By
LEUT Kirsty Boazman
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HMAS
Waller alongside in Darwin. She hosted a West Australian
Senator while she sought and got good hunting. Photo by
LCDR Andrew Stackpool
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Far
from approaching “retirement” with a leisurely wind-down
of activity, HMAS Waller (CMDR Jason Cupples) has been busier
than a Bangladeshi fieldsman.
Earlier this year the boat successfully completed weapons certification
against several surface and dived targets.
At the end of July she backed up to play a pivotal role in Exercise
Kakadu VI.
The traditional ‘stealth’ enemy of such exercises, Waller
participated in no less than 17 serials, providing Anti Submarine
Warfare (ASW) training for Australian and regional air and surface
units.
As the only submarine, Waller initially provided a predictable
‘clockwork mouse’ pattern of activities in the comparatively
shallow waters of the NAXA before turning ‘rat in the ranks’
for the freeplay period of the exercise.
While so engaged, Waller played host to WA Senator David Johnston
as part of the ADF Parliamentary Exchange program.
After Kakadu the boat will return to West Australian waters to
conduct Exercise Lungfish in company with a USN nuclear attack
boat.
Lungfish comprises a series of advanced ASW exercises and exposes
Australian and US Navy submarine Commanding Officers to demanding
warlike scenarios.
