CPOATA Darren Hooper, newly returned from The Gulf onboard HMAS Manoora greets his family. Wife Tracey Hooper and children (l-r) Thomas, 4 and Bradley, 7. Photo by ABPH Kel Hockey.

Three-year-old Mackenzie Morrison ran to the door of her family home the other day and shouted with delight, "my Daddy's coming home soon".

"She'd been counting the days," her mother Lynette told Navy News.

Mackenzie and her mother are the daughter and wife of CMDR Bob Morrison, the commanding officer of HMAS Manoora.

The ship, with more than 300 sailors and soldiers on board, returned home to Sydney late last month after six months deployed in The Gulf as part of Op Slipper.

Mrs Morrison, Mackenzie, 3, her brother Thomas, 8, were among 350 family members and friends waiting on Fleet Base One on Friday, July 19, for the return of the ship.

With flags, banners, balloons and bunches of flowers, the crowd gave the ship and her company a rousing welcome.

There was a loud cheer from the crowd as the ship's company was told to "stand easy" and make its way to the brows.

There was an even louder cheer as CMDR Morrison, beckoning with one arm and calling "c'mon" to his men and women, led the exodus to the wharf.

He was met on the dock by his family and the new Maritime Commander, RADM Raydon Gates and his wife Alison.

RADM Gates had only been in the job 30 minutes.

Sixteen-month-old Austin Bradbury welcomed his godfather, PO Mark Murray back to Australia in a sailor suit made for the occasion.

The family of CPO Leigh Packanem made an extra large banner for his return.

It said: "My husband, our father, my brother-in-law, my uncle, our friend and Pud's mate".

In a dockside press conference, CMDR Morrison said there had been tense moments during the Op Slipper deployment.

He said oil smugglers don't want to be boarded and regularly created passive resistance to boarding parties.

"They put spikes on the sides of their ships and weld up hatches and doors," he explained.

He said Manoora, as part of the UN multi-national interception force, was working close to Iraq.

He said much of the deployment had been done in high temperatures.

Despite this, morale was high and his ship had operated "exceptionally well".

Asked if the ship's Sea King helicopter had operated efficiently, CMDR Morrison gave a 'thumbs up' on both hands.

RADM Gates said he expected the RAN's present hectic tempo of operations to continue unabated.

He said the Navy remained committed to operations in The Gulf, to the deterrence of people smugglers in waters north of Australia, to the interception of fish poachers and helping in Bougainville.

Asked by one reporter about the call the previous day by Saddam Hussein for the people of Iraq to "prepare for war", RADM Gates said Hussein often used such rhetoric.

RADM Gates and CMDR Morrison said the RAN was held in high regard by the US to the point where the command of The Gulf force task group of up to five ships from the US, Australia and Great Britain, are commanded alternatively by officers from the RAN and USN.

During her stay in The Gulf, Manoora, with her state-of-the-art communications equipment and command centre, was used as the task group headquarters.

"For a time we had a US commodore in our ship," CMDR Morrison said.

Australia now has Melbourne and Arunta in The Gulf.

The role of Op Slipper ships is to enforce a UN sanction on the exit of illegal cargoes, particularly oil, from Iraq.

The UN fears the sale of the oil will finance the purchase of weapons of mass destruction.

The Sea King from the ship flew to HMAS Albatross for its own special welcome home.

By Graham Davis