 HMASDarwin, the fourth ship in theAdelaide class | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Adelaide class |
| Builders | |
| Operators |
|
| Preceded by | Daring-class destroyer |
| Succeeded by | Hobart-class destroyer |
| Built | 21 June 1978 – 21 February 1992 |
| In service | 15 November 1980 – 27 September 2019 |
| In commission | 15 November 1980 – 26 October 2019 |
| Completed | 6 |
| Active | 2 (Chile) |
| Retired | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | ModifiedOliver Hazard Perry-classguided missile frigate |
| Displacement | 4,100 tons full load |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 45 ft (14 m) |
| Draught | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 ×General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, each providing 20,500 hp (15,287 kW). Total 41,000 hp (30,574 kW) |
| Speed | Over 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph) |
| Range | 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 176–221 |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 ×S-70B Seahawk or 1 × Seahawk and 1 ×AS350B Squirrel |
| Notes | Mk 41 VLS,ESSM capability, andSM-2MR capability installed during theFFG Upgrade project |
TheAdelaide class of sixguided missile frigates was constructed in Australia and the United States for service in theRoyal Australian Navy.[1] Two were later sold to theChilean Navy. TheAdelaide class was based on theUnited States Navy'sOliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, but modified for Australian requirements. The first four vessels were built in the United States, and the final two were constructed inAustralia. The first ship entered service in November 1980.
Canberra andAdelaide werepaid off in 2005 and 2008, respectively, and later sunk asdive wrecks. Their decommissioning offset the cost of a A$1 billionweapons and equipment upgrade to the remaining four ships.[2] As theHobart-classair-warfaredestroyers entered service beginning in 2016, the remainingAdelaide-class ships were progressively decommissioned beginning withSydney in 2015.Darwin followed in 2017, andNewcastle andMelbourne went last in 2019. The final two were sold toChile in 2020.
Following the cancellation of theAustralian light destroyer project in 1973, the BritishType 42 destroyer and the AmericanOliver Hazard Perry-class frigate were identified as alternatives.[3] Although the Type 42 met theRoyal Australian Navy (RAN)'s requirements as a replacement for the cancelled light destroyers and theDaring-class destroyers, fitting the ship with theSM-1 missile would have been difficult.[3] On the other hand, theOliver Hazard Perry class was still at the design stage; a design that was described by assessment project staff as "a second rate escort that falls short of the DDL [light destroyer] requirements on virtually every respect".[3][4] Despite this, the Australian government approved the purchase of two US-builtOliver Hazard Perry-class ships in 1974.[3]
The risk of acquiring an unproven design was seen as acceptable because of the success of theUnited States Navy (USN)'sCharles F. Adams-class destroyer (of which the RAN operated three ships as thePerth class), when compared to the equivalent British ships the RAN would have purchased.[4] Final government approval to order two ships was granted in 1976, with a third ship ordered in 1977.[5] The order was expanded in April 1980 with the order of a fourth unit.[6] These four ships were built byTodd Pacific Shipyards ofSeattle, Washington, as part of the USN's shipbuilding program, and were assigned USNhull numbers during construction, which were replaced with RANpennant numbers upon entering service.[7] The first, HMASAdelaide (USN hull number FFG-17, RAN pennant number FFG 01) was built to the Flight I design, whileCanberra (FFG-18/FFG 02) andSydney (FFG-35/FFG 03) were the first and last ships of the Flight II design, respectively.[7] The final American-built ship wasDarwin (FFG-44/FFG 04); constructed to the Flight III design.[7] In 1980, two more ships (Melbourne andNewcastle) were ordered, but were built in Australia byAMECON ofWilliamstown, Victoria, and did not receive USN numbers.[6][7]
From the withdrawal of thePerth-class destroyers in 2001 until the introduction of theHobart class in 2017, these ships were the RAN's primaryair defence vessels, armed with aMark 13 missile launcher forSM-2MR missiles. They also have significant anti-surface capability, being armed with a 76-millimetre (3.0 in) Mk 75 gun and theHarpoonanti-ship missile (also fired by the Mark 13 launcher), and a pair of tripletorpedo tubes foranti-submarine warfare (ASW). In addition, twoS-70B Seahawk helicopters are carried.
