Games free from trouble
On with the show
Helicopter to the occasion during Games
Praise from Minister
Op Acolyte accolades
Games experience was all in the family
Magnificent


Good work after ill winds
HMAS Cairns’ (CMDR Andrew Dakin) Cyclone Avoidance Plan 2005/6 swung into action on March 20 as Cyclone Larry, Category 3 and intensifying, gathered momentum in the Coral Sea.


Rotary relief
Navy Seahawk helicopters from 816 SQN (CMDR Andrew Rushbrook) spearheaded the ADF’s disaster relief operation for the distraught victims of Cyclone Larry in Far North Queensland.


US Secretary of State thanks Aussie forces
A US Ticonderoga-class Aegis-cruiser, USS Port Royal, berthed at FBE recently and provided visiting US Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice with a platform to thank US and Australian servicemen for their sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.

Bravery rewarded
Even before bravery-award recipient SMN Mark Glease joined the Navy in 2005, he fully appreciated how professional training would help him respond to a serious crisis.

Bulletin board

Flexible crewing on trial
Sea Change initiatives such as the Flexi Crewing Trial are beginning to be make an impact at HMAS Stirling (CMDR Paul Bartlett), where the crews of HMA Ships Arunta and Warramunga go about their business with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and purpose.

Drug ship destruction
The long-running saga of the North Korean drug boat Pong Su, which began with a four-day pursuit involving HMAS Stuart in 2003, concluded last month when two Navy tugs from FBE towed her to her date with destiny.

Rescue sets records
In what marks a first for the RAN, the rescue of an entire crew of a “disabled” Collins submarine was simulated from depths of 110-130 metres by the Remora rescue vehicle in Exercise Black Carillon recently.

US praise for Collins
RAN submariners, Collins class boats, and the submarine training and rescue facilities located at HMAS Stirling have received praise as a “centre of excellence” from a US Navy submarine fleet commander.

Record recruit numbers
Defence Force Recruiting Centre – Perth celebrated a record number Navy recruit enlistment on March 13.

Blessings for ASW plaque
The Chief of Navy (CN) VADM Russ Shalders, AO, CSC, RAN, gave an insight to the colourful past of our Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) personnel at a plaque dedication and unveiling ceremony held at the Australian War Memorial recently.

Chaplains set to help with problems
Helping Navy personnel deal with real life problems is the aim of a new Navy Chaplains program recently launched by the Chief of Navy, VADM Russ Shalders, AO, CSC, RAN.

Chapel honours former Navy personnel
The RAN has remembered her former members with the dedication of memorial plaques at the historical Naval Chapel at Garden Island Sydney.

Touch of reality to fire drill
Navy fire-fighting training in partnership with preparation for a training activity paid off for the RAN and the NSW Fire Brigade when a real fire broke out in HMAS Stuart (CMDR P.J. Leavy) the day before the exercise was scheduled.

Sea King services
As this edition of Navy News went to press, three services were set to commemorate the first anniversary of the Sea King helicopter crash that claimed the lives of nine ADF personnel during Operation Sumatra Assist II last year.

Gallipoli medallions released
Anzac and Gallipoli are words indelibly burnt into our history by about 59,000 of the finest forces Australia and New Zealand ever produced. Of those, nearly 11,000 made the supreme sacrifice.

David and Goliath
One of the fleet’s smallest vessels, Minesweeper Auxiliary (MSA) Wallaroo, was called upon to assist one of the world’s largest aircraft carriers to berth in Brisbane recently.

Party time on Launceston
A birthday is always cause for celebration but when it is likely to be the last opportunity, it calls for something special.

Sea life comes to the city
Land-locked Canberrans got a taste of the sea when they crowded the foreshore of Lake Burley Griffin to attend the annual Navy Day display and activities recently.