Diary

A gathering of naval vessels from a number of rather exotic nations has sailed from Darwin, northern Australia, to start Exercise Kakadu IX, a maritime exercise supposed to strengthen ties with Australia’s international counterparts and that seeks to improve maritime interoperability in the region. Exercise Kakadu IX will be held in the Northern Australian Exercise Area, off Darwin through August 8. It is described as the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)'s premier international engagement activity for 2008. During Kakadu IX the RAN will be represented by many ships including HMAS Melbourne 3 Pictures of some of the ships are shown in the reference Click here

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has commenced Exercise Singaroo, a bilateral maritime warfare exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), in waters north of Darwin. A number of RAN assets will take part in the exercise including Anzac Class Frigate Toowoomba, Adelaide Class Frigate HMAS Melbourne and Armidale Class Patrol Boat HMAS Pirie.Air support will be provided by Royal Australian Air Force Hawks from 79 Squadron and one Orion from 92 Wing. In addition PEL-AIR Aviation Australia will provide realistic maritime strike and air combat support. This year, Singaroo will see RSN ships RSS Vigour and RSS Vengeance, two Victory Class Missile Corvettes take part, with one F50 Fokker maritime patrol aircraft providing support.

Singaroo is an important exercise in the RAN’s calendar, with this year marking the 12th iteration in the series. It also reaffirms the longstanding relationship between the two navies. Exercise Singaroo aims to build warfare interoperability between the two navies and this year will include surface and air firings against towed targets, damage control training, Officer of the Watch maneuvers, and anti-submarine and air warfare serials. Deputy Fleet Commander Commodore Simon Cullen, AM, CSC, RAN said, “Exercising interoperability between the navies of Singapore and Australia is an important element of the bilateral defense relationship between our two countries.” Exercise Singaroo will take place in the Northern Australian Exercise Area until Friday 18 July, and precedes multi-national exercise Kakadu, which commences next week.

A former Maitland woman has sailed into military history as the first female in the Royal Australian Navy to captain a guided missile frigate. Commander Allison Norris was at sea "somewhere in Northern Territory waters" yesterday on the bridge of the FFG frigate HMAS Melbourne. She had been captain of the sophisticated warship for four days when the Maitland Mercury learned of her achievement. "Allison was officially welcomed on board the Melbourne as captain on Thursday at a special ceremony," her father Col Horder said.

Guided missile frigates resurrected after electronic problems 1 July 2008 Herald Sun

The last of the electronic hurdles is about to be overcome at Garden Island in Sydney and a fully operational HMAS Sydney returned to the navy.

The other three vessels - HMAS Darwin, Melbourne and Newcastle - are due back in navy hands by March next year with all four in service by late 2009.

Chief executive of Thales Australia Chris Jenkins said the renewed government focus had pushed the project forward. Mr Jenkins said the quartet were already the most capable ships in the navy, and when upgraded with new missiles and systems, they would be the most lethal warships Australia has had.

Seven HMAS Melbourne Association people were among the guests It was a most enjoyable evening with excellent savories and drinks. Commander Hughes gave an illustrated presentation and Association President Bob Burchill presented him with a photograph memento taken on ANZAC Day. The sailor of the year was named and presented with a cup. See pictures in the Photos of People section of this website.

You can see some short videos of the ANZAC Day march by clicking on the links below.

Melbourne shines during Navy Week 24 October 2007 Navy

Navy Week proved to be an extremely busy time for HMAS Melbourne's ship company hosting three different major events over three days.

Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Nigel Coates, AM RAN, hosted the Navy Week Reception onboard Melbourne on Thursday 4th October. The evening was a complete success, followed by a hasty clean up for the next function.

"Melbourne's crew were excellent hosts for the evening; professional and friendly, despite their busy schedule", Rear Admiral Coates said.

Melbourne played host again very early the next morning, to the Channel Nine Today Show, acting as the set for the show's live weather crosses.

Melbourne's busy period concluded with Fleet Base East's Navy Week Open Day, on Saturday 6th October. Alongside at Garden Island, Melbourne was one of the star attractions.

Over 3,200 people took up the opportunity to tour the warship, experiencing a glimpse of Naval life.

During the Open Day, Melbourne's Commanding Officer, Commander Stephen Hughes, RAN, was presented with a painting from Mr John Downton, a member of the Australian Society of Marine Artists.

Mr Downton was in East Timor during Operation Celeste, recording Fleet and onshore activities. The painting "HMAS Melbourne on Duty", was no doubt inspired by the time Mr Downton spent onboard the frigate.

