HAWKESBURY Trial
May 3, 1999
The second of the RAN's "plastic fantastics" the new fibre-glass minehunters, HAWKESBURY, went to sea for the first time last month.
The MHC (Mine Hunter Coastal) is one of six of the 720 tonne minehunters being built for the RAN by ADI Newcastle.
HUON has already been tested and will be commissioned soon.
Under the control of LCDR S McCarey and the ADI ship's manager the HAWKESBURY entered the open sea off the Hunter and was put to the test.
Departmental audits and a "light off" examination took place followed by two sessions of operational training monitored by the staff of COMAUSMINDIVFOR.
The OTP (Operational Training Program) was shared with initial engineering acceptance trials- success resulted.
From now until the end of the year, HAWKESBURY will conduct engineering and sonar trials in waters between Newcastle and Jervis Bay.
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New ship HAWKESBURY sails
for the first time. Picture: LSPH Kev Bristow
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Next phase of her shakedown will be shock trials.
In the trials, ordnance will be detonated close to her hull to test the resilience of the ship, her engineering cradles and other equipment.
Four further minehunters, NORMAN, GASCOYNE, DIAMANTINA and YARRA are to be supplied to the RAN with NORMAN likely to slide into the Hunter River shortly.
The last of the six vessels should be commissioned in the year 2002.
By Graham Davis