Canberra class LHDs

and their successors
will become even more
important members of
the RAN as the ships are
improved over their full
lifetimes. Chris Sattler.
14
50 years later
In 2016 Navy now operates a total of 43 front line
warships and support vessels and seven smaller
auxiliaries. The plan for the future RAN was outlined
back in 2009 when a Defence White Paper (DWP) was
released by the Federal Government. This was updated
in December 2010, followed by a budget for the
various naval and joint service projects in May 2011. An
additional update was released in August of 2011, then
the Defence White Paper in April 2013. Yet another
Defence White Paper was prepared in 2015, but was
delayed until March 2016 due to the change of both
the prime minister and defence minister.
Overall, the Defence Capability Plan stated that the
RANs primary objective is to provide maritime forces
that contribute to the ADFs capacity to defend Australia,
contribute to regional security, support Australias global
interests, shape the strategic environment and protect our
national interests.
The reports added further; This is achieved by
providing maritime patrol and response, interdiction
and strategic strike, protection of shipping and offshore
territories and resources, maritime intelligence collection
and evaluation, hydrographic and oceanographic
operations, and escort duties. Peacetime activities include
maritime surveillance and response within Australias
offshore maritime zones, hydrographic, oceanographic
and meteorological support operations, humanitarian
assistance, and maritime search and rescue.
The 2013 Defence White Paper highlighted the

need for a new era of frigates and submarines that
would be built in local shipyards. The same Paper also
outlined the need for a new generation of offshore
patrol vessels (OPVs) to augment and then replace the
very hard-worked Armidale class patrol boats (ACPBs).
Support ships
In the shorter time frame and now a priority for the
RAN, the requirement for two new auxiliary oiler and
replenishment (AOR) vessels was placed out to tender
to replace the 1986 vintage HMAS Success, and then,
HMAS Sirius, commissioned in 2006. Subsequently and
with little fanfare an order for two of the Cantabria
class AORs, to be built in Spain, was announced on 10
March 2016. Navantia beat the offer and conditions of
Daewoo, the major South Korean shipbuilder.
The two new replenishment vessels, to cost $1.2B,
are expected to be introduced into service by the early
2020s, with the design based upon the Spanish Navys
19,800-ton ship. Minister Payne said that contract
negotiations with Navantia would subsequently take
place, with Second Pass approval likely to occur in
mid-2016. A third AOR (or logistics support vessel) is
planned to be acquired next decade. This unit, to be
ordered in the late 2020s, will replace the amphibious
ship HMAS Choules, now in 2016 also referred to as a
logistics support vessel.
Issue 93
Australian Warship
FUTURE FLEET
Modules for the new guided

missile destroyer HMAS
Sydney are assembled
in Port Adelaide. Paul
Charlton.
DWP 2016
In March 2016 the latest Defence White Paper was
released. Important announcements were made in
a number of areas. The Future Frigates, scheduled to
begin construction from 2020, will be optimised for
land attack and anti-submarine warfare with nine ships
to enter service as a one for one replacement for the
Anzac class (and the ninth most probably, as a substitute
the fourth Hobart class destroyer that was sought, but
never ordered - Editor).
Currently, one of the main challenges is the further
enhancement of existing units, and at the same time,
prepare for the next generation of ships and aircraft to
be introduced into service in the decades ahead.
Sufficient finances to allow all of the requested
programs to proceed will become one major concern.
With an ever increasing national deficit and the
statements from both the PM and treasurer in early
Australian Warship
Issue 93
2016 that budget outlays must be reigned in, even

small cutbacks could create problems for the various
naval projects via delayed deliveries or cutbacks in the
numbers of units to be ordered.
A similar situation has already taken place in the UK
and Canada where initial proposals to built new ships
was given the go ahead, but then the final number
to be acquired was reduced; Type 26 Global Combat
Ships for the RN was lowered from 13 to eight and the
eight Arctic patrol vessels for Canada reduced to only
five.
To maintain the correct numbers of ships to be
commissioned during the 2020s, some of the RANs
new class members could be fitted for and later
upgraded when more funds become available.
The Future Submarine force is planned to begin
operations from the early 2030s to replace the existing
Collins class, some of which (maybe two or three boats)
HMAS Adelaide off the

North Queensland coast
during Exercise Sea
Explorer in June 2016. These
large amphibious units
will allow the RAN to carry
out many more missions
than the smaller ships of
previous years. ADF.
15
FUTURE FLEET
will now have their careers extended by a further
seven years. By far the largest group in numbers of
new ships in use and still building in the mid 2020s
will be the force of OPVs, with selection of the winning
tender expected in late 2016 for construction to begin
in 2018.
Combatants
order for 21
warships
announced in
April
Major combatants comprise the existing Adelaide

class frigates (FFGs), Anzac class frigates (FFHs) and
submarines, and in the years to come, the trio of
Hobart class guided missile destroyers (DDGs) and
new submarines. The three remaining Adelaide
class FFGs are to be withdrawn from service over
the forward estimates period. HMAS Darwin will
be first to be retired, in December 2017, then HMAS
Melbourne August 2018 and HMAS Newcastle January
2019. Around the same period the new HMA Ships
Hobart and Brisbane will begin to accrue UAD (Unit
Availability Days) in 2018 and 2019 respectively. The
significant increase in UAD from 2015-16 to 2016-17 is
due to improved availability of the submarines, FFGs
and FFHs.
Minor combatants now comprise the Armidale class
patrol boats (ACPBs), Cape class patrol boats (CCPBs)
and four Huon class coastal mine hunters (MHCs).
The MHCs Hawkesbury and Norman were placed in
extended readiness in 2009. The significant increase in
UAD target from 2015-16 to 2016-17 is due to the two
new CCPBs contributing to UAD from 2016-17.
Submarines
The DWP confirmed that the RANs submarine force
will double in size, with 12 boats to replace the six
Collins class. Sea 1000 acquisition activities will begin
in earnest in late 2016 following the culmination of the
Competitive Evaluation Process. The successful tender,
the French DCNS with their 4,500 tonne Shortfin
Barracuda design was formally announced in Adelaide
on 26 April 2016.
The planned building schedule means that first new
submarine will not enter service until the early 2030s.
To ensure there is no capability gap and the ability to
progress development of a replacement submarine in
the 2050s is maintained, a rolling acquisition program
will be adopted for Sea 1000. This will enable the
new submarines to progressively receive updated
submarine and anti-submarine warfare (ASW)
insertions as they operate over the coming decades.
To maintain an operationally viable submarine force
until the introduction of these new submarines from
the early 2030s, high priority capability enhancements
will also be made to the Collins class fleet, including
upgrades to the communications and sensor systems.
Further investment will also be made in Collin class
obsolescence management and fleet sustainment
activities.
Frigates
Nine Future Frigates (Sea 5000) will replace the
eight Anzac class frigates from the late 2020s, with
construction to begin, also in South Australia, from
2020. A continuous build approach to construction and
capability delivery will also be adopted, with building
16
to start in 2020, and the first frigates to enter service

later that decade.
With first pass approval for the Future Frigates
announced in April 2016, three designers have been
requested to refine their designs;
- BAE Systems with the Type 26 frigate,
- Fincantieri with the FREMM frigate and
- Navantia with a redesigned F100 (Hobart class)
frigate.
The frigates will all be built in Adelaide,
incorporating the Australian-developed CEA
Phased-Array Radar.
The decision to include the Type 26 frigate is rather
unusual, with the number of these ships on order for
the Royal Navy recently reduced down to just eight.
Minehunters
Rather than seek a (new and costly) replacement for
the RANs existing force of coastal minehunters, four of
the six existing Huon class vessels will now be updated
to counter the modern maritime mine threat. New
mine countermeasures (MCM) technologies will also
be developed. The four minehunters will undergo a
life-of-type extension, in all likelihood delaying the
need for a replacement MCM vessel until at least 2030.
Originally it had been planned that a new MCM vessel
would share a common hull with the OPV, as earlier
recommended under Sea 1180.
The timing and location of the four Huon class lifeof-type extensions was not highlighted in the DWP,
but with the Williamstown and Northern Queensland
regions receiving no major ship orders, these yards
may be in line for these and other ship upgrades.
The Cairns facility, Norship marine, has already
successfully refitted units of the Armidale, Cape, Bay
and Balikpapan classes.
Offshore patrol vessels

The new DWP outlined the plan to acquire twelve
OPVs, with all to be constructed in Australia under
a continuous build program. First pass approval
has been announced, with construction to begin
in Adelaide from 2018, following the completion of
the three Hobart class guided missile destroyers and
then transfer to Western Australia when the Future
Frigate construction begins in Adelaide in 2020. This
approach will ensure that the jobs and necessary skills
are retained in Adelaide.
These OPVs will replace the 13 Armidale class patrol
boats (ACPBs). Compared to the 57m ACPB, the OPVs
will be larger, have greater range and endurance,
capacity and capable of undertaking several different
roles across the border protection and patrol mission
spectrum. All 12 vessels will be delivered by 2030.
As part of the Competitive Evaluation Process three
designers have been shortlisted; Damen of the
Netherlands, Fassmer of Germany and Lurssen of
Germany to refine their designs.
Small items
A short-range maritime tactical UAV will also be
acquired to improve the surveillance picture and
situational awareness of in-service and future
surface ships such as the Hobart class guided missile
Issue 93
Australian Warship
FUTURE FLEET
destroyers, Future Frigate and OPV.

A riverine patrol capability will be re-established
through a fleet of eight to ten lightly armed, shallowdraft boats to enable operations in estuarine and
littoral environments. The craft will have compatibility
with the well decks of the Canberra class LHDs and
Choules. The new boats will be Army owned and
manned.
The RANs LADS capability is due to be retired in
December 2019.
Ten years from now

In 2026 Navy will still be a modern and well balanced
force of front-line and secondary combatants,
supported by a strong Fleet Air Arm (FAA) flying
the very effective MH-60R Seahawk and MRH-90
helicopters and the new squadron of unmanned aerial
vehicles (UAVs).
Overall, ship numbers will have changed little since
today, but the capabilities of these individual ships
or classes will have dramatically increased. The five
new Spanish designed ships (LHDs and DDGs) will
be active, but the remaining Adelaide class FFGs will
have been withdrawn from service. As well, the early
members of the Anzac and Collins classes will be closer
to retirement. It can be expected that the youngest
members of these two ship types will soldier on
until the final future frigates and new generation
submarines are delivered. For the record, in 2026 the
youngest Anzac, HMAS Perth will be 20 years old, and
Australian Warship
Issue 93
the youngest Collins, HMAS Rankin, 25 years.

Hopefully, by 2026 the first of the replacement LCHs
will be hard at work, but this is totally dependent on
a decision to be made at sometime in the near future.
Any prolonged decision could mean the end of the
project for these medium sized amphibious ships.
The deployment of small craft embarked in the
larger RAN combatants may provide cost effective
solutions to counter future mine warfare and pirate
threats, with these smaller and faster craft controlled
at long distances to keep the mother-ship as safe
as possible. Foreign naval ships now in service and
future designs being developed will incorporate these
new styles of defensive layers, and most importantly,
increase the versatility of new warships.
Ideally the RANs Future Frigate should feature
special internal bays for a variety of small craft and
drones. For the former these areas would be located
aside the helicopter hangar or with access via the
small stern ramp, with the associated boat storage
bay located under the aviation deck. This new style
of frigate would also have space for a small marine
contingent of 50-60 personnel, in other words, a
flexible multi-role frigate of almost 7,000 tonnes.
Innovative designs for

future naval ships may be
like this USN demonstrator
craft. The Anti-Submarine
Warfare (ASW) Continuous
Trail Unmanned Vessel
(ACTUV) has been designed
as a new type of oceangoing craft able to operate
at sea for months at a
time, without a single crew
member, but still remaining
under human control. USN.
Fifty years on - 2066

By this time most of the ships and aircraft of the
current, and most of the planned future force, will
be gone. Some of the Future Frigates and Future
Submarines will be well into their third decade of
17
FUTURE FLEET
Work underway on the

future HMAS Brisbane.
Plans to upgrade these new
destroyers with advanced
offensive and defensive
systems are already being
considered. Paul Charlton.
DCNS Shortfin
Barracuda
submarine
design
selected
18
service. Even the new Canberra class LHDs, in use from

