GREENBANK NAA NEWSLETTER GREY FUNNEL DITS

Disclaimer: The material contained in this publication is in the nature of entertainment for the members. Contributions are acknowledged, with thanks, from service organisations. The editor expressly Disclaims all and any liability to any person, whether an association member or not. Views expressed may not necessary be those held by the Executive or the members.

Editor: Tony Holliday [email protected] 0403026916

Series No. 2 Date: September 2019 Issue No.9

GREENBANK NAVAL ASSOCIATION - SUB SECTION

EVENTS: September / October 2019

September. Tuesday 03 September 1900-2100 Normal Meeting RSL Rooms Saturday 14 September 1830-2300 Dine In Night Glen Hotel Wednesday 25 September 1000-1030 Executive Meeting RSL Rooms

October: Tuesday 01 October 1900-2100 Normal Meeting RSL Rooms Wednesday 30 October 1000-1030 Executive Meeting RSL Rooms

Editors Request: Articles for the newsletter can be handed in at meetings, or by email: articles may be edited to fit the newsletter.

The contents of this edition of the newsletter have been obtained from information provided from Len Kingston-Kerr whom I thank greatly, various publication publications and NAA information emailed in.

1

NAVAL PERSONALITIES

Captain Ronald John Robertson Ronald John Robertson (1916-1980), naval officer was born on 8 August 1916, at Queenscliff, the son of Mrs Roberson and the late Captain DJ Robertson (AIF) of Queenscliff, Victoria. As a child, John, as he was known, developed a love of the sea growing up watching ships entering and leaving Port Phillip Bay. He subsequently entered the Royal Australian Naval College in 1930 as a 13-year old Cadet Midshipman. There he excelled both academically and in sport, gaining his colours in rugby, hockey, rowing and athletics and winning the Governor- General’s Cup for individual sporting prowess. On Passing Out he was awarded ‘maximum time’, the Otto Albert prize for seamanship, as well as prizes for mathematics, physics and chemistry. He was subsequently appointed Midshipman on 1 May 1934 and posted to HMAS Australia (II) which, at that time, was tasked with conveying the Duke of Gloucester home to . After arriving in the United Kingdom Australia (II) proceeded to join the ’s First Squadron operating in the Mediterranean. In 1936 Midshipman Robertson joined the cruiser HMS London before attending additional training courses in England.

On 1 January 1937 Robertson was confirmed in the rank of Sub Lieutenant and in August he returned to Australia for leave prior to joining HMAS Canberra (I). In November 1938 he was promoted to Lieutenant and was selected to undertake specialist communications training in England while attached to HMS Victory. Due to the threat of impending war with the course was cut short and he was consequently posted to the HMS Malcolm. In Malcolm Robertson distinguished himself during the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from the beaches of Dunkirk in May-June 1940 earning a Distinguished Service Cross for ‘outstanding zeal, patience and cheerfulness’ and ‘for never failing to set an example of wholehearted devotion to duty’. He was also mentioned in dispatches for ‘good services in operations off the Dutch, Belgian and French coasts while serving in HMS Malcolm and as signal officer to Captain D.16’.

A brief posting to HMS Badger followed before Robertson joined the destroyer HMAS Napier as part of the commissioning crew in November 1940. He remained in Napier as the Signal Officer to the 7th Flotilla until September 1942 during which time he saw service in English home waters, the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean, where, at that time, control of the sea was being hotly contested between Allied and Axis forces. Following a number of serious Allied reversals Napier played an active role in the evacuation of Crete rescuing hundreds of Allied soldiers in two successive operations. Throughout those operations Napier came under determined aerial attack and was damaged by several ‘near misses’ necessitating a period in dock for repairs. Later, in the closing months of 1941, the destroyer took part in the resupply of besieged Tobruk as well as routinely providing protection to Mediterranean and Red Sea convoys.

In September 1942, Lieutenant Robertson temporarily joined HMS Hecla before taking passage back to Australia where he arrived in November. There he was appointed to Navy Office in Melbourne where he served in the Directorate of Signal Communications until April 1944. On completion of that appointment he returned to the United Kingdom for duties on the Staff of the Allied Naval of the Expeditionary Force to France later serving in command of a mobile naval communications unit destined for Kiel in Germany.