_Harpoon.jpg)
From 2005 onwards, all RAN frigates deploying to thePersian Gulf are fitted with twoM2HB .50-calibre machine guns inMini Typhoon mounts, installed on the aft corners of the hangar roof.[8] Two TopLite EO directors are used with the guns.[8]
The Australian frigates were originally fitted with AmericanMark 46 ASW torpedoes, but by 2008, they had been replaced with the EuropeanMU90 Impact torpedo in three of the four frigates as part of theFFG Upgrade, with the conversion ofNewcastle underway at that point.[9]
There have been two major upgrades distinguishing theAdelaide class from the AmericanOliver Hazard Perry-class frigates.
The first three ships were constructed to theOliver Hazard Perry class' 'short' hull design (Flight I and II), with an identical length for both the main deck and the keel.[7] Ships from FFG-36 onwards (includingDarwin) were built with an increase in overall length—achieved by angling thetransom (the section between the fantail and the keel) to increase the area of the flight deck and allow the operation of Seahawk helicopters.[7]Adelaide,Canberra, andSydney were later upgraded to match the slightly larger ships, and were fitted with the updated sonars and ESM systems of the Flight III design.[7]
In the mid-1990s,Paul Keating's Labor government decided to retain theAdelaide-class frigates instead of replacing them with the more expensive and more labour-intensive, but much more capableKidd-class destroyers, that the USN was selling off.[10][11] Upgrades to theOliver Hazard Perry class were problematic, due to "little reserved space for growth (39 tons in the original design), and the inflexible, proprietary electronics of the time", such that the "US Navy gave up on the idea of upgrades to face new communications realities and advanced missile threats". The USN had decommissioned 25 "FFG-7 Short" ships via "bargain basement sales to allies or outright retirement, after an average of only 18 years of service".[10]
Keating's administration was succeeded by the Liberal government ofJohn Howard, which commenced SEA 1390, also known as the FFG Upgrade Project.[10] Originally costing A$1 billion, which eventually increased to A$1.46 billion, the project included improvements to the combat and fire control system, the sonar suite, and the air defence missiles.[10] The upgrade was for four ships, and intended to expand their service life to approximately 2020.[10] The project cost was partly offset by the decommissioning of the two oldest units:[12]Canberra being decommissioned in 2005 andAdelaide in 2008. Modification of each ship took place at Garden Island Dockyard, withAustralian Defence Industries (ADI, nowThales Australia) selected as project leader for the upgrade phase of the project.[10]
By January 2008, the FFG Upgrade Project was running at least four years behind schedule.[13] The frigates' anti-missile and anti-torpedo detection and defense systems could not be integrated as intended, leaving the ships vulnerable to attack.[13] The first ship refitted, HMASSydney, was initially not accepted back into service by the RAN because of the problems, these issues also prevented any refitted ship from serving in a combat zone.[11] Australian Defence Association executives and serving navy personnel have blamed both political parties for the problems: while the Howard Liberal government was responsible for the project, the preceding Labor government chose to maintain the frigates instead of replacing them with theKidd-class destroyers in the early 1990s.[10][11]
By November 2008,Darwin's upgrade had been completed, while the problems experienced withSydney had been rectified in both ships.[14] It was planned to start deploying these warships to the Gulf in 2009.[14] The RAN and Thales subsequently claimed that the two upgraded ships were the "most capable ships in the history of the RAN", and that once the other twoAdelaides were upgraded, the navy would possess the "most lethal frigate fleet on earth".[14] It was reported at the same time that other nations operating guided missile frigates, including the United States, Canada, Greece, and Turkey were considering similar upgrades.[14]