2014-15 (and most probably operating for about 40
years each), will have been withdrawn from duties. The
Hobart class destroyers, if they also serve 40 years, will
have decommissioned between 2057 and 2059.
Another major question is whether Canberra and
Adelaide will be replaced by larger and even more
capable multi-purpose amphibious ships or by a
greater number of smaller and more versatile units to
satisfy the demands placed upon a mid 21st century
RAN?
The same can be said for the three Hobart class
destroyers. Destroyers by this time could be much
larger ships, as evidenced even now by the new
Zumwalt and Arleigh Burke classes currently under
construction for the United States Navy.
For the 2066 era Navy, future Governments will
need to address both our own national requirements
and how these new and innovative warship designs
are evolving within Australia and through our allies.
Like in 2016, the RAN works with its friends, not just
as a cost saving measure, but to ensure the Navy will
always be equipped with the best available platforms
to complete the missions and protect their crews.
The RAN will still be a Navy focused upon the
Pacific, Indian and Great Southern Oceans, plus the

waters of South-East Asia. Its ships, helicopters and
UAVs will be totally state-of-the-art for that time; its
crews will be most highly trained ever.
New ideas
By 2066 Navy will have commissioned new style
warships with evolved hull designs, such as the SWATH
type, catamarans or trimarans, each featuring low
infra-red and heat signature. The basic hull could also
feature drop-in pods for ease of maintenance.
To avoid detection, the ships will also boast the
latest development in low radar cross sections. Port
holes would incorporate solar panels and bubble
windows with energy based close-in-weaponssystems (CIWS). The combat vessels of this time may
well be configured to meet future multi-roles. Power
to drive the new ships could be via hydrogen fuel cells
and/or solar cells.
For complete self-defence, these mid-21st century
ships will be fitted with airborne tethered phased array
radars and vertical launch system (VLS) missiles for
both offensive and defensive missions. The missiles
will no longer be mounted in sets of eight or 32, but
like the new Zumwalt class destroyers of the USN,
Issue 93
Australian Warship
FUTURE FLEET
strategically placed around the sides of the entire
ships hull to ensure a greater flexibility and protection.
Laser guns, once only found in comics, will provide
added self protection or even more advanced energy
weapons for line of sight defence. The new era of
missiles will be hypersonic, with shore bombardment
offered by these same missiles and also sub-munitions
launched from super railway guns or their successors.
Level of manning
Unmanned equipments will also feature prominently
in the RAN 50 years from now. Already in 2016 we are
witnessing the introduction of tiny crew-less rotary
craft, small fast unmanned surface vehicles and even
mini-unmanned submarines. An example of this
development is the Mark 60 CAPTOR (encapsulated
torpedo) developed by the USN as its primary antisubmarine naval mine. A deep-water weapon, it can
be laid by ship, aircraft or submarine, and is anchored
to the sea bed. After its sonar detects a hostile
submarine, CAPTOR launches the Mark 46 torpedo or
in future times, other more advanced weaponry. To
reduce crew and operating costs, these smaller surface
weapons carriers, and radar picket vessels for early
warning, may also be unmanned.
Also from the USA is the revolutionary AntiSubmarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned
Vessel (ACTUV) intended to operate as a new type
of ocean-going craft underway for months at a time,
without a single crew member, but still remaining

under human control. Its missions would include mine
counter measures and tracking submarines. The new
ACTUV and other similar systems will also provide
a very cost effective alternative to larger manned
systems.
Expanded roles
Conventional ships as we know them today will still
play vital roles. The most important of these will be the
need for the humanitarian and disaster relief ships to
assist our neighbours in the region and further afield.
New era supply ships, based on smaller and faster
catamarans could operate with the major units to
replenish them rapidly with the necessary goods and
equipments.
Support ships active in these future times will also
become truly multi-functional, including the ability
to embark groups of marines for smaller missions
ashore, the use of embarked drones to support these
tasks, as well as re-supplying the larger ships.
Reducing fuel needs, saving on operational costs,
smaller crew numbers and multi-purpose in nature will
be the important areas Navy will focus upon.
Conversely, as the combatants increase in size,
these ships will be designed with sufficient fuel
supplies to undertake their own replenishments at
sea, and thereby reduce the need to place important
supply ships in harms way.
The possibilities are endless.
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Australian Warship
Issue 93
19
BRISBANE RIVER
Comeback for Moreton

I
n a traditional naval ceremony the RAN formally

commissioned Navy Headquarters - South
Queensland as HMAS Moreton on 16 May. The
Navy last commissioned an establishment in 1978.
The RAN and the earlier Queensland Marine Self
Defence Force (QMDF) have enjoyed a long association
with Brisbane and from 1884 provided for local
naval defence including the maintenance of its small
gunboats and torpedo boats.
In 1911 the RAN took control of the former QMDF
depot in Alice Street, in the area known as Garden
Reach on the Brisbane River, near the domain. Its
principle purpose was the training of Naval Reserve
personnel.
War duties
The former HMAS Moreton

in the 1970s. Six heavy
landing craft and HMAS
Adroit are alongside. RAN.
20
At the outbreak of the Second World War the Alice

Street depot commissioned as HMAS Penguin IV
on 3 September 1939. Other sites were also used by
the RAN including the former offices of the QMDF
situated at nearby Edward Street from where the
Queensland District Naval Officer and his staff
discharged administrative duties. A naval stores facility,
established at Kangaroo Point in 1887, as well as an
oil fuel installation also came under the authority of
Penguin IV. On 1 August 1940 Penguin IV was renamed
HMAS Brisbane to better reflect its locality.
The outbreak of war in December 1941 saw southeast Queensland become an important strategic
hub following an expansion of the Allied presence in

the Brisbane area. Importantly, a US submarine base
was established at New Farm, additional naval stores
depots, victualling yards and maintenance facilities
were created and there was an increased throughput
of personnel to serve in combined operations training
camps situated at Toorbul and Bribie Island. An
effective examination service, Port War Signal Station
and mine watching service were also operated by the
RAN, as was a small ships base situated at Colmslie.
The Colmslie base was established in late 1942 to
support Fairmile B motor launches and the smaller
Harbour Defence Motor Launches (HDMLs) as they
came into service. It was routinely used as a staging
point for vessels transiting north for service in Darwin,
Timor and New Guinea waters and in 1946 it saw the
return of many of those vessels. Numerous Fairmiles
and HDMLs were decommissioned at Colmslie and
disposed of from there in 1946 as the RAN reverted to
a peace-time footing.
Moreton 1942
Coinciding with this expansion was a decision to
recommission Brisbane as HMAS Moreton on 1
October 1942. The chief reason for doing so was to
remove confusion arising between the similarity in
titles of the Naval Officer-in-Charge Brisbane (the area)
and the Commanding Officer of Brisbane (the depot).
As Moreton, the Alice Street depot played an
Issue 93
Australian Warship
BRISBANE RIVER
important role as the initial point of entry for the

many Queenslanders who served as hostilities only
members of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR).
Consequently, the premises were improved to provide
barrack style accommodation and other amenities
which included facilities for members of the war-raised
Womens Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS).
By October 1944 Moreton was also responsible
for administering operations, intelligence
and communications staffs attached to Allied
Headquarters, Allied Naval Headquarters and Naval
Staff in depots throughout Queensland and New
Guinea.
With the cessation of hostilities in 1945, Moreton
was used as a demobilisation facility for those
returning from active service. A decision to disband
the Naval Reserves in 1946 saw the Alice Street depot
temporarily close and decommission, although the
name Moreton continued to be used in connection
with the administrative duties of the Resident Naval
Officer situated in nearby Edward Street.
In 1949 the Alice Street depot was reactivated as
a reserve training depot providing Naval Reserve
personnel, including National Servicemen and later
Sea Cadets, with instruction across the many facets
of naval life. In early 1952 reserve training was moved
across the Brisbane River to facilities at Kangaroo Point.
During that period the former RAN corvette HMAS
Mildura was acquired as a static training ship, a role
in which she provided valuable service until being
sold for scrap in 1965. In 1959 training was relocated
Australian Warship
Issue 93
to premises on Merthyr Road, New Farm, a facility

previously used by the Royal Navy from 1944-1949 as a
victualling yard in support of the British Pacific Fleet.
In 1960 the New Farm premises, encompassing
three hectares of waterfront real estate and wharfage,
commissioned as HMAS Moreton. Over the next
three decades it served as home to the Brisbane Port
Division of the RANR as well as the Naval Reserve
Cadets. Several vessels were assigned as tenders to
Moreton including General Purpose Vessel (GPV)
957 and Motor Refrigeration Lighter (MRL) 253. The
latter was subsequently re-named Training Vessel
(TV) Gayundah proving to be an ideal platform for
seamanship and navigation training. The Attack class
patrol boat HMAS Adroit was another that became
a familiar sight on the Brisbane River when she was
assigned to Moreton as a Reserve training vessel
following her commissioning at New Farm on 18
August 1968. She served in that capacity until August
1974 after which she joined the RAN fleet.
Commanding Officer HMAS

Moreton Commander
Peter Tedman, DSM,
OAM, RAN, leads HMAS
Moretons ships company
past the dais during the
commissioning. ABIS Steven
Thomson.
Modern times
In 1973 the first of the RANs heavy landing craft
(LCH), HMAS Brunei, was commissioned and based at
Moreton which thereafter became the Headquarters
of the 1st Australian Landing Craft Squadron. In 1979
the title was changed to the Australian Amphibious
Squadron to encompass the introduction into service
of the amphibious heavy lift ship HMAS Tobruk.
This additional role saw a requirement for a wharf
capable of berthing Tobruk as well as the six LCHs,
21
BRISBANE RIVER
consequently, in 1981, the Capricorn wharf and
buildings situated downstream from Moreton were
leased for that purpose before being purchased in
1982. This area became known as Moreton (North).
However, in early 1986 the decision was made to
disband the Amphibious Squadron. Tobruk was homeported to Sydney and the LCHs were transferred to
Cairns and Darwin. HMAS Labuan, was retained in
Brisbane in support of Naval Reserves training.
Until the end of 1985 Moreton was home to
over 1000 permanent naval personnel and their
dependents, seven ships, nearly 200 active RANR
personnel and the Queensland Division of the Naval
Reserve Cadets. It also hosted a 100 strong lodger
cadet unit, TS Gayundah.
In August 1986 the office of Naval Headquarters
Queensland was relocated from its long-time
residence in Edward Street, Brisbane to Moreton.
The building was added to the Queensland Heritage
Register on 21 March 2013. Moreton (North) was sold in
1998 having fallen into disuse.
In August 1992 Labuan ceased supporting Naval
Reserve training in Brisbane and was reassigned to the
fleet. The following year the Government announced
that three RAN establishments, including Moreton,
would be closed as cost saving measures. Moreton was
officially decommissioned at 1200K on 11 May 1994.
A Naval Support Office was subsequently established
at Bulimba Barracks and a Personal Services cell in
Victoria Barracks to support those naval personnel and
their families remaining in the Brisbane area.
Moreton 2016
From top:
Commissioning ceremony
along the banks of the
Brisbane River on 16 May.
ABIS Steven Thomson.
22
The Australian White Ensign

is raised for the first time at
HMAS Moreton during the
commissioning ceremony
in Brisbane. ABIS Steven
Thomson.
The recommissioned establishment has a small

permanent Navy contingent and is home to a
number of reserve units including Dive Team 8 and
the Queensland detachment of the Navy Band. The
facilities also accommodates the Australian Navy Cadet
Training Ship Gayundah.
Moreton is now formally responsible for the
coordination and administration of all RAN activity
in Queensland south of the Tropic of Capricorn (near
Rockhampton) including the organisation of ship
visits by RAN and foreign naval vessels to Brisbane,
Gladstone and Southport. Moreton also hosts visiting
minor war vessels at the Navys wharf at Bulimba
including Armidale class patrol boats and Huon class
coastal minehunters.
New commanding officer, Commander Peter
Tedman, said in a navy News report, he looked
forward to a new chapter in Navys presence in south
Queensland.
This is an exciting time as we embark on
considerable upgrades to our base that will strengthen
our ability to support all Navy members in the
region and serve the wider Brisbane community,
Commander Tedman said.
This is the third time the name Moreton has been
bestowed on an establishment in the Brisbane area.
The finale for the recommissioning ceremony was a
flypast by a Bell 429 helicopter from 723SQN.
(Thanks to Seapower for the history of HMAS Moreton)
Issue 93
Australian Warship
NON-STOP SHIPBUILDING
Australias Naval Shipbuilding Policy

Courtesy of Sam Goldsmith as Principal Associate of Red Team Research*
he 2016 Defence White Paper (DWP), in addition

to subsequent press releases, committed the
Australian Government to funding a permanent
Australian naval shipbuilding industry. The
DWP mentioned three specific continuous naval
shipbuilding production lines, one for major
surface ships, one for minor surface ships and one
for submarines.
The official justification for this continuous-build
policy is designed to:
Ensure Australias future security through a
sovereign naval shipbuilding capability.
Encourage shipbuilders to invest in improved
naval construction capabilities.
Enable shipbuilders to develop and plan their
long-term workforce requirements.
Transition Australia to a 21st century economy by
supporting the development and sustainment
of jobs of the future across the fields of science,
technology and innovation.
Major Surface Ship Production Line

In 2015, the RAND Corporation found that Australia
could fill gaps between major surface ship classes with
the construction of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), so
as to retain skilled workforces. In fact, the Australian
Government has chosen to build two OPVs in Adelaide
from 2018 to sustain the shipyard until the start of
the Future Frigates in 2020. RAND also assessed that
with a fleet of 14 major surface ships , and vigilant
management by the Department of Defence, Australia
can sustain a continuous naval shipbuilding industry if
it keeps ships in service for 25 to 30 years.
With a build time of 60 months each, the Future
Frigates could be commissioned at 18 month intervals,
with the first unit entering service in 2025, up to the
9th and final FF-9 at the start of 2037.
The class of replacement Air Warfare Destroyers
(AWD), AWDX, could then begin construction in
mid-2035 at 18 month intervals, with a build time
of 60 months per ship. This would enable the lead
replacement ship, AWDX-1, to be commissioned in
2040, prior to the decommissioning of the lead AWD,
HMAS Hobart (III), in 2041.
The class of replacement Landing Helicopter Dock
ships (LHDs), LHDX, could commence construction in

early 2042 at 18 month intervals, with 72 months of
construction time per ship. This would enable the lead
ship LHDX-1 to be commissioned in 2048, prior to the
decommissioning of the lead LHD, HMAS Canberra (III),
in 2049.
Finally, the post-SEA5000 replacement frigates (FFX)
could begin construction in early 2044 at 18 month
intervals, with an assumed build time of 60 months per
ship. This would allow the lead replacement frigate,
FFX-1, to be commissioned in early 2049 when the lead
SEA5000 Future Frigate FF-1 is decommissioned.
Nevertheless, as eminent defence analysts Andrew
Davies and Mark Thompson would point out, the
fundamental problem with a mixed production line
is that it risks limiting the maximum efficiency that
a shipyard can attain through the learning curve.
This is because the learning curve relies on units
of production being identical or near identical in
Table 2 - Projected Minor Ship Service Dates

