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Huge
turnout for Gulf-bound ships
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Friends
and family farwell HMA ships Anzac and Darwin.
Photo by ABPH Gavin Hainsworth.
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More
than 400 friends and family farewelled HMAS Anzac (CAPT Peter Lockwood)
and HMAS Darwin (CMDR Aaron Ingram) when they left HMAS Stirling
headed for The Gulf.
The ships’ companies of the Fleet Base West-based frigates
were farewelled by the Chief of Navy, VADM Chris Ritchie, as they
left their homeport to join the international coalition against
terrorism.
This is the fourth rotation of Royal Australian Navy ships as part
of coalition operations following the initial deployment last year.
Australian sailors have earned themselves a reputation as extremely
proficient at Multinational Interception Force inspections of merchant
traffic transiting in and out of Iraq in accordance with United
Nations sanctions.
VADM Ritchie said: “HMA Ships Anzac and Darwin have trained
very hard to achieve the standards required to deploy on operations
like this and their families can be extremely proud of their efforts.
“The Royal Australian Navy and the Australian public alike
can be proud of the reputation the men and women of the ships deployed
on this operation so far have earned. I am very confident that Anzac
and Darwin will continue that professionalism when on station in
The Gulf”.
Anzac and Darwin’s deployment will be the sixth Western Australia-based
ships to be deployed to the Persian Gulf on coalition operations
since last September. For Anzac, this will be her second deployment
to the Persian Gulf in 15 months. She was on station September 11
2001. To date, nine RAN warships have served in the Gulf in this
role since last year.
Anzac and Darwin will replace HMAS Arunta and HMAS Melbourne, which
will return to their respective homeports in the coming months.
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