Manoora in vital supply role
LPA 52’s logistic support role in the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands has been vital for the successful sustaining of many of the Police posts that have been opened around the Solomons archipelago.

By LEUT Chris Woods

HMAS Manoora’s Shark 20 prepares to lift a pallet of bottled water as part of the resupply.

Photo: LSPH David Connolly

As HMAS Manoora’s (CMDR Martin Brooker) hangar door opens to reveal Shark 20 burning and turning on the flight deck, the deck team pumps the pallet jack to move a load of bottled water in preparation for another round of re-supply sorties.

LPA 52’s logistic support role in the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been vital for the successful establishment and sustaining of many of the police posts that have been opened around the Solomons archipelago.

On this occasion, the police posts at Kolina and Avu Avu on Guadalcanal’s Weathercoast are standing by to receive 20 pallets each of rations, water and fuel for the members of the Participating Police Force (PPF) along with their RAMSI support elements in those locations.

These re-supply activities occur about every two weeks and involve the whole ship, CMDR Martin Brooker said.
Many of the police posts such as Kolina are inaccessible other than by air and Manoora’s two Sea Kings have been tireless and reliable workhorses.

“The aircraft and the team are dedicated, the maintainers work in two shifts, 24-hours a day, seven days a week - most weeks to keep those two aircraft flying,” CMDR Brooker said. “They have lifted as much cargo and as many people as a small airline could be proud of in terms of numbers over the last two months.”

Shark 20 pilot SBLT Brendan Burchgart said that the tactical and logistics support running score for the Sea Kings and crews stands at over 230 hours flown, 1600 passengers including five Aero Medical Evacuations (AME) and over 167 tonnes of cargo.

Manoora also supported an Open Day at Malu’u on the island of Malaita that was attended by the Minister for Defence, Senator Robert Hill and the Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison recently. The ship’s boarding party put on a fast roping display and a number of the ship’s company played sport and mixed with the locals.

The ship’s other Sea King; Shark 22 conducted a similar display at Atori, also on Malaita during the re-supply serial.

The LPA has also been directing the activities of the Minor War Vessels (MWV) attached to RAMSI.

“We started off with the LCHs, HMAS Wewak and Labuan,” Assistant Operations Officer, LEUT Simon Howard said. “They have recently handed over to Tarakan and Balikpapan who are here now. HMAS Whyalla has handed-off to Ipswich while Hawkesbury has just been replaced by Diamantina.”

“The LCHs have been helping with the establishment of police posts by transferring stores, personnel, engineering equipment - anything that’s needed. The Patrol Boats and Mine Hunters having been spreading the word about RAMSI’s aims, so at all times they’ve taken a security element of PPF and military personnel with them,” LEUT Howard said.

HMAS Hawkesbury has concentrated on the northern areas around the Shortland Islands group, while Whyalla and Ipswich visited many islands in the New Georgia region, Santa Isabel, San Cristobal and Choiseul areas.

“The MWVs have also been involved in maritime patrol activities in the southern region such as interdiction, interception and boarding operations,” LEUT Howard said.

“What we are looking for here is illegal fishing,” he said. “The Solomon Islands also has an economic exclusion zone to protect.”

Ashore, the construction of Insulated Tropical Shelter Accommodation (ITSA) style huts is progressing at Camp RAMSI in preparation for Manoora’s Primary Casualty Reception Facility’s (PCRF) relocation.

“This is the first major operation where the PCRF has been used in anger so to speak and thankfully there haven’t been any major casualties,” CMDR Brooker said. “It’s certainly tested the organisation by being stood up and then deployed for an extended period of time.”

On completion of the Kolina and Avu Avu re-supply serials the hangar was once again bare of stores, ready for the next logistic support tasking. HMAS Manoora conducted damage control and other exercises during the overnight transit back to Honiara.

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