Minor ship type
Table 1 - Projected Major Ship Service Dates
SEA1180
First of class
First of class
Anticipated
(OPV)
commissioned
decommissioned
service life
Mine Hunter
Hobart class
2017
2041
24 years
Canberra class
2014
2049
34 years
Future Frigate
2025
2049
24 years
Major ship type
(Source: Commonwealth of Australia and RAND Corporation)
Australian Warship
Issue 93
All three of the new Hobart

class guided missile
destroyers together
for the first time; in the
foreground are sections
from the new Sydney, with
NUSHIP Brisbane fitting out
behind. NUSHIP Hobart lies
alongside, right centre rear.
Paul Charlton.
Replacement (MHX)
First of class
First of class
Anticipated
commissioned
decommissioned
service life
2021
2045
24 years
2033
2057
24 years
2037
2061
24 years
2044
2068
24 years
Oceanographic
Hydrographic
Replacement (OHX)
SEA1180
Replacement (OPVX)
23
design, so as to maximise the learning and efficiency
of shipyard workforces with each additional unit of
output. The obvious issue with a mixed production
line is that LHDs are radically different from frigates
or destroyers. For starters the Canberra class LHDs
displace around 27,500 tons versus a F590 FREMM
Frigate at 6,500 tons or a Hobart class at 7,000 tons.
Consequently, it is reasonable to infer that shipyard
infrastructure and workforce demands would differ
between these ship types.
Minor Surface Ship Production Line
The RANs current

generation frigates,
the Adelaide (left) and
Anzac class combatants
will be replaced and
complemented by the new
Hobart class and then the
nine strong Future Frigates.
RAN.
24
The first pair of the new OPVs will be built in Adelaide

between 2018 and 2020; with construction of the
remaining 10 OPVs then to be transferred to Western
Australia, to run from 2020 to 2030.
In addition, from 2030 the RANs existing four Huon
class mine hunters will need to be replaced, with
additional future work provided by the replacement
of the RANs six hydrographic/oceanographic survey
ships. This brings the total number of minor surface
ships to 22, with 20 to be constructed in Western
Australia.
If we assume that OPVs take 36 months to build and
are delivered at 12 month intervals, the keel of OPV-3
would be laid in early 2020, with OPV-12 commissioned
in early 2032. If each of the replacement Mine Hunter
(MHX) and replacement Oceanographic Hydrographic
(OHX) ships take 24 months to construct, and are

delivered at 12 month intervals, the keel for MHX-1
would be laid in early 2031, before the end of work on
the OPV production line. This would enable the fourth
and final mine hunter MHX-4 to be commissioned in
early 2036.
The lead ship OHX-1 could be laid down in
early 2035, with the sixth and final ship OHX-6
commissioned in early 2042.
At the start of 2042 there would be three years
before the lead ship OPV-1 is decommissioned in early
2045 (see Table 2). To prevent a capability gap, the
keel for the lead SEA1180 OPV replacement (OPVX)
could be laid in early 2041, ensuring that OPVX-1 is
commissioned in early 2044 (see Table 2).
Submarine Production Line

In the case of submarines, a continuous-build
production line will only be feasible if all twelve
SEA1000 Future Submarines (FSM) remain in service
for 24 years, and are delivered at 24 month intervals,
assuming a construction period of 60 months per boat.
Given that the first SEA1000 FSM must be delivered by
the early 2030s, the lead SEA1000 boat (FSM-1) must be
laid down by 2025 at the very latest. This would deliver
FSM-1 in early 2030, after which first-of-class trials
(FOCT) would begin.
Assuming that FOCTs extend across all of 2030,
Issue 93
Australian Warship
and that no major flaws exist in the baseline SEA1000
design, FSM-1 could enter operational service in
early 2032. On this timetable, FSM-12 would be
commissioned in early 2052, and the lead FSM-1 would
be decommissioned in early 2056, based on a service
life of 24 years. In order to sustain employment on the
submarine production line and prevent a capability
gap, the lead SEA1000 replacement boat (FSMX-1)
would have to be laid down in early 2049.
The problem is that this methodology is
slower than acquiring submarines from offshore
shipyards, and would inflict a capability gap without
preventative action. This is because the existing
Collins class submarines were originally intended to be
decommissioned from 2024, after 28 years of service

(see Table 3). However, years of inadequate decisionmaking by two successive Australian Governments has
meant that the Collins class must undergo a Service
Life Extension Plan (SLEP) to prevent a gap between
the retirement of HMAS Collins and the commissioning
of FSM-1 in 2030 (see Table 4).
Table 4 - Collins class dates

Submarine
Collins
Table 3 - Projected Future Submarine Service Dates

Minor ship type
SEA1000 Future
Submarine (FSM)
First of class
First of class
Anticipated
commissioned
decommissioned
service life
2030
2056
26 years
Waller
Dechaineux
Sheean
SEA1000
Replacement Future
Farncomb
2054
2080
Submarine (FSMX)
26 years
Rankin
Commissioned
Original planned
Original planned
decommissioning
service life
1996
2024
28 years
1998
2026
28 years
1999
2028
28 years
2001
2029
28 years
2001
2029
28 years
2003
2031
28 years
Navantia model of a
Cantabria class AOR
replenishing the LHD HMAS
Canberra and soon to be
commissioned guided
missile destroyer Hobart.
Navantia
Australian Warship
Issue 93
25
RIMPAC
RIM OF THE PACIFIC EXERCISE 2016

Pacific Oceans largest gathering of naval forces
From top:
HMAS Canberra arrives off
Pearl Harbor on 27 June
2016. ABIS Steven Thomson.
The amphibious assault
ship USS America underway
to Rim of the Pacific 2016.
USN.
An impressive view of Pearl
Harbor in early July, after
the arrival of most of the
naval ships. From left;
USS John C. Stennis, USS
America, four ships from
the Republic of China and
HMAS Canberra. In the
background are other US
and allied naval units. USN.
wenty-six nations, 45 ships, five submarines,

more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel
have participated in the biennial Rim of the Pacific
(RIMPAC) exercise. The massive naval exercises was
held between 30 June and 4 August in and around
the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.
RIMPAC provided a unique training opportunity
to help its many participants to foster and sustain the
cooperative relationships that are critical to ensure the
safety of sea lanes and security on the worlds oceans.
RIMPAC 2016 was the 25th exercise in the series, an
event that began 45 years ago, in 1971.
Major Themes
The principal themes for RIMPAC 2016 were Capable,
Adaptive, Partners. The participating nations and their
forces exercised across a wide range of capabilities
and quickly demonstrated the inherent flexibility of
all sizes of maritime forces. These capabilities included
disaster relief and maritime security operations, to sea
control and complex war-fighting manoeuvres. The
training program included amphibious operations,
gunnery, missile, anti-submarine and air defence
exercises, as well as counter-piracy, mine clearance
operations, explosive ordnance disposal and diving
and salvage operations.
Participants
RIMPAC 2016 included forces from Australia, Brunei,
Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, France,
Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia,
Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, South
Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea,
26
Issue 93
Australian Warship
RIMPAC
Thailand, Tonga, the United Kingdom and the United
States. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen scheduling
commitments, Brazil was unable to participate in
RIMPAC 16. However they are expected to take part in
RIMPAC 2018.
This years exercise also involved for the first time;
Denmark, Germany, and Italy. Other firsts involved
flexing the command and control structure for various
at sea events and incorporating a submarine rescue
exercise. Amphibious operations were also conducted
in the Southern California operating area, plus a
Harpoon anti-ship missile shoot from one of the USNs
new littoral combat ships, as well as highlighting fleet
innovation during the Trident Warrior experimentation
series.
Overall, the exercise was hosted by US Pacific Fleet,
under charge of Vice Adm. Nora Tyson, commander of
the U.S. 3rd Fleet (C3F), who served as the Combined
Task Force (CTF) Commander. Royal Canadian Navy
Rear Adm. Scott Bishop served as deputy commander
of the CTF, and the Japanese Maritime Self Defence
Force Rear Adm. Koji Manabe as the vice commander.
Other key leaders of the multinational force
included Commodore Malcolm Wise of the RAN, who
commanded the maritime component; Brig. Gen.
Blaise Frawley of the Royal Canadian Air Force, for the
air component; with the amphibious task force led by
RNZNs Commodore James Gilmour.
Conservation
The Department of the (US) Navys Great Green Fleet
yearlong initiative also played a major role in RIMPAC
2016. The initiative highlighted global operations using
energy conservation measures and alternative fuel
blends to demonstrate how optimizing energy use will
increase resiliency and operational readiness. During
RIMPAC, most of the participating units operated with
approved alternate-fuel blends.
RAN and RNZN

On 8 June the RAN deployed the new landing
helicopter dock (LHD) HMAS Canberra to Hawaii for her
first international exercise, to Hawaii. Conducted over
most of July, the exercise was designed to improve the
LHDs interoperability with other navies in the Pacific
region. This included aircraft operated by the USN, and
the USMCs MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and CH-53
Sea Stallion helicopters. For the exercise Canberra was
joined by the Anzac class helicopter frigates, HMAS
Warramunga and HMAS Ballarat. The ships arrived in
Cairns on 12 June, sailed on the 15th and arrived in
Hawaii on the 28th.
In mid exercise Canberra successfully landed a US
Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft for the
first time. The MV-22 Osprey deck trial was conducted
as part of high end war fighting exercises during the
Sea Phase of the ongoing exercise.
Canberras commander air commander Adrian
Capner said that the trial was a result of year-long work
to demonstrate the ability of the Australian fleet to
interact and operate with its coalition partners.
Directing such a large aircraft to land and take
off was daunting at first. It also showed that we can
adapt and remain agile to operate a whole range of
Australian Warship
Issue 93
From top:
HMA Ships Ballarat and
Warramunga alongside
Pearl Harbor during public
Open Day on 9July as part
of RIMPAC 2016.LSIS LeeAnne Mack.
Australian Army Light
Armoured Vehicles from
the 2nd Cavalry Regiment
queue on the wharf at Joint

Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
in readiness to load onto
HMAS Canberra during
Exercise Rim of the Pacific
2016. CPL David Said.
HMAS Canberra operating
with a MV-22B Osprey off
Hawaii on 12 July. LEUT
Andrew Ragless.
27
RIMPAC
USMC Osprey aircraft lands

on Canberra on 12 July.
USMC assault amphibious

vehicle (AAV) from the
amphibious assault
ship USS America is
manoeuvred into HMAS
Canberras well dock on 18
July. USN.
AAV7 from the USS San

Diego swims through
the well dock of HMAS
Canberra. LSIS Helen Frank.
28
international aircraft, not just aircraft in the Australian

fleet, Capner added.
As part of the trial, the Osprey flew several hundred
kilometres from the US Navy landing helicopter
amphibious ship, USS America, which was stationed off
the east coast of Oahu, to reach the RANs flat-top.
Once we got it on-board and sized it up, it was
excellent. We treated it just like any other aircraft.
Built by Bell Boeing, the 17.5m-long MV-22 Osprey
has a wingspan of 14m, can operate at a speed of
446km at sea level and has a range of more than
1,600km. It can carry up to 32 troops or 9,000kg of
internal cargo.
During late July, a USN landing craft air cushion
(LCAC), also from USS America, was trialled with
Canberra, into and out of the LHDs well deck.
Then in late July two Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles
(ESSMs) were simultaneously launched from the Anzac
class helicopter frigate Ballarat as part of a live fire
exercise during RIMPAC 2016. As well the New Zealand
frigate Te Kaha tested its new Penguin anti-ship
missile from the frigates Seasprite helicopter. Te Kaha
had sailed from Devonport Naval Base on 3 May to
participate in exercise. After their very busy schedule,
the four ANZAC ships sailed from Pearl Harbor on 7
August.
Issue 93 Australian Warship
RIMPAC
USS Makin Island launches

her MV-22B Ospreys
and CH-53 Sea Stallion
helicopters. USN.
On 30 July, three RAN

landing craft transport
Australian, New Zealand,
Tongan and US armed
forces to Marine Corps
Training Area Bellows.
The craft landed troops
from 2nd Battalion, Royal
Australian Regiment,
Provisional Marine
Expeditionary BrigadeHawaii from HMAS
Canberra to the beach
during a coordinated
amphibious assault with
forces from Battalion
Landing Team 2nd
Battalion, 3rd Marines
landing on Pyramid Rock
Beach from USS San Diego.
The landings were part
of the free-play scenario
phase of RIMPAC 16. USN.
An MV-22B Osprey,
assigned to the White
Knights of Marine Medium
Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM)
165 and embarked on board
the USS America, conducts
flight operations near the
island of Hawaii. USN.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
29
USS Coronado (LCS 4), an

