.jpg) HMASCanberra in 1988 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Namesake | City of Canberra |
| Builder | Todd Pacific Shipyards,Seattle, Washington |
| Laid down | 1 March 1978 |
| Launched | 1 December 1978 |
| Commissioned | 21 March 1981 |
| Decommissioned | 12 November 2005 |
| Motto | "For Queen And Country" |
| Nickname(s) | FFG-18 (US hull designation during construction) |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate | Sunk asdive wreck 4 October 2009 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Adelaide-class guided missile frigate |
| Displacement | 4,100 tons |
| Length | 138.1 m (453 ft) overall |
| Beam | 13.7 m (45 ft) |
| Draught | 7.5 m (25 ft) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph) |
| Range | 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 184 (including 15 officers, not including aircrew) |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 ×S-70B Seahawk or 1 × Seahawk and 1 ×AS350B Squirrel |
HMASCanberra (FFG 02) was anAdelaide class guided missile frigate of theRoyal Australian Navy (RAN). Based on theOliver Hazard Perry class design,Canberra was one of fourAdelaide class ships constructed in the United States of America, and one of six to serve in the RAN.
The frigate entered service in 1981. During her career,Canberra was assigned to escort theRoyal YachtBritannia during QueenElizabeth II's visit in 1988, helped enforce the post-Gulf WarUnited Nations' sanctions against Iraq during 1992 and 1993, was part of the Australian responses to the 1998Indonesian riots and the 2000Solomon Islands Civil War, and returned to the Persian Gulf in 2002 as part of theWar in Afghanistan.
In 2005,Canberra became the first ship of her class to be decommissioned. The frigate was marked for conversion into adive wreck andartificial reef offBarwon Heads, Victoria, and was scuttled on 4 October 2009.
Following the cancellation of theAustralian light destroyer project in 1973, the BritishType 42 destroyer and the AmericanOliver Hazard Perry-classfrigate were identified as alternatives to replace the cancelled light destroyers and theDaring-classdestroyers.[1] Although theOliver Hazard Perry class was still at the design stage, the difficulty of fitting the Type 42 with theSM-1 missile, and the success of thePerth-class acquisition (a derivative of the AmericanCharles F. Adams-class destroyer) compared to equivalent British designs led the Australian government to approve the purchase of two US-builtOliver Hazard Perry-class frigates (includingCanberra) in 1976.[1][2] A third was ordered in 1977, followed by a fourth, with all four ships integrated into the USN's shipbuilding program.[3][4][5] A further two ships were ordered in 1980, and were constructed in Australia.[4][5]
As designed, the ship had afull load displacement of 3,605 tons, alength overall of 135.6 metres (445 ft), abeam of 13.7 metres (45 ft), and adraught of 24.5 metres (80 ft).[6][7] Starting in December 1991,Canberra was modified from theOliver Hazard Perry FLIGHT II design to FLIGHT III, requiring a lengthening of the helicopter deck for theRAST helicopter recovery system, increasing displacement to 4,100 tons and pushing the overall length to 138.1 metres (453 ft).[7] Propulsion machinery consists of twoGeneral Electric LM2500 gas turbines, which provide a combined 41,000 horsepower (31,000 kW) to the single propeller shaft.[7] Top speed is 29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph), with a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph).[7] Two 650-horsepower (480 kW) electric auxiliary propulsors are used for close manoeuvring, with a top speed of 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph).[7] Standardship's company is 184, including 15 officers, but excluding the flight crew for the embarked helicopters.[7]
Original armament for the ship consisted of aMark 13 missile launcher configured to fireRIM-66 Standard andRGM-84 Harpoon missiles, supplemented by anOTO Melara 76-millimetre (3.0 in) gun and aVulcan Phalanx point-defence system.[6][7] For anti-submarine warfare, twoMark 32 torpedo tube sets are fitted; originally firing theMark 44 torpedo, theAdelaides later carried theMark 46 torpedoes.[7] Up to six 12.7-millimetre (0.50 in) machine guns can be carried for close-in defence, and since 2005, twoM2HB .50 calibre machine guns inMini Typhoon mounts have been installed when needed for Persian Gulf deployments.[7][8] The sensor suite includes anAN/SPS-49 air search radar,AN/SPS-55 surface search and navigation radar,SPG-60 fire control radar connected to aMark 92 fire control system, and anAN/SQS-56 hull-mounted sonar.[7] Two helicopters can be embarked: either twoS-70B Seahawk or one Seahawk and oneAS350B Squirrel.[7]
Canberra was laid down as the first ship of thePerry class's Flight II design byTodd Pacific Shipyards atSeattle, Washington on 1 March 1978, and launched on 1 December 1978.[5][9]Canberra was commissioned into the RAN on 21 March 1981.[9][10] The ship received the United States Navyhull number FFG-18 during construction.[5]
