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FIMA
Perth deploys for Arunta grease and oil change
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LSMT
Dean Howell with a member of Arunta’s ship’s company
adjusting the valve clearances on the STBD Propulsion Diesel
Engine.
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A nine-man
team from FIMA Perth set a navy first by helping HMAS Arunta complete
a self maintenance period alongside in Dubai last month.
FIMA (Fleet Intermediate Maintenance Activity) Perth commanding
officer LCDR Greg Church, who led the team of engineering officers
and sailors, said it was the first time a FIMA element had been
deployed to the Middle East to assist a ship during deployment.
The team left Perth in the early hours of October 13 in a Russian
Ilyushin IL76 cargo plan, stopping off at Diego Garcia and Kuwait,
eventually arriving at Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates about
25 hours later.
They carried out a range of tasks with HMAS Arunta’s engineering
department during a hectic four-day visit, notching up an impressive
total of 297 man-hours during the visit.
“Our role was to exercise a deployed FIMA element into the
Middle East to provide assistance to HMAS Arunta during her self
maintenance period,” LCDR Church said.
The team carried out 33 planned maintenance tasks and a number of
corrective maintenance defects.
Small groups worked on different activities including repairs to
electrical systems, smoke sensors, gear boxes and air conditioning
systems.
LCDR Church said the team took a while to get used to 40-degree
heat, after coming from a Perth spring climate with temperatures
in the mid-20s.
He said the mission was a rewarding experience for everyone involved
in an operational environment and said the
FIMA Perth crew would welcome further missions.
“If the opportunity arose again, the team and I would be first
there,” he said.
“It was a good opportunity to show that small FIMA-deployed
elements are good value for money.”
LCDR Church praised the support the team received from a number
of agencies and HMAS Arunta, particularly the Bahrain-based RAN
liaison team, HMAS Stirling and the Anzac support team in Rockingham,
saying everyone did an outstanding job.
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