2

November 1944 saw Robertson promoted to Acting Lieutenant Commander and fly to Manus Island in the Pacific theatre to take up the appointment as Flag Lieutenant to Commodore HB Farncomb, DSO, RAN, and as squadron Communications Officer. He was present at Lingayen Gulf in HMAS Australia (II) and served variously in HMA Ships Shropshire and Hobart (I) during further operations in the Philippines. During that campaign he was again mentioned in dispatches for ‘gallantry, skill and devotion to duty whilst serving in HMAS Shropshire in the successful assault operations in the Lingayen Gulf, Luzon Island’. Robertson’s war service concluded on board USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay where he was present at the signing of the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945.

Following the conclusion of World War II Robertson continued to serve at sea in Shropshire and was confirmed in the rank of Lieutenant-Commander in March 1946. In June 1947 he was appointed as Officer-in-Charge of the RAN Signals School at HMAS Cerberus and on promotion to Commander in June 1950 he was appointed Executive Officer of the naval air station HMAS Albatross at Nowra, NSW at a time when Australian naval aviation was still in its formative years. In April 1952 Commander Robertson was appointed as the executive officer in the HMAS (III) in which he served during the atomic tests that took place off the Monte Bello Island group later that year and during Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation naval review at Spithead, United Kingdom, in 1953. Service as the Executive Officer to Commodore JC Morrow, CBE, DSO, DSC, RAN, followed at the Royal Australian Naval College then situated in HMAS Cerberus. Robertson was appointed in command of the Grimsby class sloop HMAS Swan (II) when it recommissioned on 10 February 1956. Swan (II) was primarily used as a cadet training ship but was also fitted out as a survey vessel. Promotion to the rank of Captain on 30 June 1956 saw Robertson subsequently appointed Chief Staff Officer to the Flag Officer in Charge of Eastern Australia, a position he held between July 1956 and July 1958. At that juncture he was appointed Captain (F), 1st Squadron in the fast anti-submarine frigate HMAS Queenborough. Robertson served only briefly in Queenborough before being selected to stand by the new Daring class destroyer HMAS Vendetta (II), then under construction at Williamstown Naval Dockyard, Victoria.

Vendetta (II) commissioned under Robertson’s command on 26 November 1958 and quickly formed part of the Commonwealth Strategic Reserve, the role of which was to deter communist aggression in South East Asia. Robertson remained in Vendetta (II) until November 1960 at which time he joined Navy Office as the Director of Plans. In the intervening period he was appointed an honorary Aide-de-camp to His Excellency the Governor-General of Australia.

In January 1962 Captain Robertson was loaned to the Royal Navy to attend the Imperial Defence College in London and to undertake the ‘Long Tactical Course’ held in early 1963. He returned to Australia in May that year and was subsequently appointed the Director of Reserves in Navy Office before assuming command of the RAN flagship HMAS Melbourne (II) in January 1964, one month prior to the aircraft carrier’s tragic collision with the destroyer HMAS Voyager (II) on the night of 10 February 1964. The first of two Royal Commissions concerning the loss of Voyager (II) was subsequently convened in lieu of an expected Naval Board of Inquiry. The Commissioner in his report criticised Captain Robertson’s actions that night despite the fact there was no evidence to support that criticism. Without the benefit of a trial by Courts Martial, Robertson was dismissed his ship and posted to the shore establishment HMAS Watson, prompting his resignation from the RAN after 34 years of loyal service. In resigning Robertson demonstrated his high principles at the injustice of that criticism but in doing so he sacrificed all financial entitlements under the Defence Forces Retirement Benefit Fund. The second Royal Commission held in 1968 exonerated Captain Robertson of any blame, finding that the responsibility for the disaster lay with Voyager (II).

3

Although too late to recover a once promising career, some compensation was granted for the loss of his retirement benefits. Many felt that Captain Robertson had been let down by the Navy and in subsequent years this single event continued to have a major impact on the Navy and its values. It was an unfortunate and premature end to Robertson’s otherwise remarkable career.

In civilian life Captain Robertson worked as a Personnel Manager at Farmers and Graziers and then for Dalgety and Co before retiring and returning to the sea in a 41 foot yacht in which he sailed the islands to the north of Australia. Captain Robertson, DSC, RAN (Retd) died on 17 July 1980.