Independence class littoral combat
ship, launches Harpoon Block 1C
missile for first time on 19 July. USN.
RIMPAC
30
Issue 93
Australian Warship
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CENTRESPREAD
The USN accepted delivery of its future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), the lead ship of the Navys nextgeneration destroyer on 20 May 2016. Zumwalt is the first surface combatant to employ an innovative
and highly survivable Integrated Power System (IPS) distributing 1000 volts of direct current across the
ship. The IPS unique architectural capabilities include the ability to allocate all 78 megawatts of installed
power to propulsion, ships service, and combat system loads from the same gas turbine prime movers
based on operational requirements.
Each ship in the class features a battery of two Advanced Gun Systems, capable of firing Long-Range Land
Attack Projectiles (LRLAP) that reach up to 63 nautical miles, providing three-fold range improvement in
naval surface fires coverage. Zumwalt is also equipped with 80 Advanced Vertical Launch System cells for
Tomahawk missiles, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles, Standard Missiles, and Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine
Rockets (ASROC) (VLA).
The ship will be commissioned in Baltimore on 15 October, after which she will transit to her homeport
in San Diego where Mission Systems Activation will continue in parallel with a Post Delivery Availability.
Zumwalt is expected to reach an initial operational capability in 2020. USN.
32
Issue 93
Australian Warship
CENTRESPREAD
Australian Warship
Issue 93
33
1966
Royal Navy Task Group visits Australia

How much has changed in 50 years!
HMS Victorious proceeds

up Sydney Harbour to her
Garden Island berth on 28
October 1966. A Buccaneer
strike aircraft is visible on
the port forward catapult
and a Fairey Gannet on the
flight deck, right aft. Chris
Sattler.
strike
carrier HMS
Victorious as
flagship
34
ctober 1966 heralded the arrival in Australian

waters of seven Royal Navy and four Royal
Fleet Auxiliary ships, forming the task group led
by the strike carrier HMS Victorious. After their
stopovers in Sydney Harbour, the eleven units
sailed across various days and then visited ten
additional Australian ports including Melbourne,
Brisbane, Newcastle, Hobart, Adelaide, Albany,
Fremantle, Geraldton, Bunbury and Darwin.
The aircraft carrier HMS Victorious had earlier
sailed from Hong Kong on 4 October 1966, under the
command of Captain I. S. Mcintosh DSO MBE DSC RN.
The ship proceeded south past the Philippines and
onwards through the San Bernadino Straits towards
Australia.
Swordhilt
In early October the British ships participated in the
most extensive exercise of their current commission
-Exercise Swordhilt. Over a twelve day period, and
with units from the RAN and USN, the enlarged task
group passed down the eastern seaboard of Australia.
The nature of the exercise created wide interest with
Melbourne also embarking a selection of press, radio
and television representatives.
During a part of the exercise, from 16 October,
Sydney was disguised to look like Melbourne and
according to some reports confused some of the

attacking forces. A Navy News report from the exercise
claimed that Australian naval forces had located and
damaged Victorious, but suffered their own at the
hands of the strike Buccaneers from Victorious. In
another incident one submarine claimed to have
torpedoed Sydney!
The fortunes of war varied, but overall Victorious
acquitted herself well, proving her value as a strike
carrier, and her versatility as a modernised warship
with her embarked squadrons of Buccaneers, Sea
Vixens, Gannets and Wessex helicopters. The two
American destroyers to participate in Swordhilt were
the USS Boyd and USS Taussig. The RANs three Daring
class destroyers, Vampire, Vendetta and Duchess also
joined in the overall exercise.
On the day before she entered Sydney Harbour,
history was made in the fly past over the city as among
the aircrews taking part were two Vice Admirals - Vice
Admiral Mills RN, and the RANs Vice Admiral McNicoll,
Chief of Naval Staff. The following signal was made to
MOD (Navy) at the time Believe this first occasion so
much Vice airborne in one flight.
Harbour welcome
On Friday, 28 October, 24 days after her departure
from Hong Kong, Victorious entered Sydney Harbour
Issue 93
Australian Warship
1966
at the head of an impressive column of ships, a scene
dominated by the citys equally famous Harbour
Bridge. Following Victorious through Sydney Heads
were the Australian flat-tops Sydney, then Melbourne.
Next came the missile destroyers Kent and Hobart. At
the same time a group of Westland Wessex helicopters
from 817 Squadron RAN and 814 Squadron RN
conducted a fly past ahead of this first group of ships
and up into the main harbour.
This initial arrival was followed by the second
batch, led by HMAS Vendetta, which then made a
circuit under the Harbour Bridge and around Cockatoo
Island. These ships, in order were; HMAS Derwent,
HMS Arethusa, HMAS Duchess, HMNZS Taranaki, HMS
Cleopatra and HMS Leander.
Additional arrivals included the Oberon class
submarine HMS Oberon, and three RFAs; Resurgent,
Tidespring and Tidepool. Another old-timer to visit
Sydney was the air stores support ship RFA Reliant, also
from 28 October. On this visit she was moored in Farm
Cove.
Memories of another kind were evoked while
alongside Garden Islands Fitting Out Wharf, when
under the insight of the Commanding Officer 814
Squadron the RN secured a Fairey Firefly veteran
aircraft flown by the RAN during the Korean War. At the
time Victorious must have been the only aircraft carrier
in the world to have purchased its own aircraft. Later
on her return to the UK the Firefly was presented to the
Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton.
For some crew members, the stopover in
Sydney also provided a rare opportunity to visit
and meet relatives and friends living in the great
Commonwealth. Over 15,000 people visited Victorious
and her consorts for their Garden Island open day.
On her departure day, Thursday, 10 November,
another group from the carrier set out in the ships
own Landrovers and drove across Australia to
Fremantle, the next port of call on 18 November. The
vehicles arrived a day before Victorious docked in
Fremantle!
Port of Fremantle
In both Sydney and Fremantle thousands of Australian
citizens visited Victorious. Eventually the time came
when the task group had to sail, and on the morning of
25 November the carrier slipped from a jetty lined with
many friends, her destination, Singapore.
Enroute to the island nation the carrier passed
off the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island,
and then through the Sunda Strait, and finally,
Singapore from 9 December for maintenance. Several
Flyexs were conducted during this time. Victorious
later sailed from Singapore on 4 January 1967, her
destination Hong Kong, which she entered twelve days
later for a nine day visit.
Sadly this was the last occasion that that the veteran
aircraft carrier visited Australia. After her return to the
United Kingdom, the 26-year old Victorious suffered
a minor fire whilst in refit on 11 November 1967. Due
to political inspired force level cuts to the Royal Navy,
it was decided not to repair the damage and the ship
decommissioned on 13 March 1968. Victorious was
sold in July 1969 and scrapped at Faslane.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
From top:
HMS Victorious moored at
the naval dolphins in Athol
Bight in 1945. RN.
Prior to their arrival in
Sydney, HMAS Sydney,
HMS Victorious and HMAS
Melbourne in south-east
Asian waters as part of
Task Group (TG) 66. Six
destroyers and frigates
escort the three flat-tops.
RAN.
Arriving in Sydney on 28
October, HMS Victorious
is about to be manoeuvred
stern first into her berth.
A Royal Navy Wessex
helicopter hovers above the
ship. RAN.
HMS Kent proceeds up the
Western Channel and around
Bradleys Head. RAN.
35
1966
Front cover of the RNs

Welcome Aboard
pamphlet handed out to
visitors to the ships. The
ship is depicted sailing
from Portsmouth on Friday,
8 July 1966. RN.
Another view of the busy

harbour scene on 28
October. The County class
missile destroyer HMS Kent
is at the lower left, HMAS
Melbourne to her right,
with HMS Victorious being
shifted by tugs. RN.
Fine broadside view of

HMS Victorious as she
moves past the Oil Wharf at
Garden Island towards the
Fitting Out Wharf. RAN.
36
Issue 93
Australian Warship
1966
Another page from the

task groups Welcome
Aboard brochure, this was
devoted to the four aircraft
types operating from HMS
Victorious. RN.
Interesting view of HMS

Victorious about to sail
from Garden Island, with
a full broadside of the
famous Hammerhead
Crane, and with HMAS
Duchess in the lower
left. The submarine HMS
Oberon is just visible at
the end of the wharf.
Photograph taken from the
stern of HMAS Melbourne.
RAN.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
37
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PROS AND CONS
New submarines selected

Three tenders, twelve boats, one winner, reports Gayundah
New modified Shortfin

Barracuda type design
from France. DCNS.
claims and
counter
claims
ustralia ordered its first submarines way back

in 1911, and in the years since has operated no
fewer than 22 boats from five different classes. For
many years now there has been much discussion
as to the course the new and sixth generation
submarine project will take.
First we had the submissions by the three
prospective builders, outlining their plan to build
up to twelve submarines for the RAN, followed by
representatives of the same companies visiting to
promote their overall deal and the advantages their
boats design possessed above the rival contenders.
Part of at least two of the tenders included the
construction of a dummy boat to assist local builders
and their workers in the overall construction process in
Australia of the real submarines.
France offered Australia the Shortfin Barracuda, a
slightly smaller conventionally powered version of its
new nuclear Barracuda submarine fleet. Japan offered
a longer range version of its existing Soryu class
boats, while Germanys TKMS proposed their Type 216
submarine, a larger version of its widely exported, but
much smaller submarines.
Claims
One builder claimed that the French design could not
40
be effectively modified from its original nuclear boat

origin, while another said that the German and French
offers were paper designs, compared to a real, in
service, and upgraded Japanese design.
In mid February 2016 reports surfaced in the media
that the French had moved to undermine Japans bid
to win the RANs new submarine contract, claiming
only a complete submarine power such as France
was able to provide the strategic partnership Australia
needed for its future defence.
Sean Costello, head of Frances DCNS Australia, said
Australia and France are fighting side-by-side against
Islamic State but this strategic engagement will be
entrenched for decades at an unprecedented level
if Australia chooses to buy its new submarines from
France. However his reference was to a land/air conflict
and not a naval scenario.
Then in mid February the Australian Minister for
Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop met with the Japanese
prime minister to discuss a number of issues, including
the possibility of the Soryu design being selected as
a winning tender. The Minister thanked Japan for its
interest in the project and for its bid.
At each of her meetings, including with Foreign
Minister Fumio Kishida and Defence Minister Gen
Nakatani, the Japanese reinforced their plan that
Issue 93
Australian Warship
PROS AND CONS

Australia should acquire its next generation of boats
from Japan to provide strategic benefits to both
countries. This new style of sell was in direct contrast
to its early softly-softly approach.
Soryu or not?
As the USA and its military forces pivot towards Asia
and the Pacific Ocean through increased bi lateral/
multi lateral training exercises with other regional
nations - the USA would most probably have preferred
the RAN select the Soryu class so that the advanced
technologies would remain between the three nations.
As part of this manoeuvre to secure the submarine
contract Japan assured Australia that its most secret
stealth technology will be included in the new class of
boats.
State Minister of Defence Kenji Wakamiya told The
Australian newspaper that Japan did not usually share
details of the Soryu with any nation other than the US
but Australia was a deeply trusted ally. It is of major
importance to us that we will be sharing this secret
technology with Australia, he said.
To ensure the RAN could cover the massive
distances it traverses, Japans modified Soryu would
have featured a hull extended by 6m-8m to allow it to
carry more batteries and fuel. The Australian version
would then measure about 90 metres long, compared
to the standard Soryus 83 metres.
How all of this type of media hype and arguments
and counter-arguments about which design was
eventually selected was thankfully up to Defence and
in particular, naval experts, with much submarine
experience.
Nuclear option?
For some in the naval community there was also the
nuclear argument; whether Australia should select the
USNs Virginia class attack submarine? Although there
would have been some real benefits to such an option;
speed, range and overall, crew endurance, the choice a
such a replacement boat could not be warranted due
to time constraints with replacing the existing Collins
class submarines and where such a Virginia order
would sit in the USNs building schedule for their new
class of attack submarines. And of course there was no
local nuclear industry to support such an acquisition.
Would the Americans sit by and insert a number
of RAN submarines into their programme and thus
cause a delay in their planned future commissioning
schedule; I dont think so!
An order for say an extra four P-8A Poseidon patrol
aircraft for the RAAF can easily be slotted into an
existing USN order, but for large warships this was
another matter completely.
Older nukes
Somewhat surprisingly, no defence commentator
suggested Australia take over some of the retiring Los
Angeles class SSNs, like navy did with the 25-year old
amphibious transports Kanimbla and Manoora in the
mid 1990s. The argument here was that Australian
crews could have trained on the older nuclear boats
in preparation for the later delivery of the modern
Virginia class.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
Yet another little mentioned option was the new

British Astute class of nuclear submarines, smaller than
the Virginia design, but still very well armed and a very
modern design. However, the cost may have been
much too high!
In 2016 the anti-nuclear lobby is as strong as ever. If
the nuclear powered option had been considered the
protests would have been endless. Many Australians
had expressed their pro-nuclear submarine views
across the nation, but the reality was that the
conventional course was the only viable option for
Navys future submarine force.
Also offered, the German

