Security tight as US taskforce visits

USS Bon Homme Richard with her tugs prepares to enter Garden Island.

USS Cleveland berths outside USS Pearl Harbour at the Cruiser Wharf at Garden Island. High on the priorities list for the crews of all the ships was the buying of civvies. Most had left the US so quickly all they had was desert cams. CO Kuttabul CMDR Brian Eagles arranged for clothing stalls to be set up on the wharf. Photos by LSPH Damian Pawlenko

By Graham Davis

Security was tight for the arrival and five day stay of the US Amphbious Task Group One, comprising five capital ships, 6,800 sailors and marines, 30 aircraft and scores of tanks and other vehicles, to Sydney last month.

Under the command of CDRE Kenny Golden, the ships entered Sydney Harbour at staggered hours on June 20.

Each was escorted by around 12 police, Waterways and Naval patrol vessels including RHIBs carrying police boarding specialists.

Police helicopters hovered above, other police watched from the foreshores while on Garden Island and Fleet Base East scores of police “walked the beat.”

The police presence was in response to the raid by local protestors on HMAS Sydney when she departed for The Gulf earlier this year.

The visiting ships were the USS Boxer of 40,532 tonnes, her sister ship USS Bon Homme Richard, the LSD USS Pearl Harbor (16,740 tonnes), and sister LPDs USS Dubuque (17,244 tonnes) and USS Cleveland.

The San Diego based task group was on its way home from Iraq where it had lost five of its tank personnel.

The five ships detoured down the east coast of Australia to give their ship’s companies and the 4,000 Marines on board some R and R “down under.”

“They can blame me if they like,” CDRE Golden told Navy News.

“I wanted to come to Sydney to visit Professor Robert O’Neill who was my professor when I was at Oxford.
“He lives near Mudgee...but he’s coming to the ship.

“I also wanted to give my people a ‘treat’ by coming to Sydney.”

For the thousands of Marines who streamed off the five ships many had two aims. One was to enjoy a cold drink the other was to buy some civilian clothes. In January they had been flown quickly from their US bases to Kuwait to join their ships and few had taken civilian clothes with them.

The staff at HMAS Kuttabul led by CMDR Brian Eagles facilitated the need for civilian attire by allowing a number of stalls to be set up on the wharf. One was operated by the Australian icon clothier RM Williams.

Bringing the five ships alongside was no easy task. A total of 52 RAN personnel drawn from Kuttabul, RAN ships alongside, Port Services and FIMA, were used to pilot in, secure lines, provide power and water and raise brows to the giant vessels. Numerous tugs provided by DMS and Adsteam were used to bring them in.

Waiting for the ships to arrive were groups of US sailors who had flown into Sydney to join their respective craft.

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