Sailors say aloha to Hawaii

By Graham Davis

Close to 700 Royal Australian Navy officers and sailors are preparing for one of the world’s largest regularly-held naval exercises, RIMPAC.

The exercise spans three weeks and will begin in June, involving many navies. Some will supply ships and planes, while others will send observers only.

RIMPAC is held every two years in waters off Hawaii. Representing Australia will be the 4,100 tonne FFG HMAS Newcastle (CAPT Trevor Jones), the 3,600 tonne frigate HMAS Parramatta, (CMDR Mike Noonan) the 17,933 tonne fleet replenishment ship HMAS Success (CMDR Mark McIntosh) and the 3,350 tonne Collins-class submarine HMAS Rankin (LCDR Stephen Hussey).

Newcastle will carry not one but two helicopters. As well as the usual Seahawk, she will take a 723 Squadron Squirrel for maritime surveillance tasks. Parramatta will carry a Seahawk flight and Success a Sea King.

CAPT Jones, who will be the Australian Task Group Commander, said that in May he would take Newcastle to Hobart for a visit, return to Sydney for a week and then depart for Hawaii with Success and Parramatta.

“We should be back in Australia late in August,” he said.

Rankin will meet the other Australian ships in the northern Pacific following the multi-national Exercise PACIFIC REACH off South Korea.

PACIFIC REACH aims to train and test crews and equipment in submarine rescue. A similar exercise was conducted two years ago near Japan.

Testing surface ships by submarines is just one of the facets of RIMPAC 04. In previous RIMPACs, Australia’s Collins submarines have acquitted themselves well. Much of their success has been put down to the quietness of the Australian-built boat.

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