NLA VICTORIA Reports
October-December 2002
October 2002
September 2002

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER REPORT

FRENCH FRIGATE VISITS MELBOURNE
A recent visitor to Melbourne was the French Surveillance Frigate FNS Floreal Pendant No. F730, under the command of CMDR. Pascal Piat. Following her departure from her Indian Ocean Base of Ile De Reunion (East of Madagascar) Floreal arrived in Melbourne via Adelaide on 28th October 2002. During Floreal's stay in Melbourne, I had the pleasure of representing the League at an on-board reception, held on Floreals Flight Deck. The NLA hosted the CO and XO of Floreal to a luncheon in their honour during the ships visit. The League also enjoyed the presence of the Hon. French Consul General, Mrs. Patricia Poilites, as a special guest on this occasion. The FNS Floreal is the name leader of a 6 ship class of Surveillance Frigates, she is followed by Geminal, Nivose, Prairial, Vendemiaire and Ventose. The Floreal class of Frigate has a gross weight of 3000 tonnes, a top speed of 20 knots, is armed with missile systems including exocets, one 100mm gun, two 20mm AA cannon and carries one light helicopter. Indeed, Melbourne was fortunate to have the Floreal visit on this occasion, as she would be the sole Naval Representative for Navy week. NLA Vic. Division also played host to Floreal's sister ship F.N.S. Nivose, when she too visited Melbourne during February of this year. F.N.S. Floreal sailed from Melbourne on 1 st November 2002 bound for Noumea, after a short visit to New Caledonia Floreal would proceed to Tahiti where she is scheduled to undergo a five-month refit at Papeete. The French Navy has a force of approximately 50,000 personnel and a fleet of approximately 80 ships.
NAVY WEEK-YACHT RACE 2002
The Navy League of Australia, Victoria Divisions Trophy race was conducted by the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria (RYCV) on Saturday 12th October 2002. The presentation of the "Geoffrey Evans Cup"to the Captain of the Winning yacht took place on the evening of the 28th October 2002 following a dinner hosted by the R.Y.C.V.'S Commodore Colin Johnston. Representing the NLA Vic. Division were John Bird, Jane Teasdale, Geoffrey Evans, George Law and Frank McCarthy. As this was a Navy Week function representatives of the Naval Historical Society were in attendance as were Officers of the visiting French Navy Frigate F.N.S. Floreal, including the Executive Officer LCDR. Cyrille Merle. The Royal Australian Navy was represented by the R.A.N. 's Senior Victorian Officer, Commodore Denis Mole, who was accompanied by his wife Mrs. Candace Mole. RYCV Commodore Colin Johnston opened the Trophy Presentation proceedings by thanking the League for its liaison work with the RYCV to stage this the 22nd Annual Navy League Navy Week Yacht Race. He expressed the pleasure of the RYCV in being able to continue supporting the Annual Navy Week Yacht Race and gave a special welcome to Commodore Denis Mole RAN who was to present the NLA Geoffrey Evans Trophy Cup to the skipper of the winning yacht "Irish Logic". Commodore Mole duly presented the Cup to the winning Skipper Paul Brettaugh, Paul was also presented with a NLA Plaque by yours truly. The Navy League, the RAN, the French Navy and Naval Historical Society representatives all received most hospitable treatment from the Commodore of the RYCV, Colin Johnston, and his band of loyal assistants.
HMAS KANIMBLA in for the Melbourne Cup.
Another recent naval visitor to Melbourne was the RAN'S Kanimbla. HMAS Kanimbla LPA 51 was a little too late to join in with Navy Week proceedings arriving on 3rd November 2002, but made it just in time to represent the RAN at the Melbourne Cup. HMAS Kanimbla is designated as a "Landing Platform Amphibious", she was formerly the USS Saginaw, one of 16 Newport Class "Landing Ship Tank" built for the United States Navy and commissioned into the USN on 23 January 1971. In 1993 the Australian Government purchased two of these vessels, one would become HMAS Manoora and sister ship to HMAS Kanimbla. On arrival in Australia, HMAS Kanimbla was used as a training ship. In August 1995, Kanimbla entered an extensive refit and modemisation period to modify the ship as a LPA. The ships motto is "Cry Havoc" and her crest depicts the house flag of McIlwraith, McEacham Ltd. of Melbourne. McIlwraith, McEacham were the owners of the first Kanimbla when she was an interstate passenger service on the Australian Coast. Kanimbla No.1 was converted and commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1939. On the first of June 1943 she was recommissioned as HMAS Kanimbla and unofficially used the Mcl1wraith, McEacham House Flag as her crest. In January 1981 the unofficial badge was made official for future vessels named HMAS Kanimbla. The War Memorial's large model of the Kanimbla currently is on loan to the Osborne House Naval & Maritime Museum in North Geelong and is well worth the trouble to go and see it among the many other items of interest. RN. Warship and P&O Ferry Collide. Britains newest warship, the type 23 Frigate HMS St Albans collided with a P & 0 ferry during late October in Portsmouth Harbour, Southern England. The incident occurred when the ferry was trying to berth in a fierce storm and blew into the Frigate. There were no casualties, however, the R.N. Frigate suffered significant damage to her superstructure.
HMAS HOBART Scuttled
The second of the RAN'S three decommissioned Charles F Adams Class Destroyers, the ex HMAS Hobart, was sunk on November 5th 2002, turning the ship into an artificial reef dive site. Hobart was sunk on Melbourne Cup Day off the South Australian Coast Close to Yankalilla. The attached media report details the history of Hobart plus how she will continue to serve the community .
RN. Sub in Mishap
The British Nuclear Submarine HMS Trafalgar ran aground off Scotland's Isle of Skye in early November, while taking part in a Military exercise. The Submarine sustained extensive damage during the grounding and the following day limped back to the Clyde Naval Base. The repairs to the Submarine are expected to take several months.
US NAVY Ships of the Future.
News from the United States reveals that US Naval Shipbuilders have recently launched Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer No.41, U.S.S. Pinckney DDG91. The launching follows two recent commissioning also of Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers, USS McCampbell DDG85 and USS Shoup DDG86, ships 35 and 36 respectively. The Arleigh Burke DDG51 class of destroyers is expected to peak at 63 ships, which will complete commissioning at the end of this current decade. As the Arleigh Burke Class nears completion, the United States will be introducing its new family of surface combatant ships comprising DD(X) Destroyers, CG(X) Cruisers and Littoral combat ships (LCS). The LCS's as the name suggests, will be utilized in closer-to-shore operations such as surface or mine threats, diesel submarines in shallow water, support for special operations forces and maritime interdiction. As the current fleet of Spruance Class DD963 Destroyers and Oliver Hazard Perry Class FFGO7 Frigates phase out of commission they will be replaced by the DD(X) Destroyers supported by the current Arleigh Burke DDG51 Class of Destroyers. The CG(X) Cruisers when introduced will complement the current fleet of 27 Ticonderoga CG47 Class Cruisers and no doubt eventually replace them. As for the LCS's they are a new concept and will operate as a focused-mission platform performing a number of various roles in shallow water operations close in shore. The mix of these various types of ships will provide the proper balance that the United States are now looking for. When the final DDG51 Arleigh Burke Class is delivered at the end of this decade, the U.S.N. will have an Aegis type fleet ofmore than 90 Cruisers and Destroyers laying the foundation to build a radically different surface Navy in the 21st century. These current Aegis type ships (Ticonderoga Cruisers and Arleigh Burke Destroyers) are probably the best, most capable surface combatants in the world and will only continue to improve with conversion and modernisation programmes as a lead-in to the new family of LCS, DD(X) and CG(X) ships. When the new family of 21st century ships come on stream, they will feature even further technological benefits in terms of stealth, integrated power systems facilitating rapid reconfiguration of electricity and power distribution, computing systems that are designed to accommodate new mission requirements, plus automation technologies that will permit significant reductions in crew size and the associated reductions in operating and support costs.
Frank McCarthy Vice President Media Relations - Navy League of Australia Victoria Division November 2002