Type 216 submarine.
Wikipedia.
Manoeuvres
In a move designed to impress the RAN and the
Turnbull Government, Japan in April, despatched the
Soryu class submarine Hakuryu and two destroyers to
Sydney for joint exercises, including anti-submarine
warfare, communications, tactical manoeuvring and
photo serials.
Meanwhile, a German executive vying for the
lucrative contract commented that awarding
the contract to Japan could damage Australias
relationship with China.
Hans Atzpodien, the German TKMS company
chairman, described the Japanese bid as a choice
for Australia between its relationship with China, its
biggest trading partner, and Japan, its second biggest
partner.
In response Japanese defence officials countered
that the military partnership between Japan and
Australia would enhance peace and stability, especially
maritime security, in the Asia-Pacific region amid
Chinas military build-up in the East and South China
seas.
Japanese
ships visit
Sydney
Waiting
On 19 April, the Federal Cabinets National Security
Committee began considering the recommendation,
allowing ample time for a decision and an
announcement before the election was formally
announced. Then on 21 April the report emerged
that Japans bid for the new submarine contract was
considered the weakest on the table as cabinets
National Security Committee finalised its decision on
who would design the navys new fleet of 12 boats.
As the final decision was awaited the Australian
41
PROS AND CONS

One last word
The Japanese Soryu class

boat Hakuryu sails from
Sydney Harbour in late
April after participating
in exercises with the RAN.
Chris Sattler.
the fibal
result
public was flooded with the pros and cons of each

submarine design, the final cost of the boats to be
built and how much of the work would take place in
Australia.
As the big day got closer, this writer noticed more
press and even television advertisements outlining the
strengths of the three designs.
Even after the decision was made, the two losing
tenders and their supporters continued with the
battle claiming any number of negative aspects
about the winning tender, all in effort to embarrass the
Government and try to reverse the announcement.
Unfortunately this type of reaction is all too common
in modern day defence contracts, especially in the
USA. Lets all hope that common sense prevails and
the winning company, Frances DCNS, can get on with
the task and begin with an earlier than announced
construction timeframe for the RANs new generation
of submarines.
One example of negative reporting surfaced again
in late May 2016 with reports of the meetings between
Australian naval officials and the two losing tenders,
claiming that the German and Japanese delegations
had no opportunity to counter claims such as high
radiated noise levels of the German design and that
the French submarine was considered to be more
stealthy than those proposed by either of the other
nations.
... and the winners ...

- the local South Australian shipbuilding industry on
the Port River,
- the Australian and French companies that will
support the massive project,
- the RAN which will now operate the largest sized
conventionally powered submarines,
- the Navy which will have three of their Collins
class boats further upgraded to allow for the
extended building time for the new class,
- the politicians from both the Federal and State
levels, who will now all claim victory for their
efforts, and
- the workers at the companies involved in this very
long building, and later, continuing support project.
42
In May 2016 former Defence Minister Kim Beasley

commented online via the Australian Naval Institute
web page;
As was the case in 1987 when the Swedes won, so it
is now. The boat least expected, the Shortfin Barracuda
Block 1A, won the bid. Selection by the RAN and Defence
Department can be trusted now as it was to be trusted
then. People should understand this. Our Navy and
Defence Department will tolerate political determination
of the size of the program, a determination for a local
build and the location of that build. The premium is
worth it as it massively aids long-term sustainment
and improvement. They will revolt against political
determination of source selection. They have to fight the
boat and they want the best they can get. We have been
lucky with Rear Admiral Greg Sammut as head of the
evaluation team and in the current Service/Departmental
leadership.
Like most directly associated with submarines in the
US at the beginning of this selection, I hoped for the
Japanese outcome. This wasnt related to calculations
about Pacific politics but respect for the Japanese boat
and a fear that politics might suborn it. Paradoxically
the timetable the government set may have scuppered
that outcome. A year was not enough. The Japanese,
not being arms exporters let alone constructors in
another country, needed more time to bid an appealing
design. The RAN demands a bid of the best a country can
offer. They expect every element of a bidding countrys
knowledge and capacity in the design. Thats a very tall
order in a very arcane world. A world in which our Navy is
thoroughly rehearsed courtesy of the Collins.
By all reports, the French gave Australia the best they
could offer. French engineering will be tested to the limits
on this one. They have a brilliant propulsion system and
they will have been careful in their presentation not to
talk above themselves. Its not a simple matter to put a
conventional system into a nuclear boat. I was told by one
American that theres about eight times the amount of
piping in a nuclear boat than a conventional one, so they
should have plenty of space to play with. One hopes we
will have a wiser media and political leadership courtesy
of the Collins experience. That will require the tolerance
and acceptance of the trial and error that goes with the
acquisition of all major defence platforms.
One final word....

With the submarine, future frigate, oiler and offshore
patrol vessel announcements made prior to the
Federal election, it was plainly evident that Defence
overall and the RANs orders for its new generation
ships, was not a subject often mentioned during the
course of the campaign. With the Coalition returned to
office in mid July, the Department, the Navy and the
winning contractors can get on with the long process
of building and then delivering the new tonnage over
the prescribed timeframes.
Issue 93
Australian Warship
PROGRESS
Hobart class on the way
Port broadside view of the new HMAS Hobart, to be commissioned into the RAN in late 2017. The ship is the third RAN fleet unit named after the Tasmanian state
capital city. These three images, of the first two members of the Hobart class guided missile destroyers (DDGs), were taken by Lindsay Rex in late March 2016
during a cruise along the Port River in Adelaide. Note the single 127 mm (five-inch) gun forward of the bridge.
Lead ship Hobart, port quarter of the warship being fitted out. The ships Phalanx close-in-weapons-system (CIWS) is visible above the open helicopter hangar.
Although described as air warfare destroyers, it is hoped that these ships will eventually be classified as DDGs.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
43
PROGRESS
Fine view of NUSHIP Brisbane sitting
high on the building slipway. Brisbane
will be the third RAN warship named
after the Queensland state capital city.
44
Issue 93
Australian Warship
CLASSIC WARSHIP
French Battleship Richelieu
British naval historian Trevor Piper outlines the history of the famous French battlewagon
The battleship Richelieu

arriving in the Hudson
River to begin her US refit
at New York Navy yard on
28 Feb 1943. You can see
that turret 2 has damaged
barrels and the upper
director has been removed
to get under the Brooklyn
Bridge. USN.
hen the defeated French government signed

an armistice with Adolf Hitlers Germany
in the hot summer of 1940 the disposition of the
substantial French fleet became of great concern
to the British. A great number of the warships
were old and of limited fighting value, but there
were quite a few modern warships which would
have been of great value to the Kreigsmarine and
may have altered the numerical balance between
the two nations if the French vessels joined the
German cause.
Just completing her build at Brest was the new
battleship Richelieu, the first of two such ships
under construction, her sister Jean Bart having been
laid down after the Richelieu. The nearly complete
battleship managed to escape being captured by the
Germans and sailed for the French port of Dakar on
15 June 1940. She initially joined the Vichy cause and
was in action several times against the Royal Navy and
US Navy until November 1942 when the allies landed
in Tunisia and it was agreed that French forces in West
Africa would join the allied cause. After a refit in the
USA, Richelieu was deployed mainly in the East until
the wars end. She survived in French service until she
was scrapped in 1968. This is her story.
Design and construction

The announcement in 1934 by the Italian Regia Marina
that they were to build the 35,000 ton Littorio class
battleships caused great consternation in the French
Navy. These new 15 inch gunned ships clearly out
classed the two Dunkerque class battleships then
under construction. To redress the balance, the French
defined the design of a new class of battleships to
counter what they perceived as altering the balance
of power in the Mediterranean. The result was the
Australian Warship
Issue 93
ordering of two new 35,000 ton battleships to be

called Richelieu and Jean Bart. At this time, the French
were unhappy with the signing of the Anglo- German
naval agreement which permitted the Kreigsmarine
to build up to 35% of Royal Navy strength so had no
compunction in ordering the two new ships stating
that they were to counter the new Italian battleships.
After an intensive design effort, the first ship
Richelieu was ordered in August 1935 from Arsenal
de Brest. The building dock there was too short to
accommodate the increased 242 metres length of the
new ship which was 27m above that of the Dunkerque.
Richelieu was constructed in three sections, the main
hull section of 197 metres being built in dry-dock No.4
and the bow section at 43 metres and an eight metre
slice of the stern built elsewhere in the yard and were
attached to the main hull after launching.
Richelieus keel was laid on 22 October 1935, just
before the expiry of the Washington treaty which
limited battleship building. The battleships design
followed the basic hull design of the two earlier ships
including placing the main armament forward in two
quadruple turrets, but the main armament gun size
was increased to 15 inches. The triple gun secondary
turrets sited aft were increased in size to 152mm.
The ship as designed was 813 feet long. Had a beam
of 108 feet with a draught of 32 feet. The four shaft
steam turbine propulsion machinery was powered
by six of the then new and revolutionary Sural boilers
which had forced circulation and pressure firing which
produced a steam volume far in excess of conventional
boilers.
The ship was capable of sustained high speed but
the forced draft fans were barely adequate and as a
consequence the ship had a reputation of producing
too much black smoke as a result of poor combustion
capable of
high speeds
45
CLASSIC WARSHIP
British, but the political situation in France dictated
that she sail to West Africa. She had onboard 289 main
armament rounds and but only enough bag charges
for 49 firings. The ship took eight days to reach Dakar;
the main engineering issue on route was the continual
failure of the rudder servo motors. The desperate
political situation in France resulted in an Armistice
and the formation of the Vichy Government. As a result
the CinC of West Africa was instructed that the ship
was to remain under the French flag and to prevent
the ship falling to the Allies or sail to the USA. It was
decided to sail the ship to Casablanca and she was
closely shadowed by HMS Hermes but the battleship
soon received orders to return to Dakar where she
arrived into the anchorage on 28 June.
Action against British 8 July 1940
From top:
Richelieu in September
1943. USN.
The battleship on her
northwards transit of
the Suez Canal on 30
January 1946, seen from
HMS Indomitable. Charles
Heath.
A post war study of the
Richelieu underway in
the Mediterranean whilst
operating as a training
ship. USN.
and sooting of the boiler tubes. There were four sets

of Parsons geared turbines producing 155shp with
each set driving a four blade propeller. The Richelieu
attained 32 knots on trials. Construction of the ship
was painfully slow due to a myriad of reasons, and it
was 39 months after the keel was laid that she was
launched in January 1939. By then the war clouds were
once again gathering over Europe, and the French
Government requested rapid completion of the
Richelieu and her sister Jean Bart with the shipyard
staff working an 84 hour week.
In January 1940 the Richelieu ran her first
machinery trials and afterwards was docked down for
attention to her underwater fittings and propellers.
Escape from Brest

Trials were nearly complete by mid June 1940, but with
German tanks fast approaching Brest it was decided to
sail the ship on 15 June to Dakar. It had been expected
that the battleship would sail to the Clyde to join the
46
With the souring of relations with the British after

the action against the French fleet at Mers el-Kebir,
the British decided that the Richelieu should also be
disabled and as a result was attacked by a torpedo
strike of Swordfish aircraft from the old carrier HMS
Hermes. Five missed but one struck the battleship
on the starboard side near the stern, the impact
magnified by the shallow water under the ship. A
large hole was blown in the battleships starboard
side and her two starboard shafts were damaged.
Many electrical systems put out of action and the
two directors on top of the bridge were lifted from
their mountings. The ship rapidly flooded from the
stern, with even the armoured citadel flooding due
to water flowing through the bulkhead cable tunnels
and glands. Counter flooding to correct the trim was
instigated to allow the ship to move into the port only
using the serviceable port turbines. She continued to
take on water and by the next day 2,400 tons had been
shipped, and the stern was grounding at low tide. The
dockyard at Dakar did not possess the infrastructure
to repair the damage and consideration was given to
patching Richelieu up enough to sail to Cherbourg,
Le Havre or Toulon. The first two were unfortunately
now in occupied France and a transit to Toulon would
have meant passing through the Strait of Gibraltar and
facing the Royal Navy. The precarious situation meant
that the ship had to be repaired at Dakar, and after a
canvas and steel ribbed patch was secured pumping
out could begin. It was not successful. To enable more
permanent repairs, a steel cofferdam was constructed
at Dakar and secured to the ship in January 1941.
Battle of Dakar
By the summer of 1940 the Vichy Government and the
Free French administration under General De Gaulle
were basically on opposite sides and the Richelieu was
caught between the two. The Free French supported
by the British arrived off Dakar on 23 September to
try and win over the authorities there. They were
met with gunfire from the Richelieu who fired her
main and secondary armament at the RN battleships
Barham and Resolution. Twenty 15 rounds were fired
and luckily all missed, as did the 250 rounds fired by
the British. In the action the next day the Richelieu
suffered three barrel explosions in turret 2 due to
poor powder charges. The free French failed to deter
Issue 93
Australian Warship
CLASSIC WARSHIP
a successful landing and withdrew, but not before the
submarine Beveziers torpedoed and damaged HMS
resolution. The hull breach was sealed at the end of
February 1942, and by April the ship was able to make
14 knots on three shafts.
Repairs in the USA

