Seeking protection

CLIMBING THE LADDER: HMNZS Te Kaha practising boarding operations onboard HMAS Westralia during the Ocean Protector Exercise from January 30 to February 10. Photo: ABPH Joanne Edwards

By Michael Brooke


“Air warning red, incoming bogeys, bearing 220!” the PWO barked over the tannoy to warn the vigilant crew of HMAS Stuart.

Tension gripped the Anzac Class ship’s company with the ferocity of an electric shock as they prepared to do battle with two “bogeys” that were rapidly growing in size on the screen of the Tartan Terror’s radar.

Beads of sweat dripped from the forehead of Stuart’s stressed PWO as he struggled under the pressure of a life-or-death decision about how best to defeat the “enemy” air attack.

Stuart’s failure to defeat the bogeys would have catastrophic consequences for the task group she was protecting that consisted of HMA Ships Success (CMDR S.C. O’Brien) and Westralia (CMDR T.G Crawford), the amphibious transport HMAS Manoora (CMDR A.J Rourke) and the Heavy Ship Landing HMAS Tobruk (CMDR M.J Rothwell).

With only seconds to spare before the “bogeys” came in range with their anti-ship missiles, Stuart “fired” a salvo of Evolved Sea Sparrow anti-air missiles and deployed Nulka decoys to try and defeat the “enemy” aircraft played by RAAF F/A-18 Hornets from 77 Squadron.

The mock air attack was followed several hours later by a skirmish with an “enemy” diesel-electric submarine played by HMAS Dechaineaux (LCDR P.M. Stanford), but Stuart’s crew performed admirably under the steely-gaze of their Commanding Officer, CMDR P.J. Leavy.

CMDR Leavy said Stuart, along with frigates from both the RNZN and RAN, provided protection to the Surface Warfare Commander, embarked in HMAS Manoora, allowing him to undertake operations that support more strategic efforts.

The scene was replicated on some 11 other RAN and RNZN warships that participated in Exercise Ocean Protector in the Eastern Australian Exercise Area from January 30 to February 10.

Ocean Protector was the lead- up exercise for the larger combined maritime exercise, Tasmanex, which tests the collaborative war fighting skills of Australia and New Zealand.

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