October 2002 UPDATE

Frank McCarthy Vice President Media Relations - VICTORIA DIVISION - NAVY LEAGUE OF AUSTRALIA

SHIP-LIFT SWAN TO TAKE H.M.S. NOTTINGHAM BACK TO U.K. A recent report from the Royal Navy advises that the .R.N. destroyer H.M.S. Nottingham, will have to be towed from Newcastle N. S. W. to an alternative deepwater port. The Port of Newcastle is not deep enough to accommodate the 32650 tonne semi- submersible heavy lift-ship that will transport H.M.S. Nottingham back to the UK. The lift-ship "Swan" needs to operate a 20 metre draught when it submerges to lift the destroyer. It is expected that the Nottingham will be taken to Sydney, where the lift will take place. Major options near Newcastle with the depth and access for the manoeuvring required include Sydney Harbour and Jervis Bay. There are environmental restrictions at Jervis Bay, because of its parkland status, even though it is a famous naval anchorage Botany Bay has a maximum of 19 metres, but that is in the main channel, and access around this deep spot is more limited. The "Swan" is expected to arrive in Australian waters during mid October 2002. Late news relevant to the foregoing now indicates that the H.M. S. Nottingham is set to arrive in Sydney October 15th, with the lift taking place later that week. A number of locations in Sydney Harbour deep enough for the lift operations have been selected. It is understood that Watsons Bay is now the preferred site.

