By
LEUT Rachel Irving
It had to happen eventually. HMAS Anzac’s Northern Trident deployment
ended last month with the frigate’s return to Fleet Base West.
Greeted by friends and family, Anzac returned home in the sunshine
on August 15, after a sixmonth deployment, which saw the ship
partly retrace the convoy route of WWI, from Albany to Gallipoli.
The deployment, touted as ‘the trip of a lifetime’, proved to
be just that, with the ship the first RAN warship to visit many
of the ports, either for the first time or in some cases, since
World War II.
Anzac traveled more than 20,000 nautical miles as she promoted
the Royal Australian Navy and Western Australia to the world.
The ship participated in some of the largest events of the year,
including Anzac Day at Gallipoli and, of course, the much publicised
Trafalgar 200 celebrations in Portsmouth in June.
The T200 celebrations were perhaps the greatest spectacle that
any of the ship’s company will ever Anzac traveled more than 20,000
nautical miles as she promoted the Royal Australian Navy and Western
Australia to the world.
witness again, with more than 170 warships lining the Solent and
thousands of tallships and smaller craft filling the water in
a tribute to the life and death of Admiral Nelson. Anzac’s ship’s
company traveled the Nile and visited the Pyramids, they experienced
the delights of Turkey and particularly Marmaris, the tapas of
Spain and the hospitality of the Irish.
They climbed the Rock of Gibraltar and dived with Great White
Sharks in South Africa. But it was a lot of hard work as well,
with hundreds of official engagements and promotions, thousands
of visitors, including 10,000 in Portsmouth alone, and hours of
preparation in each port to ensure the ship looked her best.
Anzac hosted Defence and industry representatives around the world
and promoted WA industry as well, including a WA wine event in
Ireland.
The frigate performed well against some of the best ships in the
world when she participated in Neptune Warrior, the Joint Maritime
Course off the coast of Scotland, and had a chance to work with
warships not normally seen by the Australians, including German,
South African, French and Indian ships.
Hosting the Australian Wallabies Rugby team for a BBQ in South
Africa was a surreal moment for many onboard and five members
of the ship’s company, re-named the Johannesburg five, flew from
the ship in Simon’s Town SA to Johannesberg’s Ellis Park to see
the Wallabies in action against the Springboks.
After a short stop at Reunion Island, Anzac arrived home, her
crew weary but with memories to last a lifetime.
The ship will conduct a short stint as part of Op Relex II before
heading into dry dock for maintenance later this year.
