2006 in hindsight

Whether at home or abroad, 2006 has been hectic with ships engaged in the Gulf, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands and big exercises such as Ocean Protector and RIMPAC taking centre stage. Wherever Navy assets have been deployed, Navy News has been on hand to record the event.

Volume 49, No. 23, December 14, 2006


In the news

Major adjustments have taken place in the fleet with more than a dozen commissioning and decommissioning ceremonies being held throughout Australia.

The Fremantle Class patrol boats have gradually made way for the Armidales, while the fleet welcomed the new oiler HMAS Sirius as the replacement for HMAS Westralia.

Here is a month-by-month breakdown of what has been making news this year.

February:

• Navy kicks off the year with its annual Sea Power conference in Sydney exploring the “challenges of old and new”.
• It’s announced that the new Air Warfare Destroyers will be named Sydney, Hobart and Brisbane and the new amphibious ships will be named Canberra and Adelaide.
• A major changing of the guard takes place with HMA Ships Bunbury and Wollongong making way for Larrakia and Bathurst.
• Defence Minister Dr Brendan Nelson travels to HMAS Albatross and announces that the Australian Government will make a decision on a replacement for the Navy’s Sea King helicopters later in the year.
  

March:

• HMAS Ballarat leaves Sydney to replace HMAS Parramatta in the Gulf.
  
• Collins Class submarine HMAS Sheean wins the prestigious Gloucester Cup.
  

April:

• Navy’s role in protecting the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne wins praise from the Victorian State Government.
  
• Australia pauses on April 2 to mark the first anniversary of the Sea King helicopter crash in Indonesia.
  
• HMA Ships Armidale and Townsville are deployed to the Solomon Islands amid another wave of civil unrest.
  

May:

• Operation Astute sees the largest deployment of the RAN’s amphibious forces since WWII as Australian forces return to Timor.
  
• Australia’s Armidale Class patrol boat program reaches the halfway mark with seven of the 14 boats now named.
  
• Navy nearly scoops the pool in the Defence Safety Awards, winning two of the four categories outright and gaining a commendation in a third.
  
• Mine Hunters HMA Ships Gascoyne, Huon and Hawkesbury are pressed into duties catching illegal fishing vessels.
  

June:

• Navy takes delivery of the 10th and final Anzac Class frigate, HMAS Perth.
  
• It’s announced that CDRE Peter Lockwood will take over as commander of TF158 in the Gulf.
  
• The twin-engine MRH 90 helicopter is named as the replacement for the Navy’s Sea King fleet.
  
• Australian assets arrive in Hawaii for the start of Exercise RIMPAC on June 26.
  

July:

• HMA Ships Gawler and Geelong are farewelled from the fleet, while Albany is a welcome addition.
  
• It’s announced that Navy members will receive a 12.6 per cent pay rise during the next three years under the proposed Workplace Remuneration Arrangement.
  
• Three Navy personnel take off to participate in Operation Ramp which is charged with the task of evacuating Australians from war-torn Lebanon.
  

August:

• HMAS Anzac takes part in the dramatic rescue of a seriously ill crew member from a Japanese fishing vessel off the coast of Western Australia.
  
• The results of the 2005 Defence Attitude Survey are released and show that the majority of Navy personnel remain positive on a range of issues including leadership, career management and general life in Defence.
  
• Navy strikes gold in the recruitment stakes when former Coolangatta Gold winner Caine Eckstein signs up to become a diver.
  

September:

• It’s announced that a Navy-led expedition will search Christmas Island for the remains of a sailor thought to be from the WWII cruiser HMAS Sydney.
  
• Former Blue Heelers star Lisa McCune lands the lead role in new series entitled Sea Patrol to be shot onboard some of the Navy’s patrol boats.
  
• A combined decommissioning and commissioning ceremony is held to usher out HMAS Westralia and welcome HMAS Sirius to the fleet.
  
• HMAS Ballarat returns to Sydney on September 1 after handing over duties in the Gulf to HMAS Warramunga.
  

October:

• Further tests will be carried out on the remains excavated from a grave on Christmas Island to determine whether it is a sailor from the ill-fated Sydney.
  
• The Today show enter into the Navy spirit, filming segments at HMAS Creswell and onboard HMAS Stuart in Sydney Harbour.
  

November:

• The Australian Government provides funding to help with the protection and preservation of the WWI-vintage submarine AE2.
  
• Four US bronze stars are awarded to CAPT Paul Kinghorne, CAPT John Walton, LCDR David White and CAPT Andrew Gough for their work in Iraq.
  
• Personnel from TF-158 return to Australia and declare their mission to command a group of coalition ships in the Gulf was a success.
  

On the lighter side

While this paper is a serious journal of record, our Lighter Side page is home to some of the quirkier stories and characters in the Navy.

This year has been no exception.

The yarn about the dancing Squirrels of 723 SQN (May 4) and their unique acrobatic displays at major events such as the Grand Prix was a highlight.

Another favourite from the menu was the Iron Chef competition (April 6) held onboard HMAS Westralia.

Reality TV shows seem to have had a big impact on members of the fleet with HMAS Kuttabul staging a very successful “Biggest Winner” (June 1) weight loss competition

But above all the other stories this year, the one that generated the most feedback was AB Julie Lambert (April 20) and her collection of full-size fibreglass horses.

“I like these fibreglass horses because you don’t have to feed them or clean up their poop,” AB Lambert told our reporter, Michael Brooke.

So if you have an interesting hobby, collect something out of the ordinary, or you witness something unusual happening on your ship, please don’t forget to drop us a line – phone (02) 6266 7707 or email to navynews@defencenews.gov.au.

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