A C-130J Hercules on the tarmac at Lord Howe Island after delivering personnel and equipment.

The damged warship, HMS Nottingham.

The Air Force has come to the aid of a stricken British destroyer which struck rocks off the coast of Lord Howe Island.

Responding to a request from Australian Search and Rescue, a C-130J Hercules aircraft flew to the scene in the early hours of Monday, July 8, to deliver salvage equipment to the damaged HMS Nottingham.

C-130Js from No. 37 Squadron made a series of flights from RAAF Base Richmond to Lord Howe Island over the course of the week to transport pollution control equipment, repair equipment and fresh water.

On the initial flight on July 8, the aircraft, carrying a pilot, three crew and two ground support staff from 37SQN, transported 11 Navy personnel, including several Navy divers, to the island.

On board were pumps, diving equipment, sheet metal to patch holes and welding equipment.
Taking off from RAAF Base Richmond at 6am, the Hercules completed the 450 nautical mile journey to Lord Howe Island in just under one-and-a-half hours.

The aircraft sat at the terminal at the end of Lord Howe's small airstrip for several hours as the divers and much-needed equipment were ferried to the vessel via a Royal Navy helicopter.

"When we flew past the ship you could see that the nose was clearly below the water and you could see the bilge pumps in action," Hercules pilot Squadron Leader Dean Tetley said.

HMS Nottingham initially put out a distress signal late on Sunday, July 7, after the 3500-tonne type 42 warship - which has a crew of 249 - struck Wolf Rocks, about three nautical miles off the coast of Lord Howe Island.

The impact ripped a hole on the ship's forward hull, flooding compartments to a depth of about 2m.

SQNLDR Tetley, the Squadron Duty Officer rostered on at the time of the distress call, said he and fellow 37SQN members were initially told to prepare for immediate departure as it was thought the vessel was in danger of sinking rapidly.

"But when we found out the ship was stable and it was going to be a salvage operation, we decided to wait until first light because of the flying conditions around Lord Howe," SQNLDR Tetley explained.

Hercules pilots from 37SQN have to be specifically trained to land on Lord Howe Island.
SQNLDR Tetley is just one of four squadron members trained to land on the strip.

He said a combination of several tall peaks, strong winds and a short runway on the island created testing conditions for pilots and crew.

Although the weather on July 8 was fine and visibility good, a strong southerly was blowing and SQNLDR Tetley had to draw on his knowledge of the terrain gained during training flights in the area.

Hercules aircraft and crew from RAAF Base Richmond are sometimes called on to assist people in distress on or near Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands.

About two years ago, 37SQN was called on to medivac a seriously ill child from Lord Howe. A few years before that, 37SQN had to perform a similar task when a Lord Howe couple was seriously injured in a motor vehicle accident.

By Ben Caddaye
Photos by CPL Shane Gidall