PARRAMATTA TAKING SHAPE. The $500 Million Guided Missile Frigate Parramatta, which will be the fourth to bear the name for the R.A.N., is undergoing a final fit-out at the Tenix Dockyard, in preparation for sea trials. Parramatta is the seventh in a series of 10 Anzac Class Frigates (8 for the R.A.N., and 2 for the R.N.Z.N.) being built at Williamstown.

NEW STAINED GLASS WINDOW for Australia's first Interdenominational NAVAL MEMORIAL CHAPEL (1920) at FND (HMAS Cerberus). A new stained glass window dedicated to the R.A.N. Heath Service Personnel is to be installed at St.Marks Anglican Chapel, HMAS Cerebus. This new window measuring approximately 120xm x 60 cm, was designed, crafted and donated by Cdre Dacre Smyth AO RAN Ret'd, a former CST and CO of HMAS Cerberus now retired. Other windows at St. Marks include HMAS Sydney, a lead glass stained window donated by the citizens of Sydney, the last supper, a gift from HMAS Cerberus to commemorate WW1 and four windows one being 'Christ stilling the storm', donated by The Navy League of Australia in 1926. Further details are contained in the attached media report.

U.S.N. REPLACES CARRIER CAPTAIN. The Captain of the U.S.Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, has recently been relieved of his command. Captain Thomas Heil was dismissed for failing to keep his crew under control and not properly maintaining his ship. Several crew members were recently arrested for alleged robbery , drug abuse and assault while on shore leave. A US Seventh Fleet spokesman said, a series of events led to Heil' s shock removal. Recently, the 41-year-old carrier failed an engineering assessment that had to be passed before it could return to sea. Earlier this year, when the Captain was on the bridge, the Kitty Hawk struck a buoy in Singapore, causing damage to the Carrier and prompting a reprimand from the Commander of the Battle Group. Captain Heil is the second Commanding Officer of a Carrier to be removed in less than a year. Navy Officials replaced the Captain of the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy in December of last year, when the Aircraft Carrier failed an inspection. Further details are contained in the attached media report.

NAILED AGAIN BY NAVY LEAGUER. Victorian Navy Leaguer, Allan Paull, presented his latest creation to the public recently when he displayed his latest piece of nail art to the media. Allan's latest artwork takes the shape of the Melbourne Football Club's demon emblem The Demon took A11an more than four weeks and 4000 nails to create. Refer to media report.

SECRETARY OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE REPLACED The Australian Federal Government has replaced its top Defence Official after just one term in the job. Dr. Allan Hawke, was appointed Secretary of the Department of Defence in 1999, his replacement has been announced as career bureaucrat and Australia' s Ambassador to Indonesia Ric Smith. Mr .Smith has served briefly as a Deputy Secretary of Defence and has been in Jakarta for less than two years. He faces a major challenge at a time of great stress in defence. Further details are in the attached media report.

HMAS STUART VISITS MELBOURNE. The latest addition to the RAN's fleet of surface warships, HMAS STUART, arrived in Melbourne for a short visit on 11th October 2002. The Anzac Class Frigate, HMAS Stuart Pendant No.153, was commissioned into the fleet in Sydney on the 17th August 2002. She is the 6th ship of the class to commission, the 4th for the RAN, with 2 also in service with the Royal New Zealand Navy Parramatta, Ballarat, Towoomba and Perth will make up the 4 remaining Anzac Frigates yet to commission into the RAN.

FRENCH FRIGATE TO VISIT . The French Frigate FNS Floreal, is expected to arrive in Melbourne on the 27th October 2002. During her 5 day visit to Melbourne, the Victoria Division Navy League of Australia will play host at a luncheon for the Senior Officers of the Floreal. This is the lead ship of the Floreal Class. Sister ship Nivose visited melbourne in February last.

