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READY:
HMAS Parramatta (shown berthing alongside in Sydney Harbour)
has just finished work ups with other Australian and New
Zealand Navy Ships.
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Photo:
POPH Damian Pawlenko
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By
Michael Brooke
The RAN’s fifth Anzac class frigate HMAS Parramatta is at the
end of a four week work up, culminating in the ship’s Unit Readiness
Evaluation.
HMAS Parramatta conducted its work ups off the coast of Sydney
and had HMA Ships Tobruk, Canberra, Diamantina, and Gascoyne,
as well as HMNZ Ships Te Kaha, Te Mana and Endeavour as her consorts.
Parramatta, was supported by RAAF Hawk trainers, F- 111s, P3C
Orions and
Pelair Aircraft, and surface targets towed by DMS.
The ship’s weapons electrical engineer officer, LCDR Paul Baston,
said that during the past four weeks they have been trained and
assessed in all the evolutions of a Naval major fleet unit (MFU).
“Parramatta has only reached its second birthday, so one could
say it is but an infant.
But that said, it certainly can pack a mean punch,” he said.
Parramatta is fitted with an advanced package of air and surface
surveillance radars, omni-directional hull mounted sonar and electronic
support systems which interface with the 9LV453 Mk3 combat data
system.
The ship can counter simultaneous threats from aircraft, surface
vessels and submarines.
LCDR Baston said the work ups have gone well but Parramatta has
yet to try out one of her newly fitted pieces of kit, the Mini-Typhoon
stabilized machine gun.
“But we are keen to trial it during operations because it offers
enhanced capability for force protection,” LCDR Baston said, “
and we particularly like the TopLite electrooptical sights that
are used to search and track in conjunction with the Mini-Typhoon
mounts.
“It’s used 24 hours a day for a wide variety of evolutions, including
man overboard exercises, anti-aircraft tracking and surface firings
for identification of contacts.”
LCDR Baston said Parramatta has implemented new ways of conducting
workups by docking at Fleet Base East each weekend and piping
leave, rather than the traditional remaining at sea for two to
four weeks.
He said this benefited the crew and their families.
“It’s good for family ties.
For instance, we organised a families day last Friday, the day
after our work up progress evaluation and it went really well”.
