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Toowoomba’s busy Gulf transit
By LEUT Warren Oates
Volume 50, No. 10, June 14, 2007 |
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PRIVATE AIR SHOW: HMAS Toowoomba personnel watch a landing cycle taking place on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in the Persian Gulf. Toowoomba is returning from deployment next month.
Photo: LCDR Anthony Savage |
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HMAS Toowoomba was kept busy during the transit to take up station again in the Northern Persian Gulf after a port visit in the United Arab Emirates.
The frigate conducted a passage exercise with the United Arab Emirates Navy guided missile corvette Mura Jib and then took up station as plane guard for the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis.
The passex between the Toowoomba and the UAE Navy corvette was the first between the two Navies for three years.
The passex consisted of Officer of the Watch manoeuvres and replenishment at sea approaches, giving officers from both ships the chance to develop their seamanship skills.
A visual signalling communications exercise and an anti surface warfare exercise were then conducted with a boat transfer concluding the exercise. Toowoomba’s Commanding Officer, CMDR Jaimie Hatcher said, “participation in regional exercises is a supplementary part of the Operation Catalyst mission contributing to the wider security in the region.”
The following day Toowoomba joined Task Force 50. One highlight was an opportunity to station as the plane guard ship for the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis as she conducted flight operations.
F/A-18 Hornets, S3 Vikings, EA-6 Prowlers and E-2 Hawkeyes flew past Toowoomba at low level before conducting a ‘break’ into the carrier circuit pattern for landing as other aircraft circled overhead before being sequenced to land.
“This is the best day of the deployment,” said LSATA Shane McMillan, a S-70B-2 Seahawk maintainer and aircraft enthusiast. LS McMillan’s sentiments were echoed by the majority of ship’s company and the opportunity to see carrier operations was enjoyed by the large group of personnel gathered on the upper decks.
Toowoomba has been assigned to Operation Catalyst since January contributing to the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq. Toowoomba will return home from deployment in July 2007. |
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