After the four survivingAdelaide-class ships were refitted, they were capable of firingSM-2MR andRGM-84 Harpoon missiles from the Mark 13 launcher.[10] The replacement of theSM-1MR with theSM-2MR doubled the engagement range for air targets. An 8-cellMark 41 Vertical Launch System forEvolved Sea Sparrow Missile had also been installed forward of the Mark 13 launcher. ThePhalanx CIWS was upgraded to Block 1B, and the torpedoes, missiles, and other ship-mounted weapons were upgraded to the latest versions.[10]
Canberra andAdelaide were decommissioned to offset the cost of upgrading the remaining four ships, withCanberra on 12 November 2005 andAdelaide on 19 January 2008.[12][15]
Canberra was subsequently sunk as adive wreck on 4 October 2009, 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi) offOcean Grove, Victoria, in 30 metres (98 ft) of water.[16]Adelaide was converted into a dive wreck, but plans to scuttle her offAvoca Beach, New South Wales in April 2010 were postponed following protests byresident action groups and a tribunal hearing. The tribunal ordered the removal of wiring and paint from sections of the frigate before she was sunk on 13 April 2011.[17][18][19]
Sydney entered port for the final time in February 2015, but remained commissioned as an alongside training ship until 7 November.[20][21] In May 2017, having not received any offers to convert the hull for use as a dive wreck,Sydney was sold for scrap.[22]
Darwin arrived in Sydney for the last time on 1 November 2017, prior to her decommissioningceremony on 9 December.[23][24]
The upgradedAdelaide-class frigates were replaced by three newHobart-class air warfare destroyers, equipped with theAegis combat system, starting around 2016.[citation needed]
In April 2017, the Polish government officially expressed interest in purchasing two of the remaining three frigates when they are retired from service.[25][26] Negotiations between the Australian and Polish Governments for the sale were unsuccessful. In January 2019 the Greek Government sent an expression of interest to the Department of Defence forMelbourne andNewcastle.[27] In May 2019 it was reported that Chile had also shown interest in the two frigates.[28] On 27 December 2019, it was announced thatMelbourne andNewcastle had been sold toChile.[citation needed]
On 15 April 2020 the ships were handed over to the Chilean Navy and renamedCapitan Prat (FFG-11) (ex HMASNewcastle) andAlmirante Latorre (FFG-14) (ex HMASMelbourne)[29]
| Name | Pennant number | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Paid off | Status/fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Royal Australian Navy | |||||||
| Adelaide | FFG 01 | Todd Pacific Shipyards,Seattle | 29 July 1977 | 21 June 1978 | 15 November 1980 | 19 January 2008 | Scuttled asdive wreck, 13 April 2011 |
| Canberra | FFG 02 | 1 March 1978 | 1 December 1978 | 21 March 1981 | 12 November 2005 | Scuttled asdive wreck, 4 October 2009 | |
| Sydney | FFG 03 | 16 January 1980 | 26 September 1980 | 29 January 1983 | 7 November 2015 | Broken up atHenderson, Western Australia[30] | |
| Darwin | FFG 04 | 3 July 1981 | 26 March 1982 | 21 July 1984 | 9 December 2017 | Broken up atHenderson, Western Australia[31] | |
| Melbourne | FFG 05 | AMECON,Williamstown | 12 July 1985 | 5 May 1989 | 15 February 1992 | 26 October 2019 | Sold to Chile, asAlmirante Latorre |
| Newcastle | FFG 06 | 21 July 1989 | 21 February 1992 | 11 December 1993 | 30 June 2019 | Sold to Chile, asCapitan Prat | |
 Chilean Navy | |||||||
| Almirante Latorre | FFG 14 | AMECON, Williamstown | 12 July 1985 | 5 May 1989 | 15 April 2020 | In active service | |
| Capitan Prat | FFG 11 | 21 July 1989 | 21 February 1992 | 15 April 2020 | In active service | ||
Equivalent frigates of the same era
| Royal Australian Navy | |
|---|---|
| Chilean Navy |
|
| |
 United States Navy |
| ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Australian Navy Adelaide class | |||||||||||||||
 Republic of China NavyCheng Kung class | |||||||||||||||
 Spanish NavySanta María class | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Frigates of theChilean Navy (modern era) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frigates |
|  | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Footnotes
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
