Black Knight rides home in fine style

Photo: ABPH Jarrad Oliffe

HMAS Rankin returned to Fleet Base West recently with plenty of stamps in her passport.

The Collins Class submarine was away from home for six months with visits to the Republic of Korea, Japan, Pearl Harbour in the US and then Cobar, NSW, for a Freedom of Entry ceremony.

Rankin, affectionately known as The Black Knight, steamed 18,000 nautical miles over the course of the deployment with 80 per cent of her time spent submerged.

She took part in several major exercises including a submarine escape simulation in North East Asia and RIMPAC 2004 in Hawaii.

En-route to Hawaii, Rankin played the opposing force submarine in Exercise Silent Fury a theatre anti-submarine warfare exercise.

Back in Australian waters she was involved in the work-up of HMAS Ballarat and TAMEX.

 

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