Wedded to the West

HMAS Anzac returns to WA where LEUT David Landon is greeted by his wife, Carla, and baby, on his wedding aniversary.

Photo: ABPH Joanne Edwards

HMAS Anzac recently returned to its home port at Fleet Base West after spending four-and-a-half months away.

During this deployment, HMAS Anzac participated in several naval exercises with Australia’s regional neighbours and conducted goodwill visits to several countries.

The largest of these exercises was Exercise Bersama Lima involving forces from the Five-Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) including Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and the UK.

She also participated in Exercise Singaroo, a naval exercise between the Singaporean Navy and the RAN; Exercise Mastex04; a naval exercise between the Malaysian Navy and the RAN; and a search and rescue exercise between the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) and the RAN, which was the first occasion the RAN has exercised with the PLA-N (see story Page 8).

On August 27, HMAS Anzac rescued 15 Indonesian merchant sailors from the Java Sea, when the Indonesian trader Suci Harapan sank.

During HMAS Anzac’s overseas deployment, the warship made goodwill visits to several Asian countries including: Pusan, South Korea, Qingdao in China, and the Philippines to support the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Leyte Gulf and Port Klang in Malaysia.

The ship left Fleet Base West in June, 2004 and deployed to Darwin for a month of intensive crew training, before sailing for the East Asian deployment.

Her crew of 180 are now looking forwarded to taking some well-earned rest and recreation.

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