By
Graham Davis
Ships
depart for RIMPAC 2004
(MPEG video 4.94 MB)
View the RIMPAC
04 website.
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RADM
Raydon Gates farewells the ships participating in RIMPAC
04 as they leave Garden Island in Sydney. HMA Ships Newcastle,
Success and Parramatta will join the submarine Rankin in
Hawaii.
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Photo: ABPH Nina Nikolin
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On
her way to Hawaii, HMAS Parramatta.
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Photo:
ABPH Brenton Freind
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LS
Vincent Patrech farewells his son Marlon aged seven.
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Photo:
ABPH Nina Nikolin
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HMAS
Newcastle’s crew line-up as the ship leaves Sydney.
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Photo:
ABPH Helen Frank
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Six
hundred Australian officers and sailors in three ships, a submarine
and three aircraft are heading across the Pacific for the most
important and largest exercise on the Navy’s calendar, RIMPAC
04.
With an RAN Band detachment playing the theme from Hawaii Five
O and a crowd of 300 family members and friends, some in tears
or calling “Bye Mumma”, the three surface assets, HMA Ships Newcastle
(CAPT Trevor Jones) Parramatta (CMDR Mike Noonan) and Success
(CMDR Mark McIntosh), slipped their moorings at Fleet Base East
on Monday, June 9.
After a formal salute from outgoing Maritime Commander RADM Raydon
Gates, Newcastle led Parramatta and Success out through the Heads.
They will be away for about four months. To join the trio in Hawaii
will be the Collins Class submarine HMAS Rankin. LCDR Steve Hussey
and his ship’s company have been in Korea taking part in a multi-national
rescue from a downed submarine exercise.
Also attending RIMPAC this year will be a 120-person Army rifle
company and 130 airmen and women with two RAAF P3 Orions.
The near 850 tri-service ADF personnel will join 11,000 sailors,
airmen and women, marines, soldiers and Coastguards from eight
nations in this year’s exercise.
There will be more than 35 ships, seven submarines and 90 aircraft.
This year’s is the 19th in the series of RIMPAC exercises.
They are held every two years. RIMPAC 04 will run from June 29
to July 27.
It will bring together maritime forces from seven Pacific Rim
nations, Australia, Canada, Chile, Peru, Japan, Republic of Korea
and the United States, along with the UK.
Japan Maritime Self Defence units will participate only in bi-lateral
training with US units.
RIMPAC is intended to enhance the tactical proficiency of participating
units in a wide array of combined operations at sea.
“This is a very important exercise,” RADM Gates told Navy News
as the trio of ships left Sydney.
“It is the largest exercise on the RAN’s calendar.
It is also the first time for four years we have been able to
send surface ships. “Because of operational commitments we could
only send a submarine to RIMPAC 02.
“The exercise is all about ‘blue water’ warfare, although there
will be a land and air component.
That’s why it is a tri-service commitment.”
CAPT Jones will be the task-group commander.