Secret's out, so ship in for a barrel of Navy scuttlebutt 29 September 2007 smh

A WORLD WAR II defence poster depicts a chatty sailor with his head nestled close to his blonde sweetheart and the message: "Tell Nobody, not even her - careless talk costs lives."

Sebastian Spencer says that since September 11, 2001, most military manuals have started with a similar secrecy warning.

But he and HMAS Kuttabul's commanding officer, Commodore Bryan Parker, are about to let the public in on one of the Royal Australian Navy's best-kept secrets - its Heritage Centre at Sydney's historic Garden Island Naval Base.

The museum houses artefacts, memorabilia and documents that are not only a history of the creation of the navy, but reveal aspects of Australian life since the First Fleet - even the origins of words such as "grog" and "scuttlebutt".

Mr Spencer, the curator of the museum, which opened two years ago, points to a wooden keg from 1865 bearing polished metal letters that declare: "The Queen - God bless her." He says the barrel was called a "Scuttlebutt" in Queen Victoria's time and was used to dispense the "grog" ration to sailors who would swap gossip as they waited.

"The word 'grog' comes from the nickname 'Groggy' that sailors gave to an admiral who first issued the rum ration to his grateful crew. They called him 'groggy' because he always wore a grogmore coat," Mr Spencer said.

Garden Island is home to the first known European graffiti in Australia, says Mr Spencer, who has been preparing the heritage centre for Navy Week open day next weekend, when the public will be able to access it for the first time via the main gate at Woolloomooloo.

Visitors will also be able to inspect a number of naval vessels, including the Frigate HMAS Melbourne, and see displays such as the navy's elite bomb disposal clearance divers in action.

It is an opportunity to tour the shady fig-lined picnic grounds of Garden Island, atop which sits Australia's oldest lawn tennis court (circa 1888) and where one can see the European graffiti.

Mr Spencer says navy legend has it that before governor Arthur Phillip set foot on Sydney Cove, a group of sailors from his flagship, the Sirius, climbed to the highest point and on a sandstone rock they carved their initials: "FP" for Frederick Meredith and "WB 1788" for Lieutenant William Bradley.

The collection includes a binnacle (compass) souvenired from the German cruiser Emden, which was sunk off the Cocos Islands during World War I, a 700-year-old samurai sword that Japanese Admiral Sato Ijn presented to Australian forces when his troops surrendered at Wewak, New Guinea, in 1945, and a silver trophy bowl presented by "Mrs Douglas Macarthur" to the crew of HMAS Bataan for helping she and her husband, general Douglas MacArthur, escape the Philippines to Australia during World War II. *

* The Sydney Morning Herald got this last bit wrong .... see below note from Vince Fazio

I noticed in the item about the Navy Heritage Centre at Garden Island, mention of a silver platter supposedly presented by Mrs Douglas MacArthur to the crew of HMAS BATAAN for their part in rescuing her and General Douglas MacArthur in escaping from the Philipines.

This would have been somewhat difficult, as at the time, Bataan was on the building slip at Cockatoo Dockyard (presuming that the ship was that far advanced) in 1942, having been laid down as HMAS KURNAI (an aboriginal tribal name) as she was a Tribal Class destroyer. The name change to BATAAN was made subsequent to the MacArthurs arrival and to honour the US Army defence of the Philipines at Corrigedor when over run by Japanese forces.

Fact is, the escape was made in a Motor Torpedo Boat and a later transfer to a more practical means of transport prior to the family arriving in Australia.

It is presumed that the presentation was made to the ship as a "thank you" for the recognition of the American effort and the name change of the ship as a consequence.

Free DVD : HMAS Melbourne Middle East 03/04 Ship's DVD - mainly pictures of ship's company - If you want a copy, contact President Bob Burchill on (02) 9636 2207 or email rburchill@bigpond.com

The Naval Historical Society of Australia operates guided group tours which are open to the public and the minimum group size is 30. Normal fees and charges apply. The tours are tremendously popular and are often booked out several months in advance. (02) 9359 2372 Email: secretary@navyhistory.org.au

Maritime Interception Operations

This badge was designed by personnel in the Australian Task Force Command Team, MIO (Maritime Interception Operations) following a complaint from Iraq to the United Nations in mid 2001 that the Coalition navies' actions in boarding every ship entering or leaving Iraqi waters constituted piracy.

Sailors on HMAS Melbourne promptly nicknamed themselves the 'Pirates of the NAG' (North Arabian Gulf). The badge was apparently also produced in a low-contrast 'desert cam' colour scheme.