Darwin celebrates her first 19 years in style

CMDR Aaron Ingram and the youngest member of his crew SMNWTR Sheridan Johnson get to work on the birthday cake. Photo by APBPHPhil Cullinan

HMAS Darwin (CMDR Aaron Ingram) turned 19 on July 21 while at Fleet Base West undergoing maintenance.

Darwin has had 13 Commanding Officers, approximately 3500 Officers and Sailors have served in her, and she has sailed almost 710, 000nm since commissioning as the RAN’s fourth FFG in Seattle in 1984.

At a Clear Lower Deck recently to celebrate the ship’s birthday, Australian Active Service Medal Clasps ‘IRAQ 2003’ were presented to several members of the ship’s company involved in Op Falconer.

In his address the CO emphasised the pivotal role that Darwin has played in the 13-year history of the Coalition maritime campaign in the Persian Gulf. Darwin was part of the first RAN Task Group to deploy to the Middle East in 1990 and then deployed again in 1991 immediately following Gulf War I.

Most recently Darwin returned in 2002 to enforce UN Sanctions against Iraq and subsequently earned her first Battle Honours for participating in the liberation of Iraq during Op Falconer in 2003.

During her last deployment to the Persian Gulf she was away from her home base at HMAS Stirling, for 201 days.

Her crew boarded 365 vessels before and during the Iraq War, and encouraged many more vessels to turn back by her very presence, the determined efforts of the Boarding Teams in RHIBs Griffin and Eagle and the aircrew of her embarked helicopter ‘Agro’.

During the Al Faw Landing Darwin and HMS Chatham were the surface action group patrolling the approaches to the Shatt Al Arab (SAA) waterway to intercept and destroy any Iraqi warships and suicide boats attempting a break-out at the time.

Darwin returns to sea this month rejuvenated after a much-needed maintenance and leave period.

.