FRANK McCARTHY - VICE PRESIDENT MEDIA RELATIONS VICTORIA DIVISION - NAVY LEAGUE of AUSTRALIA October 2002

SEPTEMBER UPDATE

SPIRITS OF TASMANIA I & II The two latest additions to the Maritime Bass Strait Trade arrived at Station Pier during mid August and provided Melbournians with a sneak preview of the spirits of Tasmania one and two. Both of the Finnish built ferries, together with the current Spirit of Tasmania, were in port at the one time thus also providing Melbournians with a rare viewing opportunity. The four year old spirits of Tasmania one and two had recently arrived in Australia following their delivery voyage from Greece, where they had been operating on a 19 hour run between the Grecian Islands and Italy. The outward bound voyage to Australia, for the Devonport Tasmanian registered Australian manned two spirits, included refuelling stops at Colombo and Fremantle. The two new ferries will be able to make the Bass Strait Crossing in 10 hours, compared with the present 14 hours by the current Spirit of Tasmania.
U.S.S. MONITOR -H.M.V.S. CERBERUS Following a recent report that the 108 tonne gun turret from the U.S.S. Monitor had been raised from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, it prompted Christine Gallagher of the Heritage Council Victoria to write that many people would not be aware that the rusted hull of H.M. V.S. Cerberus is on a par with the American naval Relic, U.S.S. Monitor. Built in 1867, Cerberus is arguably the most intact and accessible Monitor- Class vessel in the world and is also the last substantial vestige of the Victorian Colonial Navy. Christine goes on to write that she hopes that the State and Commonwealth Governments and others will help to save this priceless piece of our heritage before it disappears beneath the waves of Port Phillip Bay.
LCDR. MILLER R.A.N. ASSISTS WITH RECRUITMENT The League members that attended the 100 years centenary of the N. L.A. , held in Launceston during November of 2000, may recall the commanding officer of H.M.A.S. Bunbury being in attendance at the celebrations. The Fremantle Class Patrol Boat H.M.A.S. Bunbury navigated the upper reaches of the Tamar River to the city of Launceston under the command of LCDR. Michelle Miller. A recent article details highlights of LCDR. Miller's 14 year R.A.N. career.
BAY DREDGING PLANS A former Government Marine researcher has warned that thousands of homes around the Bay, including Williamstown, could be flooded if plans to deepen Port Phillip Bay proceed. However, the Victorian Channels Authority, which is proposing to deepen the Bay's commercial shipping channels, says such claims are untrue. The State Government plans to dredge 30 million cubic metres of material from the bay floor to enable the bigger container ships of the future to enter Melbourne. The Victorian Channels Authority chief Frank Tait said, studies showed that the $110 Million project would only cause a 10mm rise in the bay level at high tide. Further details are contained in the attached media reports.
SUBMARINE KURSK REPORT Incompetence led to the sinking of the nuclear submarine Kursk, according to a report in a Russian Government-owned newspaper. Two years ago the entire crew of 118 died when two torpedoes exploded in the vessel. The Kursk blast was caused by volatile hydrogen peroxide propellant that leaked from cracks in the casing of two torpedoes and ignited. The rubber seals intended to prevent leakage were shown to be prone to failure. The report also states that unqualified staff inspected and loaded the torpedoes onto the Kursk.
PEARL HARBOUR MIDGET SUBMARINE DISCOVERED Two university of Hawaii submersible craft, on a training dive a few kilometres outside Pearl Harbour recently spotted an unfamiliar shape amid the debris beneath them. They spotted the Japanese midget submarine 1 -24 -tow with a bullet hole in its tower, 365 metres down. This discovery may now have finally resolved the debate about who drew first blood in the attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7th 1941. For 51 years the U.S. has claimed that it inflicted the first casualties during the Battle of Pearl Harbour. The U.S. insisted that, an hour before waves of enemy aeroplanes struck its naval base; an American Warship sank a Japanese submarine leading an underwater attack force.
AUSTRALIAN SUBMARINE CORPORATION FOR SALE The Australian Government is considering a plan to sell the Australian Submarine Corporation below market value to force a shakeout of Naval Shipbuilding. The sale would leave defence doing business with a single large shipbuilder formed out of one or more existing players. Defence Minister Mr. Robert Hill released a plan for Naval Shipbuilding, prepared by the Defence Department recently. It suggested a number of rationalisation possibilities such as selling the Australian Submarine Corporation to Tenix or A.D.I. or encouraging Tenix and A.D.I. to amalgamate Naval Operations then negotiating a long term deal with the one and only major shipbuilder .
