Navy News, December 24, 2001

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December 24, 2001

		End of an era Till the very end, the former guided-missile destroyer HMAS Perth did it "her way". Five years of planning and $1.5m saw the scuttling plan for Perth to sink bow first and sit upright on the silty seabed with her mast protruding...

		CDF extends seasons best Last year, I began my Christmas message by referring to what had been a momentous year for the Australian Defence Force. With our commitment to a very successful Olympic Games and our overseas obligations, most...

		CN reflects on hard year This year has been a milestone for the Navy, marking our one hundred and first year of service to our country. This year we have recognised our heroes, the Navy's achievements and the hard work and dedication of sailors past...

		WO-N sends his best 2001 has been very busy which has meant our ships' companies and families have been faced with many different challenges. As usual, you have met all the challenges and have done what has been asked.

		CDT Team 4 kicks in Australian Clearance Diving Team Four based at Fleet Base West, became the latest commissioned unit in the Royal Australian Navy at a ceremony at the team's headquarters on Saturday December 1, 2001.

		New political master for ADF Senator Robert Hill will head up the ministerial team to lead Defence for the next three years. And he's on record as describing his appointment as 'a great honour and a major responsibility' at a time when Australian personnel were deployed to overseas troublespots.

		Sailor nets WA Wildcat Barina For HMAS Stirling's, ABCSO David Goldhahn, a night out to the Perth Entertainment Centre to watch his beloved Perth Wildcats do battle with the Victorian Titans in the National Basketball League had a pleasant surprise ending.

		Respected leader farewelled HMAS Penguin farewelled its well-respected commanding officer, CMDR Ted Wynberg, with due ceremony on Friday, December 7. CMDR Wynberg has been CO at Penguin since August 1999, the last seven months as a member of the RAN Reserves.

		DIAL 1800 For IMSICK health line Information supplied by the Joint Health Support Agency A toll-free telephone health advisory service is now available to all permanent ADF members in Australia.

		Reserves take off $10m parts When supervisors realised they needed more people to remove spare parts worth $10 million from the former Royal Australian Navy destroyer Brisbane they called in the "reserves." Six well-trained technicians were soon on...

		RAN signs health deal with RNSH The Royal Australian Navy has entered into a formal agreement with Sydney's Royal north Shore Hospital which will see Navy doctors, nurses and medics honing their skills at the hospital. A doctor, nurse and medic have already taken part in a trial of the program...

		Sydney waterways safer thanks to Navy Sydney's Broken Bay, Pittwater and Hawkesbury River will be a little safer for users thanks to the Royal Australian Navy. For the past four months as a Defence Aid to the Civil Community project, FIMA/Sydney has been refurbishing Eileen Dickie 111 a 10 metre patrol launch of the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard.

		Five-year-old's death prompts heartfelt effort When CMDR Bob Morrison and his ship's company in HMAS Manoora, then off the Solomon Islands on Op Trek duties, heard that a five-year-old girl had died because the local hospital did not have suction equipment with which to clear deadly fluids, they declared, "it won't happen again."

		TI rescue boat rep grows LCDR Jeff Williams and his team on the remotely positioned patrol launch Malu Baizam have continued their tradition of saving lives at sea. On November 16 they plucked four men from a disabled dinghy bobbing in rough seas in the Torres Strait.

		DFDA falls in with civvie code Changes to the Defence Force Discipline Act (DFDA) due to come into effect on December 15 should simplify proof or defence of charges brought under the Act. Parliament passed the Defence Legislation Amendment (Application of Criminal Code) Bill 2001 in the Spring session before the Federal elections.

		Terry takes on Timor service The Head of the Childrens' Ward at Redcliffe General Hospital and naval reservist, LCDR Terry Slader, is putting his medical skills to good use at the United Nations Military Hospital in Dili, East Timor.

		Majestic ship graces Fleet Base East A small but enthusiastic group from Sydney's Chilean community was at Fleet Base East late last month to welcome one of the most magnificent ships sailing the world's oceans today. With flags waving, banners thrust...

		Extra bunks for frigates An easily-transportable 12-bunk accommodation module has been developed for use in RAN frigates. The module would boost from 210 (standard configuration) to 222 bunks the accommodation on the FFGs.

		Home the Hunter After an extended deployment to the Arabian Gulf, HMAS Anzac sailed into her homeport at Fleet Base West on Saturday November 24, to a warm and enthusiastic welcome from family and friends.

		Letters to the Editor "To judge is to decide and to decide is to cut off other possibilities" I would like to reply to a letter in Navy News Edition 22, Volume 44 (November 12, 2001), concerning WOCSM John Flage comments, HMAS Stirling.

		RAN plays a part in memorial service The RAN played a vital role in a service to remember the 138 men who lost their lives when HMAS Parramatta 11 was hit by a German torpedo and sank off Libya on November 27, 1941.

		Sixty years since RAN's worst loss On November 19, 1941, the Royal Australian Navy suffered the worst loss in its short history since Federation, with the sinking of the light cruiser HMAS Sydney and the loss of her entire ship's company of 645, in action against the German raider SMS Kormoran.

		Sydney lives on To commemorate the loss of HMAS Sydney on November 19, 1941, dedication of the HMAS Sydney II Memorial at Geraldton took place on Sunday, November 18. The dedication also formed part of four days of...

		PBs get their Top End horns The Royal Australian Navy's plan to boost its resources in the 'top end' is complete with the formal arrival of the last three patrol boats in Darwin last month.

		RANOGS wrest officers' trophy Under glorious skies, but a stiff breeze, members of the RAN Officers Golf (RANOGS) team wrested the Officers' Interservice Golf Trophy from Air Force and Army by a convincing 23-point margin recently. The current operational climate saw numbers down slightly, however a total of 39 players lined up at one of Sydney's more daunting courses at the New South Wales Golf Club.

		Have bike, will travel Canadian exchange officer SBLT Lorraine Sammut brought her bicycle with her when she began a deployment in HMAS Melbourne earlier this year. She is now using it to raise money for the Sir David Martin Foundation.

		Sharp shooters Australian Naval Cadet, SMN Aaron Thompson from T.S.Sirius has a sharp eye and steady finger when it comes to rifle shooting. When he and a dozen shipmates were invited by the RAN Reserve Rifle Club to do the first phase of a four-day marksman's shooting course at the ANZAC Rifle Range late last month, Aaron was outstanding in his shoot.

		DIKKO

		HMAS WORT