| HMASHarman | |
|---|---|
| Harman,Canberra,Australian Capital Territory in Australia | |
 HMASHarman | |
 Ship's badge of HMASHarman | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Naval base /stone frigate |
| Owner | Department of Defence |
| Operator |
|
| Website | navy |
| Location | |
  HMASHarman Location in theAustralian Capital Territory | |
| Coordinates | 35°20′48″S149°12′4″E / 35.34667°S 149.20111°E /-35.34667; 149.20111 |
| Area | 2.5 square kilometres (0.97 sq mi) |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1943 (1943) |
| In use | 1943 – present |
| Garrison information | |
| Current commander | Commander Amanda Howard, RAN |
| Occupants |
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HMASHarman is aRoyal Australian Navy (RAN)base that serves as a communications and logistics facility. The main base is located in the Australian capital ofCanberra, and is geographically recognised as the suburb ofHarman (postcode 2600)[1] in theDistrict of Jerrabomberra. Established in the late 1930s as theRoyal Australian Navy Wireless/Transmitting Station Canberra, the facility was commissioned into the RAN as astone frigate in 1943.[2] In addition to its communications and logistics roles, the base hosts reserve units from both theAustralian Army Reserves andRoyal Australian Air Force Reserves, as well as cadet units from all three branches of theAustralian Defence Force Cadets.
The base is also reported to be a major contributor to the U.S.National Security Agency'sXKeyscore surveillance program.[3]
As of December 2024[update], the commander of the base isCommander Glyn Hunter.[4]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: information concerning the base post-WWII. You can help byadding missing information.(January 2011) |
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In 1924, the Imperial Defence Committee's Communications Sub-Committee examined Australian coastal radio stations, and recommended the modernisation of the stations at Darwin, Perth, Rabaul, and Townsville. A year later, theAustralian Commonwealth Naval Board (ACNB) made a recommendation that two wireless stations be provided for the Navy in Canberra and Darwin. These would be strategic stations in addition to the coastal stations. Canberra was chosen as its distance from the coast would increase its protection from attack. Planning continued in 1935, where a new Canberra station would add to the coverage area ofRugby, and function as a fall back in the event of the destruction of submarine cables, or theHong Kong orSingaporewireless telegraphy stations. The Australian government decided to build a receiving and a transmitting station in Canberra in 1937, with the transmitting station sited atGinninderra Creek inBelconnen, approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) north-west of the main receiving facility.
Construction of the transmission facility (Royal Australian Navy Wireless/Transmitting Station Canberra) commenced in November 1938. The facility established on 20 April 1939 and started transmitting on 22 December 1939. Work on the main facility started in early 1939, with the facility registered with the Postmaster General's Department on 20 July 1939 under the name 'Harman'. The name was derived from the surnames of the two officers responsible for naming the new naval stations: Commander NevilleHarvey of theRoyal Navy, and RAN Lieutenant Commander Jack Bolton Newman. As the ACNB had paid little attention to the proposals for the names of previous wireless stations before implementing them, the two men proposed their combined names for the Canberra facility, which was accepted without comment.
World War II commenced before the station was completed. Newman was promoted to Commander and assigned to command the Harman facility from when it opened until 1941, when he was replaced as Officer-in-Charge. The station was commissioned into the RAN as the stone frigate HMASHarman on 1 July 1943.Harman provided radio coverage of thePacific Ocean during the war, and provided communications intercepts for theFRUMELsignals intelligence unit. Women of theWomen's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS), formed in 1941, operated the equipment.[5]
In addition to its communications role,Harman provides Navy administrative and logistic functions to all Navy personnel located in the Australian Capital Territory and southern New South Wales. The base also includes a tri-service "Multi-User Depot". This depot hosts reserve units from theAustralian Army and Royal Australian Air Force, and cadet units of theAustralian Navy Cadets, Australian Army Cadets, andAustralian Air Force Cadets.
Initially, the facilities atHarman included Number One Receiving Station, which became the Communications Centre, anaerial farm behind the building, adirection finding hut located 1.2 kilometres (0.75 mi) away on a ridge, cottages and guard houses. Later, Number Two Receiving station was built for 'special tasks', a recreation hall was opened 27 April 1941, and a mess hall was finished around the end of 1940. In 1943, a second mess was built. The Morgan Dunbar Oval and Sir Victor Smith Oval are located inHarman. There are also tennis courts and a gymnasium. The base covers an area of 2.5 square kilometres (0.97 sq mi). 970 people work atHarman.[citation needed][6]
Functions performed atHarman include:
On 11 July 2013, ex-CIA contractorEdward Snowden revealed documents that allegedHarman, amongst three other locations in Australia and one in New Zealand, were amongst those used in the PRISM surveillance program conducted by various United States intelligence agencies.[7] The Defence Network Operations Centre (DNOC) is the hub of the third largest communications network in Australia afterTelstra andOptus. The DNOC provides network support for military operations throughout theAustralian Defence Force.[8] During 2012 and 2013 it was reported that the expansion of communication facilities atHarman had resulted in budget cost overruns in excess of the original budget ofA$90 million. A revised estimate ofA$163 million was projected;[9] together with significantly more data than was originally estimated.[10]
About 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) southwest of the main complex[11] was the Bonshaw Receiving Station, in which watchkeepers listened for messages from ships on thehigh frequency (HF) bands. This area was designated as a radio quiet zone.
About 20 kilometres (12 mi) north-west ofHarman, theBelconnen Naval Transmitting Station was a sub-unit that maintained the corresponding HF andlow frequency (LF) transmitting equipment, including the three 600 feet (180 m) masts for the 250kW, 44kHz transmitter. The station was equipped with 40kW and 10kW HF transmitters that used a variety of antennas including rhombic, vertical monopole, and log-periodic antennas. The station was initially built with small cottages flanking the eastern side of the site, housing the electrical engineer-in-charge and the sailors who maintained the transmitters and antennas. These were removed in the late 1980s, although the mess building remained, with personnel moving into housing in the growing suburbs that gradually encroached on the site. The station ended transmissions on 1 June 2005, and the remaining structures on the site were demolished in December 2006 to allow for residential development on the site, forming the new suburb ofLawson.
Harman residents get preference[12] for a shared Priority Enrollment Area (PEA) of Forrest Primary and Red Hill Primary,Telopea Park School for high school, and theNarrabundah College.
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