H.M.N.Z.S. CANTERBURY VISITS MELBOURNE A recent visitor to Melbourne was the New Zealand Leander Type Frigate H.M.N.Z.S. Canterbury. The frigate under the command of CMDR. Dean McDougal1 with LCDR. Peter Kempster as X.O. arrived in Melbourne from Sydney on Friday 30th August 2002 on a short good will visit departing on Monday 2"d September 2002. Canterbury's recent activities have included exercises with the new Anzac Class Frigate H.M.A.S. Stuart and the Collins Class Submarine H.M.A.S. Farncomb. Following the Melbourne visit Canterbury returns to Sydney for a short stay then back to New Zealand to embark the ships Seasprite Helicopter. H.M.N.Z.S. Canterbury then sails back to Australia for further exercises with units of the Australian Fleet off the Queensland Coast in the vicinity of Townsville. Once Canterbury has completed these commitments, she will again return to New Zealand for an in-dock maintenance period prior to setting of for Noumea, where she will participate in exercises with units of the French Navy until the end of this calendar year. During Canterbury's current time in Australian waters the New Zealand Navy is again assisting the R.A.N. by participating in training programmes with both R.N.Z.N. and R.A.N. recruits and Midshipmen embarked. The New Zealand Navy in turn receives the benefit of anti-submarine warfare experience by exercising with Australia's Collins Class Submarines. This current visit to Melbourne by H.M.N.Z.S. Canterbury was her second for this year as Canterbury was also in Melbourne for the 2002 Anzac Day Commemoration. A cocktail party held on-board Canterbury during her recent Melbourne visit, hosted by Canterbury's C.O. and his Officers, reflected a guest listing including NLA VIC President CMDR John Wilkins, N.L.A. Vic. Vice President Ray Gill, Maritime Operations Officer LCDR. Graeme Furlonger, Senior Chaplain Russell Joyce R.A.N.R. and Senior Naval Officer Victoria CDRE. Denis Mole R.A.N. together with many other honoured guests.
H.M.A.S. STUART TO VISIT A visit to Melbourne, by the latest addition to the R.A.N.'s fleet of Anzac Class Frigates, H.M.A.S. Stuart, Pendant No.153, is programmed for the near future. H.M.A.S. Stuart, under the command of CMDR. David Greaves with X.O. LCDR. Lee Goddard, recently commissioned in Sydney and will be home ported on the East Coast of Australia. Stuart is expected to arrive in Melbourne during the second week of October ) 2002. When Stuart left Melbourne for Sydney during July of this year, she did so as Nuship Stuart, her return to Melbourne in October will be for the first time as the R.A.N. Warship H.M.A.S. Stuart, the third R.A.N. ship to carry the name.
R.A.N. PATROL BOAT TENDER UPDATE Three companies have been short listed for the supply of Patrol Boats to the R.A.N. The short listed tenderers are Australian defence Industries, Austal and Tenix. Both Austal and Tenix would build the boats in Western Australia South of Perth, whilst A.D.I. would build in Newcastle N.S.W. After evaluating two possible procurement options, the Government has decided to directly purchase the boats. The short listed companies will be invited to provide detailed tender proposals by the end of October 2002. The Defence Department expects to be in a position to recommend to the government a preferred tenderer by late this year 2002 with a view to signing the contract in the New Year 2003. This would ensure the replacement patrol boats would be ready for service in the second half of 2004 which would be in line with the Australian Governments year 2000 Defence White Paper announcements. The new patrol boats will be able to operate in a greater range of sea conditions, which will further improve their use at sea. " They will have a capacity to carry up to 20 extra people in most comfortable accommodation, whereas the current fleet of 15 Fremantle Class Patrol boats have no dedicated additional accommodation. The A.D.I. proposal offers a patrol boat based on the Danish designed Stanflex 300. The boats would be built from fibreglass in much the same way as the current fleet of 6 Huon Class Coastal Minehunters. The Austal proposal is a stretched version of the aluminium bay class patrol boats that are currently in service with the Australian Customs Service. The Tenix offer is a variation of a steel search and rescue patrol boat that Tenix recently designed, constructed and delivered to the Philippines Coast Guard. The main specifications for the proposed Tenix Patrol Boat are as follows:-
TENIX BOAT
.LENGTH 55 METRES (180 FEET) )
.BEAM 9 METRES (30 FEET)
.DRAUGHT (MAX) 2.9 METES ( 9 FEET)
.FULL LOAD DISPLACEMENT 350 TONNES
.MAXIMUM SPEED (SEA STATE 4) 25 KNOTS
These specified figures compare to the current fleet of Patrol Boats as follows:- (Ships Company 22)
FREMANTLE CLASS
.LENGTH 42 METRES (138 FEET)
.BEAM 7 METRES (23 FEET)
.DRAUGHT 2 METRES ( 6 FEET)
.DISPLACEMENT 220 TONS
.SPEED 28 KNOTS "
The state of the art 25mm gun, that the RAN have specified for the new patrol boats, will give improved control and accuracy in rough weather and support a full range of surveillance and interdiction roles. The gun mounting is by Rafaelle of Israel and is a typhoon mount. The 25mm gun is by Boeing of the U.S.A.

FRANK McCARTHY Vice President Media Relations Vic Div NLA September 2002.