HMAS Newcastle FFG 06, is an Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate. She is named for the city of Newcastle in New South Wales, the largest provincial city in Australia, the only Adelaide-class ship not to be named after a state capital. She is last ship of the class to be constructed. Newcastle was laid down by AMECON at Williamstown, Victoria on 21 July 1989, launched on 21 February 1992 and commissioned into the RAN on 11 December 1993. She is the first ship of the RAN to be named Newcastle. As designed, Newcastle had a full load displacement of 4,100 tons, a length overall of 138.1 metres ..read more

HMAS Melbourne FFG 05 is an Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The ship entered service in 1992. The ship was laid down by AMECON at Williamstown, Victoria on 12 July 1985. She was launched on 5 May 1989. Melbourne was commissioned into the RAN on 15 February 1992. As designed, the ship had a full load displacement of 4,100 tons, a length overall of 138.1 metres (453 ft), a beam of 13.7 metres (45 ft), and a draught of 24.5 metres (80 ft). Propulsion machinery consists of two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, which provide a combined 41,000 horsepowe ..read more

HMAS Sydney (FFG 03) was an Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).  The frigate was one of six modified Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates ordered from 1977 onwards, and the third of four to be constructed in the United States of America. Laid down and launched in 1980, Sydney was named for the capital city of New South Wales, and commissioned into the RAN in 1983. During her operational history, Sydney has been involved in Australian responses to the 1987 Fijian coups d'état and the Bougainville uprising. The frigate was deployed to the Persian Gulf on ..read more

The Anzac Class (also identified as the ANZAC Class and the MEKO 200 ANZ type) is a ship class of ten frigates; eight operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and two operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). During the 1980's, the RAN began plans to replace the River-class destroyer escorts with a mid-capability patrol frigate, and settled on the idea of modifying a proven foreign design for Australian conditions. Around the same time, the RNZN was seeking to replace their Leander-class frigates while maintaining blue-water capabilities. As both nations were seeking warships of simila ..read more

HMAS Canberra (I33/D33), named after the Australian capital city of Canberra, was a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) heavy cruiser of the Kent sub-class of County-class cruisers. Constructed in Scotland during the mid-1920s, the ship was commissioned in 1928, and spent the first part of her career primarily operating in Australian waters, with some deployments to the China Station. At the start of World War II, Canberra was initially used for patrols and convoy escort around Australia. In July 1940, she was reassigned as a convoy escort between Western Australia, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. During ..read more

HMAS Australia D84 was one of two Kent Class Cruisers ordered for the RAN in 1924, Australia was laid down in Scotland in 1925. The cruiser was launched on 17 March 1927 by Dame Mary Cook, wife of Sir Joseph Cook, the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and former Australian Prime Minister. Construction of Australia cost 1.9 million pounds, very close to the estimated cost. She entered service in 1928. Australia and sister ship HMAS Canberra (also constructed by John Brown) were the only County-class vessels built in Scotland. Design Australia was one of seven warships built to ..read more

HMAS Adelaide (I) was an improved version of the 'Chatham' group of the British 'Town' Class light cruisers. The ship was of the same basic design as HMA Ships Brisbane (I), Melbourne (I) and Sydney (I). She was originally equipped to burn both coal and oil fuel. Fitting out and completion were very seriously delayed due to the loss by enemy action of important forgings for the turbines and other machinery parts which could not, at that time, be made in Australia. Replacement, because of the war conditions, took over two years. The decision to incorporate extensive modifications as a result o ..read more

HMAS Melbourne was a Town Class Light Cruiser. She had a displacement of 5,400 tons, she was 456 feet in length, had a beam of 49 ft 10 in 49 feet 10 inches Draught 19 feet 7 inches. She was capable of 23.2 knots and had a crew of 485. Her armament consisted of 8 x 6-inch 50 calibre guns, 4 x 3-pounder guns, 1 x 12-pounder gun, 2 x .303-inch Maxim guns and 8 x .303-inch Lewis guns. She also had 8 x 21 inch submerged torpedo tubes. Over the course of her career she won two battle honours, Rabaul 1914 and North Sea 1916–18. She commissioned at Birkenhead, England, on 18 January 1913 under the co ..read more

By CMDR (P) R. V. Morritt, RAN Rtd CALL THE HANDS OCCASIONAL PAPER 45 Issue No. 27 February 2019 The Fairey Gannet A/S 1 aircraft was introduced into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in 1955. When embarked in the newly acquired HMAS Melbourne, Australia’s Naval Air Anti-Submarine power during the fifties and sixties was the most modern and technically advanced in the whole of South East Asia. Not a ‘glamour’ aircraft by any stretch of the imagination, the Fairey Gannet was perhaps one of the most interesting at that time. Its unique engine arrangement, mission profile and c ..read more

The Seahawk is an integral part of the ship's weapons and sensor systems. With its unique sensor suite and integrated weapons systems the helicopter extends the combat radius of the ship by finding, localizing and attacking where appropriate, surface or submarine targets either independently or in conjunction with other forces. A typical Seahawk mission involves up to three hours of low level operations over the sea, day or night, in all weather conditions, often recovering to a ship's deck which pitches and rolls dramatically in heavy seas, and is generally wet with spray. The Seahawk's sens ..read more