Captain Robertson in his Day Cabin on HMAS Vendetta

4

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY

Rear Nicholas David Hunter Hammond Nicholas David Hunter Hammond was born in Market Bosworth, United Kingdom, on 13 January 1945 and migrated to Australia with his family in 1949. He was educated at St Bede’s College in Melbourne, Victoria before entering the RAN College (HMAS Creswell), in January 1960. Upon graduation in 1963 he was awarded the prize for physics and the New Zealand Naval Board prize for navigation. He then undertook further training at sea in HMA Ships Anzac and Melbourne (and the following year was awarded the inaugural RAN College Memorial Sword for best results in Stage 2 training in the fleet).

In 1964, Hammond proceeded to the United Kingdom for training at the Royal Naval Engineering College (RNEC) at Manadon. He was promoted to Sub Lieutenant in September 1964 and Lieutenant in July 1967. He graduated from RNEC in 1968 with a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Degree and specialised as a weapons electrical engineering officer. In January 1969 he joined the destroyer HMAS Vendetta as the Weapons Electrical Engineer Officer. He saw active service in Vendetta, in Vietnamese waters, between September 1969 and April 1970 when the destroyer was attached to the US Navy for duties on the ‘gun line’ providing naval gunfire support to coalition forces ashore. Lieutenant Hammond joined the Directorate of Fleet Maintenance at Navy Office in Canberra, in late 1970, and worked in the Maintenance Research and Policy Section until late 1973. He then served as the Weapons Electrical Engineer Officer in the destroyer escort HMAS Derwent during 1974-75. Following promotion to Lieutenant Commander in July 1975 he attended the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), in 1976, where he completed a Graduate Diploma in Computing and then worked at the Naval Dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria. In late 1977, Lieutenant Commander Hammond returned to the Directorate of Fleet Maintenance where he was employed in the Under Water Systems Section. He was promoted to Commander in June 1979 and was the Weapons Electrical Engineer Officer in the guided missile destroyer HMAS Hobart in 1980- 81. In 1982 he attended the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California and completed his thesis on Requirements analysis and specification methodologies for embedded computer systems. Upon return to Australia in 1983, Commander Hammond was posted to the Guided Missile Destroyer Upgrade Directorate in Navy Office. He was promoted to Captain in December 1984. During 1986-88 Captain Hammond served in the Anzac Frigate Project Directorate at Navy Office. Hammond was promoted to Commodore in December 1988 and then attended the Canadian National Defence College at Ontario in 1989. Upon return to Australia he was the Director of the Anzac Frigate Project during 1990-92. Commodore Hammond was promoted to on 14 December 1992 and became the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff - Materiel. He was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the Australia Day Honours List 1993 ‘For distinguished service and exceptional performance of duty in the RAN, with the Naval Materiel Division and particularly as Anzac Ship Project Director’. Rear Admiral Hammond retired from the RAN in January 1995 and became the First Assistant Secretary Defence Materiel in the Department of Defence for the period 1995-96. After retiring from the Department of Defence he became the Managing Director of Celsius-Tech Australia and then worked for Saab Systems until retiring in February 2003. Rear Admiral Hammond died in Adelaide, South Australia after a lengthy illness on 12 October 2003.

5

NAVAL DISASTERS

USS HOBSON:

USS Hobson (DD-464/DMS-26), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the only ship of the to be named for Richmond Pearson Hobson, who was awarded the Medal of Honour for actions during the Spanish American War. He would later in his career attain the rank of rear admiral and go on to serve as a congressman from the state of .

Hobson, constructed at a cost of $5 million, was launched at the Charleston Navy Yard on 8 September 1941; sponsored by Mrs. Grizelda Hobson, widow of Rear Admiral Hobson. As the new destroyer slid down the ways, she was cheered on by spectators and whistle blasts from other vessels on the Cooper River. Hobson was commissioned on 22 January 1942, Commander R. N. McFarlane in command. In 1952, Hobson collided with the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-18) and sunk with the loss of 176 crew. The ships had been undertaking amphibious exercises in the Atlantic, with Wasp practicing night flying, when Hobson attempted to turn in front of the carrier and collided with Wasp. Hobson was broken in two and quickly sunk, causing the greatest loss of life on a US Navy ship since World War II.

