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HMAS
Stirling is the emptiest she has been in nearly five years.
Our photo shows her bare wharves.
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By
Gary Booth
Looking
at the empty FBW wharves in the attached photograph Commander
Phil Orchard, CO HMAS Stirling, could be forgiven for musing:
“Mention an Open Day and all the ships and submarines disappear
when I need them!
Come back guys, all is forgiven” More seriously though, the photograph
shows that the men and women serving in our ships and submarines
based at Fleet Base West are out there serving Australia’s interests
in various locations around the world.
This is the first time in nearly five years that the wharves at
FBW have been completely devoid of shipping and has only occurred
after HMAS Darwin’s departure on August 16 coupled with a delay
in HMAS Warramunga’s return from the Tenix slip at Henderson on
the mainland.
Meanwhile the hiatus in operations has permitted personnel at
FBW the maximum opportunity to catch up on leave and courses before
the tempo increases in the next few months.
Units will return from deployment and ships will visit from the
East, culminating in late November with Fleet Base West’s Open
Day.
