Exercise Sea Lion roars into action

A Sea King helicopter from 817 squadron helps lift an artillery piece into place during Exercise Sea Lion in Queensland.

Photo: ABPH Yuri Ramsey

Exercise Sea Lion, recently conducted in the Cowley Beach Training Area, North Queensland, showed just how well Navy, Army and Air force work together to deal with the challenges of joint amphibious operations.

The exercise, involving over 500 people was conducted between March 1 and 15.

Sea Lion involved working up a number of units in basic amphibious skills and procedures, which required the conduct of surface and air assaults and withdrawals.

Commander of the Amphibious Task Group CAPT Peter Murray said Sea Lion clearly demonstrated the ability of the three services to work together in a complex and demanding amphibious environment.

The exercise involved the movement by sea of troops, members of the 3rd Combat Service Support Battalion, including their equipment and vehicles; helicopters from 5th Aviation Regiment, guns from 4th Field Regiment and landing craft and the Amphibious Beach Team from 10th Force Support Battalion to the Cowley Beach Training Area.

The exercise included embarkation procedures, safety drills, damage control exercises and watercraft and helicopter control procedures.

HMA Ships Kanimbla (CMDR Stephen Woodall) and Tobruk (CMDR Nicholas Bramwell), three RAN Landing Craft (HMA Ships Brunei (LEUT Byron Williamson), Tarakan (LEUT Mark Willmore) and Labuan (LCDR Donna Muller) and a flight from 817 Squadron (Sea King) formed TG628.5 as the maritime contribution to the joint force.

Some heavy seas during the exercise meant the Army had to come to terms with operating in an environment they were not used to, this combined with a temporary defect to HMAS Kanimbla, kept planning staff on their toes as the embarked force transferred to HMAS Tobruk as the alternate command platform.

“The fact that we were able to initially deploy an embarked force, then transfer them between ships, provide for them while afloat and land them and bring them back to Townsville, demonstrates the high level of cooperation between the three services and the high level of professional skill of the soldiers, sailors and airmen involved,” CAPT Murray said.

In excess of 200 landings were achieved during the exercise.

These provided a great workout for flight deck teams, new pilots and even the old hands that had seen it all before said CAPT Murray.

“It’s exercises of this type that allow the Australian Defence Force to practise amphibious operations; they further allow us to refine the critical support services necessary to make exercises of this scale possible,” CAPT Murray said.

Sea Lion sets the scene for Exercise Eagle 04, providing an opportunity for the ADF to further enhance its amphibious warfare capability.

Visit the Exercise Sea Lion web site.

 

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