Class Gleaves Class Destroyer Displacement 1,630 tons Builder Charleston Navy Yard Length 348 ft 3in Laid down 14 November 1940 Beam 36ft 1in Launched 08 September 1941 Draught 11ft 10in Commissioned 22JJanuary 1942 Propulsion 50,000 shp x 4 boilers, 2 shafts Crew 276 Officers and Ratings Speed 37.4 knots Armament 5 x 5in DP guns 6 x .50in guns 6 x 20mm AA guns 10 x 21in Torpedoes 2 x Depth Charge Tracks

The unconditional surrender of Imperial Japan came with Hobson still undergoing repairs. With repairs completed and after shakedown training, she spent February 1946 on mine-sweeping operations out of Yorktown, Virginia. The remainder of the year was spent in training and readiness exercises in the and off Norfolk. Until 1950, the ship continued to operate off the East Coast and in Caribbean waters on amphibious and mine warfare operations. In late 1948, she visited and Halifax, Nova Scotia on mine-sweeping exercises with Canadian ships. With the outbreak of the in June 1950, Hobson's schedule of training intensified. She took part in amphibious exercises off and during 1950–51, and participated in carrier operations as a plane guard and screening ship. During one such operation on the night of 26 April 1952 at 2220, Hobson w s steaming in formation with the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-18) and destroyer USS Rodman (DD-456) about 900 kilometres (490 nm) southeast of St. John's, Newfoundland at 42°21′N 44°15′W during night flight operations en route to . Hobson was moving at 24 knots and following the carrier 3,000 yards off her starboard quarter with Rodman following Wasp off her port quarter. Hobson's commanding officer, Lt. Comdr. William J. Tierney, had been in command of the ship for 5 weeks.

6

He anticipated that Wasp, preparing to recover her aircraft at 2300, would change course to 250–260 degrees to bring the carrier into the wind, necessary for the aircraft landings. The destroyer's executive officer, Lt. William A. Hoefer, was on the bridge with the conn and control of the ship when Tierney outlined a course to manoeuvre Hobson ahead of Wasp and then come up on the massive carrier's port quarter as the destroyer's new station. Rodman would move to the starboard quarter as her new station. Hoefer, who had been on Hobson for 16 months, was immediately concerned when he saw Tierney's plan and turned the conn over to Lt. Donald Cummings, so that he could voice his opposition and belief that Tierney's manoeuvre would put the two ships on a collision course. Since Wasp had to turn to port to recover aircraft, the trailing destroyer had two options, slow down and let Wasp turn, the conventional method, or cross in front of the carrier. A heated argument ensued that Hoefer lost and he strode off the bridge to the outside to cool off.

Meanwhile, Wasp's commanding officer, Capt. Burnham C. McCaffree, was on his bridge, where Lt. Robert Herbst had the conn and ordered right standard rudder and flank speed to bring the carrier into the wind. McCaffree observed the red aircraft warning lights of the two and believed that they were also beginning the evolution. Tierney, now in control of Hobson ordered right standard rudder and a course of 130 degrees. The wind shifted and McCaffree ordered a necessary course change from 250 to 260 degrees to head into the wind. At that time Wasp's surface radar failed, while on Hobson, the port pelorus was fogged, thus preventing an accurate bearing on Wasp. McCaffree notified the destroyers of his course change, but it is unclear whether anyone on Hobson's bridge heard the communication. Tierney, without disclosing his intention, was going to put the Hobson into a Williamson turn that would bring the ship back to the point she had been. Tierney suddenly ordered full left rudder and within 30 seconds ordered full right rudder. Hoefer rushed back onto Hobson's bridge when he realized what Tierney was doing and yelled "Prepare for collision! Prepare for collision!" At that moment, Tierney ordered left full rudder, intending to race ahead of Wasp which was bearing down on the destroyer. Aboard Wasp, Lt. Herbst told Capt. McCaffree, "We're in trouble" as McCaffree ordered "all back emergency."

At first it looked as though Hobson might escape the massive carrier as her bow and number-one stack passed from starboard to port, but then there was a horrendous, grinding crash as Wasp struck Hobson amidships. The force of the collision rolled the destroyer- over onto her port side, breaking her in two. The aft section of Hobson trailed alongside of the carrier while the forward half was temporarily lodged in the Wasp's bow. The aft part of the ship sank first but 40 of the survivors came from that section as men were literally shot out of a scuttle hatch they had managed to open, propelled by the force of water and expelling air. Aboard the carrier, life rafts were being dropped over and lines lowered. One set of double rafts fell on top of a cluster of five men who were never seen again. One lucky man, a chief petty officer in the bow, managed to grab a pipe protruding from Wasp, just as Hobson's bow began her descent under the waves and leaped onto Wasp without getting wet. Survival for the rest of Hobson's crew in the thick, glutinous fuel oil was incredible, yet it happened for some. Rodman and Wasp pulled aboard 61 oil-coated survivors, but the destroyer and 176 of her crew were lost in less than five minutes, including Tierney, who dove from the bridge into the sea moments before the carrier ploughed into Hobson – and brought about the tragic end of the destroyer-minesweeper's valiant career. The sinking of Hobson was the worst non-combat accident for the U.S. Navy since the disappearance of the collier USS Cyclops (AC-4) with 306 crew and passengers en route from to , Maryland in March 1918, during World War I.