The next year was a relatively quiet time for the
Richelieu and in November the Allies landed near
Casablanca, and the French Forces in West Africa
joined the allied cause. After a brief survey it was
decided to send the battleship to New York navy
yard for a comprehensive refit, the ship arriving
on 11 February 1943. Her hull and machinery were
overhauled, a new starboard propeller shaft was
manufactured, and her damaged guns were replaced
by a number removed from the Jean Bart. All the
aircraft equipment on the stern was removed to
provide more space for additional anti-aircraft guns.
The radar fit was changed, but the US Navy did not feel
comfortable in supplying a modern gun control set.
The repair and modernisation was a challenge for the
engineers at New York Navy Yard as the French ship
was built to metric rather than imperial measurements.
On completion of her modernisation the additional
equipment increased her displacement to 43,600
tons, but during her trials in late September 1943 and
October the battleship attained just over 30 knots.
Home Fleet
Richelieu sailed from Boston on 14 October 1943
bound directly for Gibraltar, but her destination
was changed to Mers el-Kebir in mid Atlantic. After
taking on stores, she departed for Scapa Flow where
she joined the Home Fleet battleships King George
V, Duke of York and Howe under the command of
Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser. Whilst there swinging on her
anchor British Type 284 fire control radar was fitted
for main armament control, and additional spares
and projectiles were taken from her incomplete sister
Jean Bart. After a long period of frustrating inactivity
Richelieu joined the other ships of the Home fleet
including the carrier Furious in Operation Posthorn
a sweep against German shipping to the North of
Norway. The operation was not a success with only
one 3,000 ton cargo ship being sunk. The Richelieu
then proceeded to Rosyth for a ten day rest period.
Planning for the invasion of France was well advanced
in early 1944, and the French hoped that the Richelieu
would take her part in the bombardment force, but
the lack of HE shells available for her unique guns
meant that she was deployed to the Eastern Fleet at
Trincomalee at the request of the US Navy who wanted
modern warships in the Indian Ocean.
Eastern Fleet
Richelieu sailed from Greenock in mid March, and
after a stop at Algiers she ran at 25 knots to the Suez
Canal. Unfortunately this period saw reoccurring
problems with her boilers, the forced draught blowers
proving inadequate, casing much black smoke and
poor fuel consumption. Repairs were carried out in the
sweltering heat of Aden but the machinery troubles
continued. The battleship finally arrived at Trincomalee
Australian Warship
Issue 93
on 10 April to find the battleships Queen Elizabeth

and Valiant, the battlecruiser Renown and the carriers
Illustrious and USS Saratoga in the anchorage. After
just six days, Admiral Sommerville sailed his force on
Operation Cockpit a raid on the Japanese installations
at Sabang, 2,000 miles from Trincomalee. Richelieu did
not get the opportunity to fire her main armament, but
her secondary guns engaged a few Japanese bombers
that strayed near the fleet. The fleet returned to
Trincomalee until the next deployment on Operation
Transom in May 1944 which was a carrier air attack
on the former Dutch base at Soerabaya. The raid was
deemed a success, despite the distance from Ceylon,
and the fleet less the USS Saratoga which returned
to the central Pacific was once again at anchor on
27 May. During this operation the British were most
impressed with the battleships fuel economy and her
alongside refuelling practices, which were vastly more
efficient than the British over the stern method. News
from Europe of the invasion of France frustrated the
crew who wished to take part in the liberation of their
homeland, but it was not to be and the battleship
took part in a further two sorties against the Japanese
in the Bay of Bengal and again to Sabang. This time
alongside the carrier aircraft strikes, the Richelieu
carried out a main armament shoot, firing four gun
salvos and hitting her target area with the second
salvo, firing a total of 81 rounds, at twice the speed of
the Queen Elizabeth and Valiant. The force returned to
Trincomalee on 27 July.
French refit
The warm waters of the East meant that Richelieus
hull and machinery needed an overhaul and it was
envisaged that this would be carried out in the
recently arrived floating dock, but this was declined
as the ability to lift a 48,500 ton ship was in question.
This was a wise decision as the dock collapsed in
August seriously damaging HMS Valiant. In early
September the Richelieu sailed for Europe, docking
at Toulon on the first day of October. The dockyard
facilities at Toulon had suffered badly so the battleship
sailed on to Casablanca. Apart from a hull clean and
paint and machinery repairs the main effort was
directed at fitting improved surveillance and gunnery
control radar sets shipped from the UK. The refit was
completed in late January 1945 and the ship sailed
once again to the Indian Ocean via a short docking
period at Gibraltar for her underwater hull to be
scraped and painted.
Richelieu
was caught
between
two (French)
sides
Final operations
The French Government were keen to deploy a
balanced force of Richelieu and supporting cruisers
and destroyers, but this proposal was effectively
vetoed by the US Navy who said that any French
force must be autonomous and be self supporting.
No support would be provided by the US who were
against the French trying to reassert colonial rule over
their former colonies at the wars end. The battleship
arrived at Trincomalee in late March to find that
most of the modern British ships had left for Sydney
to form the British Pacific Fleet leaving just Queen
Elizabeth and Renown with ten escort carriers and
47
CLASSIC WARSHIP
Richelieu in her final years.

USN.
in her
later years
Richelieu
served in the
training role
nine cruisers under Admiral Power to form the East

Indies Fleet. The battleship joined this force and sailed
for Operation Sunfish, a bombardment of Sabang
and carrier strikes on Padang. The fleet retuned to
Trincomalee on 20 April. One week later the fleet sailed
on Operation Bishop which started with a shore
bombardment of the two airfields on Nicobar Islands.
During this engagement the Richelieu opened fire
at 23,600 metres, firing eighty 15 inch rounds. The
ships salvos were very accurate, landing within 100
metres of the target. In poor weather, the force then
headed north to the Andaman Islands, but the poor
visibility prevented accurate shooting. This sortie
unfortunately emptied her 15 inch magazines, so when
the force attacked the dockyard at Port Blair she had
only her secondary armament available. The accurate
gunfire quickly destroyed the dockyard installations
which were never again used by the Japanese. The
force then covered the landings at Rangoon before
returning to Trincomalee on 8 May 1945. A further
sortie in company with the cruiser HMS Cumberland to
intercept the Japanese cruiser Haguro proved abortive
when the cruiser was attacked and sunk by British
destroyers before Richelieu and Cumberland could
bring the Japanese ship to battle.
Refit at Durban
The continued hard running and long distances run by
the battleship was affecting the reliability of a number
of systems aboard Richelieu so it was decided to send
her to Durban to refit. On passage to Durban where
she arrived on 18 July, she stopped at Diego Suarez to
put ashore non white personnel to avoid racial conflict
in South Africa. After a period alongside, the ship was
docked down for underwater repairs and a bottom
clean and paint. Her boilers were also re-tubed again
to try and eliminate the black smoke that she emitted
when steaming hard. The battleship left Durban for
trials on 10 August and arrived at Trincomalee on 18
August by which time the war in the Far East was over.
Wars end
Richelieu sailed from Ceylon on 7 September in
company with HMS Nelson to provide cover for the
landings in Southern Malaysia, but two days later a
mine detonated on her starboard side adjacent to
turret one, but there was little damage except for
a few buckled plates and more seriously, the loss of
3,000 litres of wine. The ship continued south and
48
was present at the formal surrender of Singapore.

After a brief return to Trincomalee the ship sailed
for Indochina in support of the return to French rule
there which was bitterly opposed by the Viet-Minh.
In late November the battleship fired over 200 rounds
of 152mm and 100mm in support of French ground
forces ashore. The ship was relieved by the carrier
Bearn and three cruisers in December and she left the
Far East for home arriving to an emotional welcome at
Toulon in early February 1946. A few trooping voyages
followed to North Africa before the battleship docked
at Cherbourg on 16 March for a four month refit and
overhaul. Whilst at Cherbourg her mine damage was
repaired, the machinery overhauled, and a propeller
was replaced. The badly damaged French dockyard
infrastructure and the severe French fiscal constraints
extended the refit somewhat, and it was not until
August 1946 that the battleship sailed for Portsmouth
carrying the crew to man the carrier Arromanches, (ex
HMS Colossus) loaned for five years to France.
Final years
In September 1946 Richelieu undertook an autumn
cruise to the Mediterranean and West Africa, and for
the next three years carried out training cruises and
exercises as flagship of the Force dInternational . The
French Admiral considered that the flag spaces aboard
the battleship were antiquated, but funding issues
precluded any additional work in this area for the ship.
In April 1949 the Richelieu was placed into the reserve
to release funding for the completion of her sister Jean
Bart. A year later the Richelieu began a two year refit
at Cherbourg, the first major refit since that carried out
in New York in 1943. In addition to hull and machinery
repairs, the 15 inch gun barrels in turret one were
replaced and the 152mm barrels retubed. The existing
radars were just updated as there was insufficient
funding available for more modern replacements.
When the refit was nearly complete it was decided
to allocate the Richelieu as a gunnery training ship
requiring additional accommodation and classrooms
to be worked into the ship. The battleship was then
based at Toulon and sailed for training on about four
days each month. The ship was finally laid up at Brest
in early 1956 and was used as a floating barracks for
Officer training until the end of September 1967 when
she was sold to Italian ship breakers to be scrapped at
La Spezia. By late 1969 she was gone.
Issue 93
Australian Warship
BOOK REVIEWS
0226 AVB Aust Warship QP.qxp 2/06/2016 10:19 am Page 1
New naval books HOT New Book Release

World Naval Review 2016 and Honour Denied,
reviewed by Ross Gillett
hese two impressive naval books have recently been published

for the ever-growing library of naval volumes produced by
Seaforth Publishing in the United Kingdom and Avonmore Books
in South Australia. The first, World Naval Review 2016, is the allimportant annual edition of current world naval developments.
The second book, by renowned Australian naval author Dr Tom
Lewis describes the heroes and warriors of the RAN.
World Naval Review (WNR)
Seaforths WNR 2016 is the eighth in

the series that began back in 2009. For
many, this book has taken the place of
the much older Janes Fighting Ships
and at just 30 pounds sterling is a
fraction of the cost. WNR 2016 is the
result of the efforts of the Editor Conrad
Waters, supported by the writing skills
of seven of the worlds most renowned
Honour Denied was ocially launched by the Tasmanian Premier on

31st May, 2016. Award-winning author Dr Tom Lewis, OAM, argues the
iconic Teddy Sheean should receive the RANs rst ever Victoria Cross.
H O N O U R D EN IE D
Teddy Sheean A Tasmanian Hero...
and other brave
warriors of the Royal
Australian Navy.
by Dr Tom Lewis
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naval writers. The result is a 192 page book devoted to an extensive

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coverage of the Worlds Fleets, lengthy examinations of four of the most
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Significant Ships, and a three part Technical Review highlighted by
shop@avonmorebooks.com.au
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with Aust Warship Special Oer
The 82 page long World Fleet Reviews section is required reading for
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operating out of four regions; North and South America, Asia and
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included in this section are two expansive Regional Reviews, in this
edition and of particular interest to Australian readers, the Indonesian
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Navy and the British Royal Navy.
Titled Lofty Ambitions tempered by Economic Realities, the Indonesian
fleet survey, takes the reader deep into the history, evolution and current strategy of Asia Pacifics fifth largest economy. Many may be somewhat
surprised as to the size of the current fleet, but even more amazed at the plans for future ships and an increased level of local construction. One
of the more fascinating photographs depicts an elderly Dutch-built Van Speijk (Leander) class frigate launching a very large Russian designed
P-800 Yakhont surface to surface missile. Almost 50 years old, these frigates have been given a massive increase in offensive power through
four of these vertically launched missiles. Two of the silo tubes have been positioned either side of the original helicopter hangar.
The chapter Royal Navy: A Thin Blue Line, is for the fan of the mother navy, but in this instance the state of the modern day British Fleet in the
run-up to last years Strategic Defence and Security Review. Currently the RN is well into the process of reconstructing a viable naval force, based
around its two new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers and their accompanying escorts and support ships. If the Government refrains from
cutting existing and planned force levels, there may indeed be a positive future for their senior service.
As stated above, four of the worlds new warship classes are exhaustively examined in the 76 page section devoted to Significant Ships. Two of
the designs, the Dutch Holland class offshore patrol vessels and the Turkish MILGEM class corvettes are particular interest, with the upcoming
decision by the RAN to replace the hard-working Armidale class patrol boats. The Holland and MILGEM class articles provide excellent
descriptions as to the type of patrol combatant that could be acquired for the Australian Fleet. Highly recommended.
www.avonmorebooks.com.au
Honour Denied
Written by Dr Tom Lewis and published by Avonmore Books, this Australian naval book focuses upon Ordinary
Seaman Teddy Sheean, a Tasmanian Hero. It asks the very important question; why hasnt one member of the
RAN ever been awarded the Victoria Cross, for after all, up to early 2016, 96 Army and four RAAF personnel had
received the prestigious award.
According to the author, it was from not a lack of bravery that this unjust situation has arisen, but from
substantial unfairness. For example, while his fellow crew members aboard the Bathurst class corvette HMAS
Armidale were abandoning their ship, Tasmanias Teddy Sheean returned to his 20mm Oerlikon gun to continue
firing at a force of attacking Japanese aircraft.
To be awarded a VC, during the Great War and then Second World War, the RAN, unlike the Army and RAAF, had
to apply for their awards through Britains Royal Navy, with its many additional levels of red-tape.
As well as Sheean, two other naval heroes also deserved such an award, CAPT Hec Waller aboard the light cruiser
HMAS Perth, lost in the battle of the Sunda Strait on 1 March 1942 and LCDR Robert Rankin aboard the sloop
HMAS Yarra just three days later. The tiny Yarra engaged the enemy with her four inch guns, but the convoy she
was escorting was quickly overwhelmed. Sometime after 0800 Rankin finally gave the order to abandon ship. A
direct hit on the bridge killed him minutes later. Of Yarras complement of 151 men, only thirteen were rescued.
Keith Payne, VC AM, in his afterword to Honour Denied, wrote;
I feel that there were cases in World War II in the Navy where a Victoria Cross should have been recommended and awarded.... It is never too late
for a gallantry award to be recommended and approved, especially since we have our own awards system.
Author Dr Tom Lewis should be congratulated for pursuing and thus highlighting this important part of RAN history and its associated or should
I say, lack of suitable awards. Navy has and continues to be engaged in many important actions with much effort and in many cases, heroism by
its crews.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
49
IMPRESSIONS
What aircraft carrier is that?

