The Officers and Ship's Company formed up, dressed and ready to begin the reception of VIP Guests on parade. Those received with full naval honours included MC AUST, RADM Raydon Gates, CN, VADM Chris Ritchie, CDF, GEN Peter Cosgrove, The Minister for Defence Senator Robert Hill and the Commissioning Lady Maxine Barrie. Photo ABPH Oliver Garside.

With the command "Her Majesty's Australian Ship Stuart will man ship", 164 Aussie men and women, and a lone New Zealander, strode proudly forward to line the rails of the Royal Australian Navy's newest warship late last month.

As they boarded, the skirl of bagpipes of the St Mary's Pipes and Drums and the drums and trumpets of the RAN Band/Sydney, along with the cheers and applause of the crowd of 1000, echoed across Woolloomooloo Bay in Sydney.

Residents in high rises came on to their balconies and motorists pulled to the kerb.
The Navy was commissioning its latest fighting ship and it was a big day.

With the ship's pennant at the highest yard, the Australian National Flag at her bow and the White Ensign from Stuart 2 (it had been kept safe by LCDR Jim Langsford since the River Class ship was paid off in 1991) fluttering from her stern it was time for the executive officer, LCDR Lee Goddard to declare to his commanding officer, CMDR David Greaves, that "the ship is manned" and that it was time to join his ship's company.

As the ship's pipes sounded there was more applause and cheering as CMDR Greaves moved forward.

Earlier CMDR Greaves had told his ship's company, "this is your day enjoy it.
"You are Stuart and your motto is 'Always Prepared'".

The commissioning of Stuart took place at Fleet Base East on the morning of Saturday, August 17.
It was the first commissioning of a warship at FBE in decades.

It also marked the first homeporting of an ANZAC Class warship in Sydney.

Three earlier ANZACs Anzac, Arunta and Warramunga are homeported at HMAS Stirling just south of Perth.

Navy management plans to have three older FFGs and four ANZACs based in the east and in the west along with a fleet oiler.

Parramatta is expected to be commissioned in December 2003, Ballarat in January 2005, Toowoomba in January 2006 and Perth in October 2006.

Each ANZAC is expected to be in service for 30 years.

The commissioning ceremony for Stuart was a high profile occasion.

Joining the ship's company were the Minister for Defence Senator Robert Hill and Mrs Hill, Chief of the Defence Force, GEN Peter Cosgrove and Mrs Cosgrove, Chief of Navy VADM Chris Ritchie and Mrs Ritchie and the Maritime Commander RADM Raydon Gates and Mrs Gates.

As well as a list of invited guests the commissioning was open to the public and through advertising and extensive media coverage when the warship entered Sydney Harbour for the first time six days earlier, many members of the public came on to the base to watch.

Members of the Scottish community were invited and saw the crowd dotted with men in kilt and stocking and their wives in tartan decorated bonnets.

The St Mary's Pipes and Drums, a total of 15 musicians, blended with the RAN Band/Sydney and neither "missed a beat."

Australian Naval Cadets, Brett Scheichl, 14 and Peter Cain 15, came from TS Stuart in Adelaide to perform duty as "door openers".

Cadets from local units also attended.

The proceedings opened with a rendition of We Are Australian by ABMUSN Tracy Burke.

Next came the reading of the instruction from VADM Ritchie through RADM Gates that "you are to come to commission this ship" and that "God's blessing be on her."

RADM Gates read an invitation to prayer and was followed by SCHAP Eric Burton who was joined by the audience in the "Lord's Prayer".

SCHAP Bryan Rayner followed by reading Psalm 107 while CPO Vince Carroll read St Mathew 8-23/27.

RADM Gates delivered the Naval Prayer.

This was followed by the blessing of Stuart by chaplains Rayner, Burton and Lund.

The XO, LCDR Goddard delivered a prayer for the ship.

ABMUSN Burke then led the crowd in singing the Naval Hymn.

CHAP Lund concluded the first formal segment of the commissioning with the Benediction.

Then it was time for her ship's company to go aboard.

The call went out to "man ship" and "cheer ship."

Instructions were given to "man the rails".

With the bands playing and the crowd clapping and cheering the company, including an armed Honour Guard marched proudly to three brows and went aboard.

There were 164 Australian officers and sailors including 24 women, and one New Zealander, the ship's Air Warfare Officer LCDR Phil Henry who is on exchange from the New Zealand Navy.

With the ship's company in place, all flags and commission pennant fluttering, the call went out for three cheers from the sailors and their officers.

Caps were doffed and three loud cheers echoed across the waters.

LCDR Goddard declared to his CO and the watching audience, "the ship is manned, sir."

CMDR Greaves went aboard to the applause of the crowd.

In his address he told of the first Stuart, a destroyer handed by the Royal Navy to the RAN in 1933 and a ship which was to become part of the "Scrap Iron Flotilla".

She was a ship, which acquitted herself well, and without loss of life, in WW 2 theatres of war such as the Pacific, Crete, Greece and Tobruk.

In 1963 the RAN obtained a new Stuart a locally made River Class destroyer escort.
The Scottish clan links remained and Stuart 2 became known as the "Tartan Terror" a name now continued by the new warship.

"And the name of our ship's Rugby side is the 'Brave Hearts'", CMDR Greaves said.

Mrs Maxine Barrie, wife of former CDF ADML Chris Barrie, formally "commissioned" the ship, which she launched in 1999 at the Tenix ship yard at Williamstown, Melbourne.

"It is a great honour to be your commissioning lady," she told the ship's company.

"I compliment the officers and sailors for their turnout.

"I wish you fair winds and following seas."

Mrs Barrie was joined by the ship's youngest member, SMN Brent Baird, to cut a commissioning cake using a ceremonial sword.

As her gift to the ship she presented a Scottish quaich. (See separate story).

She received a framed photograph of the ship entering Sydney Harbour earlier in the week.

With all formalities concluded the ship's company returned to the wharf to mingle with family, friends and guests.

The following day the ship conducted a "family day" taking the opportunity for members to show off their new charge.

Stuart was due to put to sea on Monday, August 26 to begin three months of workup and training leading to an "operational readiness exercise" late in November.
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By Graham Davis