7

Aftermath and findings

A court of inquiry performed an investigation into the sinking of Hobson in an effort to determine the cause of the tragedy. The opinion of the court of inquiry was "that the sole cause of the collision was the unexplained left turn made by the Hobson about 2224. In making this left turn the Commanding Officer committed a grave error in judgement." Since the commanding officer did not survive the collision, the reason for this error could not be determined. No one else was considered to be at fault and the crew of Wasp was absolved of any responsibility for the collision. The commanding officer of Hobson had six months of prior command experience on a High-speed transport (APD), but had been in command of Hobson for only five weeks. Seven days of that were underway and only 3 1/2 days were with the task group The cost of repairs to Wasp was said to be $1 million ($9.43 million today).

As a direct result of the sinking of Hobson, upon recommendation of the court of inquiry, the Allied Navy Signal Book was changed. A special signal was to be put into use for carriers during aircraft operations. The court of inquiry also stated in its findings that, in the future, proposed schedules for aircraft launching and recovery should be provided to the vessels performing plane guard duties.

The court of inquiry also noted that Wasp, Rodman, and Hobson were all running without normal marine navigation lights, just red aircraft warning lights on top of their mast

8

HAVE A LAUGH

A Time to Remember

Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife was really angry. She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE!" The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale. Bob has been missing since Friday.

Quick Thinker

A married man was having an affair with his secretary. One day, their passions overcame them in the office and they took off for her house. Exhausted from the afternoon's activities, they fell asleep and awoke at around 8 p.m. As the man threw on his clothes, he told the woman to take his shoes outside and rub them through the grass and dirt. Confused, she nonetheless complied and he slipped into his shoes and drove home. "Where have you been?" demanded his wife when he entered the house. "Darling," replied the man, "I can't lie to you. I've been having an affair with my secretary. I fell asleep in her bed and didn't wake up until eight o'clock." The wife glanced down at his shoes and said, "You liar! You've been playing golf!"

Please repeat that again

There was an elderly couple who in their old age noticed that they were getting a lot more forgetful, so they decided to go to the doctor. The doctor told them that they should start writing things down so they don't forget. They went home and the old lady told her husband to get her a bowl of ice cream. "You might want to write it down," she said. The husband said, "No, I can remember that you want a bowl of ice cream." She then told her husband she wanted a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream. "Write it down," she told him, and again he said, "No, no, I can remember: you want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream." Then the old lady said she wants a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. "Write it down," she told her husband and again he said, "No, I got it. You want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top." So he goes to get the ice cream and spends an unusually long time in the kitchen, over 30 minutes. He comes out to his wife and hands her a plate of eggs and bacon. The old wife stares at the plate for a moment, then looks at her husband and asks, "Where's the toast?"

9

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY SHIP HISTORY

HMAS Quadrant:

Quadrant was one of eight Q Class destroyers built for the Royal Navy. She commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Quadrant on 26 November 1942. Before the year ended she was engaged in escort duties with Arctic convoys. She continued on this arduous task in 1943. Her war service also included escort duties in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Quadrant took part in the North African landings, aircraft carrier strikes against Sourabaya and bombardment of the Nicobar Islands. In 1945 she became a unit of the British Pacific Fleet, taking part in operations against Formosa, the invasion of Okinawa and operations against the Japanese home islands. In the early post war months she acted as a troop carrier from New Guinea to Australia. Later in 1945 Quadrant was transferred on loan from the Royal Navy to the Royal Australian Navy. She commissioned as HMAS Quadrant at Sydney on 18 October 1945 under the command of Acting Lieutenant Commander William F Cook RAN. After further service in Australian and northern waters, including a visit to Japan and Hong Kong, Quadrant paid off into Reserve at Sydney on 20 June 1947. During her first RAN commission she steamed 39,093.2 miles. On 15 February 1950 the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia (II) departed Sydney for Melbourne with Quadrant in tow. The vessels arrived at Melbourne on 18 February. In April 1950 work began at Williamstown Naval Dockyard to convert Quadrant to a modern fast anti-submarine vessel. In June 1950 the ship's transfer to the Royal Australian Navy was made permanent. On recommissioning at Williamstown on 16 July 1953, the ship was classified as an anti-submarine frigate. She was under the command of Captain Stephen H Beattie VC RN, who also assumed the duties of Captain (F), 1st Frigate Squadron. The Squadron, when completed by the conversion of three sister ships from destroyers to , comprised HMA Ships Quadrant, Queenborough, Quiberon and Quickmatch. Another sister ship Quality, also transferred from the Royal Navy, and was not converted.