Tom Lewis visits the new HMAS Adelaide
Looking forward from

HMAS Adelaides bridge. All
onboard photos courtesy
Tom Lewis.
the biggest
ever operated
by the RAN
50
he size of the new Australian aircraft carrier is

what first impresses you. The ships are huge
the biggest ever operated by the Royal Australian
Navy. At 27, 850 tonnes they are 7,850 more
displacement tonnes more than the old carrier
Melbourne, the fixed wing ship which finished up
in 1984, when the Hawke Government decided to
get the country out of the carrier business. With
that decision went a whole heap of capability skill
sets. But now they are being re-learnt.
The Navy doesnt call these two ships HMAS
Adelaide and HMAS Canberra aircraft carriers. They
call them amphibious assault ships, but also LHDs
Landing, Helicopter, Dock vessels. But your average
civilian would look at these monsters and see a
floating runway; superstructure on the right hand side
could be called an island and see an aircraft carrier.
So whats the difference?
Aviation
First, these ships carry helicopters, not fixed wing jets.
The ski jump on the bow remains it is part of the
design and helps lift conventional planes into the air,
although the LHDs may never carry them. Removing
the ski-jump, which weighs hundreds of tonnes, would
change the ships handling dramatically and require a
lot of work. So it was left in place.
Second, these ships are designed around a different
concept. They are not to project airpower, but rather

land power, for they are to carry infantry which can
be put ashore by the ships helicopters, and also its
landing craft the Landing part of the title, which
leave the LHD for their destination through the stern
doors, which are opened to flood the rear section: a
giant dock.
Size
Its quite a complicated equation. Even though
as a retired Navy bloke, and someone who had
experienced land warfare, I understood the concepts
well enough, its another deal to walk down into the
well dock fortunately dry at the time and feel
dwarfed by the very size of a giant cavernous space,
inside the stern of the vessel.
Everything else about the LHDs is big too. Their
crew is 450 strong, with 62 of them Army, working
closely in concert with the Navy people in order to
bring about the concept of putting troops ashore.
There is not one storage deck but two they call
them vehicle decks, and they are capable of carrying
a number of the big Abrams 65-tonne (Main Battle
Tank) monsters the modern Australian Army use. There
are side doors as well , which can link to a wharf. The
engines are also big; pods which can rotate to bring a
delicacy of handling to the ship which is surprising.
Issue 93
Australian Warship
IMPRESSIONS
Question
But many warrior-types I speak to want to know
just one thing. How many infantry can this ship put
ashore? Its a difficult question. The first landings
would be from a company - 120 soldiers, but theyd
be backed up by all that would be necessary: artillery,
a headquarters section, signals, and so on. The
helicopters would if necessary transfer more troops
out to a defensive arc. Officially, each LHD can put up
to 1000 soldiers ashore.
How many helicopters? The hanger can
accommodate up to eight medium sized helicopters
with 18 medium sized helicopters able to be carried
if the light vehicle deck is also used. Like everything
measurable about an LHD, it all depends on what you
want to do on the mission.
Over 100 vehicles can be carried but that would
be only if you werent cramming the ship with tanks.
Your load-out is going to be very different for a
humanitarian rescue mission as opposed to an infantry
assault.
Shiny feel
I was impressed by the shiny new feel of the ship, but
then again she is still pretty much a new arrival. The
ships company morale is high, theyve got one of the
most capable platforms in the world and they know it.
For those of us, including me, concerned about
defence of the vessel, thats where the new Hobart
class guided missile destroyers come in. Three of them
are rolling out of the yards, and in a hostile situation
thats where they would be; protecting an LHD.
Theres close-up defence on board the LHD too;
20mm Typhoon chain guns are mounted at the
corners of the ship, with two at the bow and two at
the stern. Theres also spots for the trusty .50 calibre
(12.7mm) machine guns, and a towed Nixie antitorpedo defence system.
All up, the two new LHDs represent a big step up
for naval and amphibious capability in the Australian
forces. A big well done to all concerned.
The writer would like to thank Lieutenant-Colonel
James Parkins for facilitating his tour of HMAS Adelaide,
and also Captain Tony Rayner RAN and Commodore Lee
Goddard RAN.
Above:
Fine view of the ships
flight deck, towards the ski
jump.
Left:
Close-up of the ships
forward starboard Typhoon
gun mount. HMAS Sirius
is in the background,
alongside the Cruiser
wharf.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
51
IMPRESSIONS
Top: Inside the heavy vehicle deck. The port-side internal ships ramp is visible on the left,
leading to the light vehicle deck/hangar above.
Right: Looking aft from the ski jump. Six helicopters can operate from the flight deck at the
same time.
Below: Onboard medical facilities.
52
Issue 93
Australian Warship
IMPRESSIONS
Top: The main hangar deck, looking aft to the stern elevator.
Left: The very spacious well dock, is divided into two sections, each able to secure two LHD
landing craft (LLC).
Below: FLYCO, located behind the bridge.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
53
EUROPE
The Royal Navy frigate

HMS Monmouth sails from
Portsmouth. All photos
courtesy Steve Ashton.
Supply ship RFA Fort Rosalie

arrives in Portsmouth.
German guided missile

frigate FGS Hamburg.
54
Issue 93
Australian Warship
FREMANTLE
Same names
Chris Gee reports from Fremantle
Right: Ocean Protector, ex Skandi Protector, ex ADV

Ocean Protector, ex Skandi Bergen (built 2007). This
former Aker ROV 06 design offshore support vessel
was initially chartered to the Australian Customs and
Border Protection Service (ABCPS) now known as
Australian Border Force (ABF) as a Southern Ocean
patrol vessel named ADV Ocean Protector. The vessel
began this role in September 2010, including with the
RAN from 12 August to 14 October 2011. In 2014 she
was then returned to her Norwegian owners, DOF
Subsea, being renamed Skandi Protector for duties in
the Asia-Pacific region offshore industry. Then in late
2015 DOF Subsea announced that they had agreed to sell Skandi Protector to the Commonwealth Government.
As Skandi Protector she arrived at Fremantle from Vung Tau and Singapore on 23 January 2016 and proceeded to HMAS Stirling to berth. Since
then this vessel has been again renamed, reverting to Ocean Protector, but this time with the prefix ADV (Australian Defence Vessel) instead of
the former ACV (Australian Customs Vessel). Registry was also transferred from the Bahamas back to Australia again. She remained at FBW and
on 29 January was joined there by the arrival of the slightly larger Ocean Shield. This interesting situation of the two vessels, both of which were
originally named Skandi Bergen, had them berthed together at HMAS Stirling! After her recent purchase, the vessel underwent modifications in
a Singapore shipyard including the fitting of a large grey painted housing structure on the main deck attached to the rear of the accommodation
block. It is unusual that the ADV name-prefix is now part of her officially registered name and is likewise painted on the hull as part of the name.
As such she arrived at Fremantle from ocean patrols on 22 May 2016 and berthed at the BAE shipyard on the south side of the shiplifter facility.
Ocean Protector remained there until the 29th when she shifted to the Kwinana ORAN anchorage to take on bunkers from the supply tanker
Vacamonte. The Fremantle-registered vessel departed for sea that evening. Hans Fairhurst.
Below: ADV Ocean Shield, ex Skandi Bergen (built 2007), is also owned by the Commonwealth Government and operated by the Australian
Border Force as a multi-role offshore patrol vessel. Her Australian connection began on 13 December 2011 with the decision to secure a
humanitarian and disaster relief ship as a back-up to the RANs then force of Choules, Tobruk and the six LCHs. Purchased from DOF Subsea in
Norway she was intended to provide the ADF with an increased capability required up to the arrival of the LHDs in the middle of the decade.
This second Skandi Bergen was purchased for slightly less than $130m in March 2012, as a commercial (off-the-shelf) vessel, requiring only
minimal modifications to operate effectively during her short naval career. After sea trials in May 2012, the vessel also operated in the Southern
Ocean, to provide patrols, surveillance and detection of illegal fishing craft. She was handed over to Customs in 2014. ABF.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
55
UK UPDATE
Special carrier report

65,000 tonne giant warship
he Royal Navys senior sailor wants the maiden

arrival of the new aircraft carrier HMS Queen
Elizabeth into her home port in 2017 to become an
iconic moment seared into Portsmouths and the
nations memory.
First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir George Zambellas,
has laid down the gauntlet to civic and business
leaders, schools, and naval veterans, to provide
an unforgettable greeting for the brand new
65,000-tonne carrier.
Biggest ever
Given the size of the ship and Britains overall
investment in her, as well as sistership HMS Prince of
Wales and the force of F-35B Lightning II jets which will
fly from their decks, Queen Elizabeths initial entry into
Portsmouth will likely become an event of national and
international significance.
Thirty-three years ago millions watched the
wreck of Henry VIIIs flagship Mary Rose rise from the
seabed, the admiral said. Now in the final stages of
completion at Rosyth, Queen Elizabeth is expected
to proceed sea for contractor trials in late 2016.
The carrier will then return to the Forth for a final
period of fitting out, tweaks and testing by both the
Aircraft Carrier Alliance and ships company, and is
due to provide an imposing backdrop at the naming
ceremony for the second of the class, Prince of Wales,
before she heads south to her future homeport.
Thousands of people will flock to Southsea and
Old Portsmouth to see her arrive, Admiral Zambellas
added. Millions more will watch on TV and not just
in the UK. Images of the ship and the city will be
viewed in Washington and Beijing, Delhi and Sydney.
Portsmouth will have a ringside seat and a global
audience for this historic day.
UK debut for F-35B

The RNs new strike fighter, the F-35B Lightning
II stealth jet will make its UK debut later this year.
Meanwhile RN personnel have been testing and
evaluating the new jets as part of 17(R) Squadron at
Edwards Air Force Base in California. UK government
recently announced plans to speed up the purchase
of 24 of the combat aircraft so that two front-line
squadrons 809 NAS and 617 Squadron RAF will be
operating from the two new carriers by 2023.
Biggest ever
From top:
new carriers alongside
Portsmouth. All photos RN.
F-35B Lightning II stealth
ghter aircraft.
Portsmouths new naval
tug.
56
To assist the Royal Navys new carriers into and out of

Portsmouth a new super tug is under construction.
Expected to arrive in the port early in 2017, the tug is a
small, but powerful craft which will be vital to guiding
the 65,000-tonne leviathan into and out of harbour
and on and off the wall at the new Princess Royal jetty.
The 107 feet long craft is designed with a bollard pull
of 84 tonnes; standard tugs are measured at 50 tonnes,
and those working with large commercial vessels at
60-65 tonnes.
Issue 93
Australian Warship
Honouring those who were only 19

Veterans Remembered Hoodie
Boldly emblazoned
with dynamic Vietnam
War artwork
Versatile hoodie-style
crafted in an easycare, cotton-blend
Huey chopper
zip pull
Only from The

Bradford Exchange
If you served in South-East Asia, sacrifice and mateship kept you alive
when the world turned its back on you. And now pride lets you stand
tall, shoulder to shoulder with the greatest legends of the Anzac tradition.
Share in that pride when you wear our Veterans Remembered Hoodie,
a tribute design only from The Bradford Exchange and endorsed by the
Defence Force Welfare Association of Australia.
Bold custom art classic hoodie appeal

The back features a powerful image of Aussie diggers in action, protected
by an Iroquois Huey chopper, along with the message, A Nations
Gratitude. The left sleeve defiantly says Sacrifice Mateship Pride.
The front features an embroidered Huey patch and a zip pull. Design
details include deep front pockets, knit cuffs and hem and chrome-look
metal tippets on the hood drawstring.
Affordable Value with a Money-Back Guarantee