Canberra's main weapon was the Mark 13 missile launcher located on the foredeck: this is used to fire bothHarpoon andSM-2MR Standard missiles.[9] A76-millimetre (3.0 in) Mark 75 OTO Melara gun is located on top of the superstructure, in front of the exhaust funnel.[9][11] A triple-barrelledMark 32 torpedo tube set is fitted to each side of the superstructure.[9][11] For close defence, a 20-millimetre (0.79 in) Mark 16 Mod 2Phalanx CIWS sits at the aft end of the superstructure, above the frigate's two helicopter hangars.[9][11]
The hangars housed twoS-70B Seahawk helicopters.[9]
After commissioning,Canberra andAdelaide remained in the United States to work up; during this time both ships were attached to the United States Navy'sDestroyer Squadron 9.[12]
Canberra was assigned as escort to theRoyal YachtBritannia during QueenElizabeth II's visit to Australia during April and May 1988, as part of theAustralian Bicentennary celebrations.[13]
_Harpoon.jpg)
On 16 May 1990,Canberra was one of six Australian warships, and one of 64 naval vessels from 21 nations present at the RoyalFleet Review marking the 55th anniversary of theRoyal Malaysian Navy.[14]
Canberra was deployed to the Red Sea from 13 November 1992 to 12 March 1993 following theGulf War, as part of the enforcement of theUnited Nations' sanctions against Iraq.[15]
In December 1993,Canberra and the destroyerHMAS Perth visitedLangkawi, Malaysia, for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition.[16] During this assignment, ship's divers fromCanberra assisted theRoyal Malaysian Police in searching for and recovering the body of a merchant sailor who had fallen overboard from MVLeisureworld.[16] Following this, the two ships sailed for New Zealand, and were present in theBay of Islands forWaitangi Day, which commemorates the signing of theTreaty of Waitangi there on 6 February 1840, which brought New Zealand into the British Empire.[17]
The frigate's home base was changed from Fleet Base East in New South Wales to Fleet Base West in Western Australia in February 1996.[18]
On 17 May 1998, the frigate was one of four RAN ships placed on standby to help evacuate Australian citizens from Indonesia followingriots.[19][20]Canberra made at least one evacuation before the force was instructed to stand down a week later.[19][20]
Following the conclusion of theSolomon Islands Civil War in 2000,Canberra was the last Australian warship sent to the Solomons to support theInternational Peace Monitoring Team; arriving on 13 September 2001, and remaining on station until 24 October.[21]
After returning to Australia for Christmas and the New Year, the frigate accompanied the replenishment oilerHMAS Westralia toHeard Island and McDonald Islands in January 2002, where the two ships spent a month enforcing Australian sovereign rights and fisheries laws in the islands'Exclusive Economic Zone.[22] During this deployment, on 7 February, the ship captured the Russian fishing vesselVolga, which was illegally operating around Heard Island.[23] Later in the year,Canberra joined sister shipNewcastle and the amphibious warfare shipManoora on a three-month deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of theInternational Coalition Against Terrorism.[24]
In July 2003, while operating in northern Australian waters,Canberra interceptedSuspected Illegal Entry Vessel (SIEV) 13, the first SIEV to be intercepted since December 2001.[25]
Canberra was decommissioned at Fleet Base West in Western Australia on 12 November 2005.[26]
In October 2006, it was announced that the decommissioned frigate would be scuttled off the coast ofBarwon Heads, Victoria as awreck diving site. In October 2006, the Federal Government allocated A$2.8 million to the project, while the Victorian Government allocated A$500,000.[27] On 23 July 2007, the Minister for Defence,Brendan Nelson, announced that in order to ensure the quickest possible schedule for the sinking of the ship, A$7 million of federal money would be allocated to the project.[28]
The frigate was scheduled to be scuttled in 30 metres (98 ft) of water, 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) offOcean Grove, Victoria on 13 September 2009, but this was postponed until 4 October because of foul weather.[19][29] Sixteen scuttling charges were detonated at 1400 hours, following a six-hour delay in towing the ship into position.[19]Canberra was inspected the next day by civilian clearance divers to ensure she had settled safely.[19] The wreck was opened to the public as a dive site on 5 December, after four mooring pylons for dive boats were installed and safety checks and remedial work were carried out.[30] In early 2011,Parks Victoria posted a warning that the port side of the hangar had separated from the rest of the superstructure, with frames and plating shifting up to 150 millimetres (5.9 in).[31] In mid-2011,Parks Victoria closed the dive site due to safety concerns following further degradation of the frigate.[32] After assessment, the site was reopened on 24 October 2011.[33]
As part of an overhaul of the RANbattle honours system, completed in March 2010,Canberra was retroactively awarded the battle honour "Persian Gulf 2002" for her service during the war in Afghanistan.[34][35]
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 Chilean Navy |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2009 | |
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| Other incidents |
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