After recommissioning, Quadrant’s service was mainly in Australian waters. In February 1954 she acted as escort to the Royal Yacht Gothic during the visit to Australia of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. Quadrant visited New Guinea, Manus and New Britain in October 1954, New Zealand in March 1955, and spent a period on exercises in Far East waters in June 1955. In March 1956 she took part in exercises in Malayan waters. On 10 April 1956, the Captain (F), 1st Frigate Squadron (Captain VA Smith DSC RAN), relinquished command of Quadrant and transferred to Queenborough.

10

During June 1956 Quadrant served for a period as a surveillance vessel with the Japanese pearling fleet in the Arafura Sea. In October 1956 she again proceeded to the Far East for further exercises, visiting Hong Kong, Singapore and Manila.

In February 1957 Quadrant again visited New Zealand. The remainder of her seagoing service, which ended in May 1957, was spent in home waters. Quadrant paid off into Operational Reserve at Sydney on 16 August 1957. During her second RAN commission she steamed 113,508.5 miles. The total mileage steamed during her RAN service was, therefore, 152,601.7 miles.

HMAS Quadrant flying her decommissioning pennant, 16 August 1957

On 15 February 1963 Quadrant was sold for scrap to a Japanese firm, Kinoshita & Co Ltd.

11

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY NEW SHIPS 70’s, 80’s, 90’s

HMAS Newcastle:

HMAS Newcastle is one of four Adelaide Class Guided Missile Frigates (FFG) in service with the Royal Australian Navy. The Adelaide Class is based on the US Navy - Oliver Hazard Perry Design. Newcastle is the youngest of the four frigates and was constructed in Williamstown, Victoria with all previous class modifications incorporated. Newcastle is a long range escort vessel, capable of air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction. The ship can counter simultaneous threats from aircraft, surface vessels and submarines. HMAS Newcastle and her three sister ships were the first RAN ships to be powered by gas turbines. This combined with a modern repair by replacement policy, has allowed both a reduced complement and a high availability for sea duty. Additionally, two forward mounted retractable auxiliary propulsion units provide a secondary means of propulsion plus excellent manoeuvrability in confined waters. Having completed the FFG Upgrade Program, Newcastle has emerged with a new and highly sophisticated combat system and a greatly improved sensors suite and weapons package. The Australian Distributed Architecture Combat System (ADACS), along with an upgraded Air Search Radar and the newly installed Vertical Launch System (VLS), vastly improves Newcastle's capability of fulfilling Navy's mission to fight and win at sea. In recent years Newcastle has deployed in support of peacekeeping operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands and Operation CATALYST in the Persian Gulf. Newcastle is named after the City of Newcastle and is the first RAN ship to carry this name. The ship maintains close links with her namesake city, particularly through active support of her adopted charity organisation, the Hunter Orthopaedic School. After more than 25 years of service in the Royal Australian Navy, HMAS Newcastle decommissioned at Garden Island, , Sydney on Sunday, 30 June 2019.

Class Adelaide Class Displacement 4,267 tonnes Type Frigate FFG Length 138.1 meters Builder Aust. Marine Engineering Beam 13.7 meters Launched 21 February 1992 Draught 4..5 meters Commissioned 11December 1993 Speed 29 knots Crew 184 Officers and Ratings Propulsion 2 GE LM 2500 gas turbines 2 auxiliary electric retractable propulsors Armament Missile System 1 x OTO Melara 3in 62 Mk75 gun 1 x 20mm Mk 15 Vulcan Phalanx gun 6x 12.7mm Machine guns 2 x Rafael Mini Typhoon gun 6 x Mk 32 x 2 triple torpedo tubes Helicopters 2 x sikorsky S770B-2 Seahawks

12

PICTURE FUNNIES

13