Available in four sizes, the Veterans Remembered Hoodie is a true
value at just $99.98 or 2 instalments of $49.99, plus $14.99 postage and
handling and backed by our 30-day guarantee. To reserve your hoodie,
send no money now, just return the coupon or go online today at
www.bradford.com.au/veterans
For quickest delivery, order online:
Australian Warship
Quoting promotion code: 87128
Issue 93
"
2016
The Bradford Exchange Ltd.
A.B.N. 13 003 159 617
403-NIN04.01
PAY NOTHING NOW
THE BRADFORD
EXCHANGE
Please Respond
Promptly
YES! Please reserve the
Veterans Remembered
Hoodie for me as described in
this advertisement. I understand
I need pay nothing now. I have
indicated my size below.
q M (38-40)
q L (42-44)
q XL (46-48)
q XXL (50-52)
Please allow up to 10 business days for
delivery. All sales subject to product availability
and reservation acceptance. Credit criteria may
apply. Our privacy policy is available online at
www.bradford.com.au. From time to time, we
may allow carefully screened companies to
contact you. If you would prefer not to receive
such offers, please tick this box. q
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms _________ First Name: ______________________________________

Surname: ______________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ Postcode: ______________
Phone: _______________________________________________________________
Email: _______________________________________________________________
Reserve yours today. 3 easy options:

1. MAIL no stamp required, to:
The Bradford Exchange, Reply Paid 86369

Parramatta NSW 2124
or
or
2. PHONE: Toll-Free 1300 725 103
8am-5pm E.S.T Mon Fri
3. ONLINE at www.bradford.com.au/veterans
quoting promotion code: 87128
57
AROUND AUSSIE WATERS
HMAS Success in late

April. The AOR sailed for
a work-up in the Tasman
Sea following her most
recent refit in the Captain
Cook Graving Dock and
alongside the Oil Wharf at
Garden Island. Chris Sattler.
RAN S-70B-2 Seahawk

anti-submarine helicopter
in flight above North
Head at the entrance to
Sydney Harbour. This
model Seahawk has been
progressively replaced by
the more modern MH-60R
(Romeo) Seahawks. Chris
Sattler. The S-70B-2s main
weapon is the Mk46 antisubmarine torpedo.
The Australian Armys

AM1354 underway on
Sydney Harbour in April
2016. Named Red Viper, the
85 tonne craft is operated
by Army Special Operations.
She entered service in 1999.
Chris Sattler.
Close company! Two of the

RANs new LHD landing
craft, L4406 and L4401,
race across Sydney Harbour
bound for HMAS Waterhen.
Chris Sattler.
58
Issue 93
Australian Warship
AROUND AUSSIE WATERS
HMA Ships Ballarat and

Adelaide depart Sydney
Harbour for exercises.
Photo taken from North
Head. Chris Sattler.
The MRH-90 Taipan is the

navys multi-role helicopter
manufactured by Australian
Aerospace. The RAN
normally operates six of
the type, from a pool of 46
shared with the Australian
Army. Chris Sattler.
D1, the new RAN diving

craft, underway on Sydney
Harbour. Chris Sattler.
Man overboard training for

L4405 on 11 July 2016. Chris
Sattler.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
59
RN NEWS
HMS Artful was handed

over the Royal Navy on
14 December 2015 and
commissioned on 18 March
2016. RN.
Final sea trials
Decade of duties
Artful, the third of the Royal

Navys new Astute class
attack submarines, has
been busy conducting final
contractor sea trials ahead
of her maiden deployment.
The boat sailed from
Barrow-in-Furness in
August 2015 for her new
home at HM Naval Base
Clyde and after that, proved
her systems and equipment
at sea. A highlight of the
recent trials was the firing
of six training variants
of the RNs heavyweight
Spearfish torpedo on the
British Underwater Testing
and Evaluation Centre
near the Isle of Skye. Artful
continued these trials until
mid-March 2016 when she
was commissioned at a
ceremony at Clyde on the
18th.
HMS Daring, the first Type

45 destroyer, reached a
milestone 10th birthday on
22 February 2016. Launched
at Scotstoun on an overcast
February day in 2006,
Daring sailed into her home
port almost three years
to the day. To mark the
anniversary crew members
formed the number ten
on the ships flight deck as
the first of the Royal Navys
air defence destroyers
reached her special
birthday. Crew paused
weapons and aviation
training off Portland as the
Portsmouth-based warship
emerged from a period of
maintenance to celebrate
the milestone.
New frigate class

The British Government
sprung a surprise last
November when it
launched its new 2015

strategic defence and
security review. Part of it
was the decision to build
a new class of at least five
or more smaller, cheaper
general purpose frigates for
the Royal Navy. By March
2016, with the process of
a new concept study well
underway, news circulated
that the RN would allot
Type 31 as the number
for the new warship.
Replacing the Type 23
frigate from around 2022,
the new 7,000 ton Type
26 was to have operated
in a general purpose role
as well as undertake its
primary anti-submarine
warfare mission. Now the
newer Type 31 program
has emerged as part of the
SDSR announcement which
cut the numbers of the Type
26 anti-submarine warfare
frigates to be built from a
planned 13 to eight.
Wildcat new era

The first four of 12 new
Wildcats was delivered to
815 Naval Air Squadron in
April as the Fleet Air Arms
largest squadron began the
switch from Lynx after 35
years. By March 2017 the
Yeovilton squadron will
gradually retire the Lynx
Mk8 as its successor takes
over as the wings of frontline destroyers and frigates.
With the ultimate Lynx,
the Mk8, gradually being
phased out of service
Wildcat will rapidly take
its place. Although it looks
like a Lynx the tailplane
makes it stand out from its
forebear Wildcat shares
just 60 parts with the older
aircraft and the cockpit is
completely digital (not a
hybrid of dials, knobs and
computer systems).
The Type 23 frigate

St Albans, and her 12
sisterships, will be replaced
by the future Type 26 and
Type 31 frigates. Here St
Albans is exercising with a
Saudi Navy minehunter. RN.
60
Issue 93
Australian Warship
US NEWS
February 2016 view of

the Spearhead class unit
Choctaw County (T-EPF-2)
o Djibouti in the Gulf of
Aden. USN.
Speed
Researchers at the Naval
Postgraduate School
(NPS) are working on a
vessel that could travel
at more than 100 knots,
carrying 25 sailors. The
team is developing
models and simulations
that would aid in the
potential development
of a Joint UItra HighSpeed Vessel (JUHSV).
With the Spearheadclass Expeditionary Fast
Transport vessels beginning
to prove their usefulness,
the services are examining
the high-speed vessel at
the next level, smaller and
faster.
COD Osprey
In February 2016, the USN
announced that the new
generation Carrier Onboard
Delivery (COD) aircraft
of the future would be a
maritime variant of the
V-22 Osprey. Previously the
COD aircraft was referred
to as the Navy variant, but
Australian Warship
now the new Osprey has

the official designation of
CMV-22B.
The CODs main role is to
provide the Joint Force
Maritime Component
Commander with timecritical, long-range aerial
logistics support by
transporting personnel,
mail and priority cargo from
advance bases to the sea
base. The new CMV-22B will
be the same as the MV-22B
but with an extendedrange fuel system, a
high-frequency radio and
a public address system.
The USN has plans for a
total of 44 CMV-22B aircraft.
Production is expected
to begin in 2018, with
deliveries of the aircraft
from 2020.
Zumwalt underway
On 21 March the future
guided-missile destroyer
USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000)
departed the Bath Iron
Works shipyard for its
second at-sea period to
Issue 93
conduct builders trials.

DDG 1000 is the lead
ship of the Zumwalt-class
destroyers, a class of nextgeneration multi-mission
surface combatants tailored
for land attack and littoral
dominance with capabilities
that defeat current and
projected threats.
Standard 6
The USN successfully
conducted a demonstration
of the surface-to-air
Standard Missile-6 Block I
(SM-6 Blk I) from USS John
Paul Jones (DDG 53) off
the Hawaiian coast. The
strike demonstrated and
validated that the legacy
Anti-Surface Warfare
capability of the Aegis
Weapon System Mk7 and
Standard Missile-2 have
been successfully carried
forward into the latest
Aegis Combat System
Baseline and SM-6. The
weapon is the sixth variant
of the Standard Missile
family developed for the
Navy with Raytheon Missile

Systems.
Flight III
The first Flight III Arleigh
Burke guided missile
destroyer for the USN
will be built at General
Dynamics Bath Iron Works.
The ship will feature the
first operational installation
of the Raytheon AN/SPY-6
Air and Missile Defence
Radar (AMDR) an active
electronically scanned
array (AESA) radar 30 times
more powerful than the
AN/SPY-1 air search radar
on the current Flight IIA
Burkes. In addition to the
SPY-6, the changes to the
design will increase the
power available on the
ship by three Rolls Royce
3-megawatt generators
on the Flight IIA ships with
Rolls Royces 4-megawatt
generator in the same
footprint on the ship.
Computer image of COD

Ospreys ying above a USN
super carrier. USN.
61
Left:
HMAS Canberra operates
off Queensland on 10 June,
before her transit to Pearl
Harbor for RIMPAC 2016.
Right:
HMAS Ballarat sails Port
Melbourne. When this
photo was taken, the frigate
was the only ship to visit
which was painted in the
new HAZE GREY as opposed
to the long used STORM
GREY colour. Kevin Dunn.
HMAS Canberra, 28 June

2016, arrives in Pearl
Harbor at the start of
RIMPAC 2016. USN.
HMAS Newcastle sails from

Sydney on 30 May. Chris
Sattler.
62
Issue 93
Australian Warship
LATE SIGNALS
HMA Ships Canberra,

Success and Ballarat,
with HMNZS Te Kaha, on
10 June 2016. The ships
sailed in formation off the
Queensland coast prior to
arriving in Townsville, then
deployment to Hawaii. ABIS
Steven Thomson.
HMAS Yarra 30 May 2016.

Chris Sattler.
HMAS Anzac 24 June 2016.

Chris Sattler.
Australian Warship
Issue 93
On 8 July, in blustery
conditions, HMAS
Parramatta was deadship towed from the
Australian Marine Complex,
Henderson, to Fleet Base
West, having completed
the shipyard phase of her
ASMD upgrades, the sixth
of the eight Anzacs. At
BAE/AMC for over a year
this was the first move
since being returned to the
water in April. Parramatta
also displayed her new
grey colour scheme. In the
background was HMAS
Arunta returning to Stirling.
Chris Gee.
63
Honouring those who were only 19

Veterans Remembered Hoodie
Boldly emblazoned
with dynamic Vietnam
War artwork
Versatile hoodie-style
crafted in an easycare, cotton-blend
Huey chopper
zip pull
Only from The

Bradford Exchange
If you served in South-East Asia, sacrifice and mateship kept you alive
when the world turned its back on you. And now pride lets you stand
tall, shoulder to shoulder with the greatest legends of the Anzac tradition.
Share in that pride when you wear our Veterans Remembered Hoodie,
a tribute design only from The Bradford Exchange and endorsed by the
Defence Force Welfare Association of Australia.
Bold custom art classic hoodie appeal

The back features a powerful image of Aussie diggers in action, protected
by an Iroquois Huey chopper, along with the message, A Nations
Gratitude. The left sleeve defiantly says Sacrifice Mateship Pride.
The front features an embroidered Huey patch and a zip pull. Design
details include deep front pockets, knit cuffs and hem and chrome-look
metal tippets on the hood drawstring.
Affordable Value with a Money-Back Guarantee

Available in four sizes, the Veterans Remembered Hoodie is a true
value at just $99.98 or 2 instalments of $49.99, plus $14.99 postage and
handling and backed by our 30-day guarantee. To reserve your hoodie,
send no money now, just return the coupon or go online today at
For quickest delivery, order online:
Quoting promotion code: 87128
"
2016
The Bradford Exchange Ltd.
A.B.N. 13 003 159 617
403-NIN04.01
PAY NOTHING NOW
THE BRADFORD
EXCHANGE
Please Respond
Promptly
YES! Please reserve the
Veterans Remembered
Hoodie for me as described in
this advertisement. I understand
I need pay nothing now. I have
indicated my size below.
q M (38-40)
q L (42-44)
q XL (46-48)
q XXL (50-52)
Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms _________ First Name: ______________________________________

Surname: ______________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________ Postcode: ______________
Phone: _______________________________________________________________
Email: _______________________________________________________________
Reserve yours today. 3 easy options:

1. MAIL no stamp required, to:
The Bradford Exchange, Reply Paid 86369

Parramatta NSW 2124
Please allow up to 10 business days for

delivery. All sales subject to product availability
and reservation acceptance. Credit criteria may
apply. Our privacy policy is available online at
www.bradford.com.au. From time to time, we
may allow carefully screened companies to
contact you. If you would prefer not to receive
such offers, please tick this box.
or
or
2. PHONE: Toll-Free 1300 725 103
8am-5pm E.S.T Mon Fri
3. ONLINE at www.bradford.com.au/veterans
quoting promotion code: 87128

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ISSUE No.

HMAS Moreton recommissioned

Australias Naval Shipbuilding Policy

Australian Warship 93 - $9.95

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20 HMAS Moreton recommissioned

23 Australias Naval Shipbuilding

Sam Goldsmith discusses the nations underlying

26 RIM OF THE PACIFIC EXERCISE 2016

34 Royal Navy visits Australia 1966

40 Selecting new submarines

43 New Hobart class destroyers

Photo album update

45 French Battleship Richelieu

50 What aircraft carrier is that?

56 56 Special UK carrier report

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