24 November 2020
The ship’s company of HMAS Arunta is not resting on its laurels when it comes to maintaining the high tempo that has been a feature of the ship’s five-month deployment.
With less than a week to go before she returns to her home port of Fleet Base West, Western Australia, Arunta has undertaken a replenishment at sea with United States Naval Ship Amelia Earhart, followed by a passage exercise with Republic of Singapore Ship Valour a day later.
Arunta’s Marine Engineering Officer Lieutenant Commander Joshua Fearnley said after a six-day passage from Sasebo Naval Base, Japan, and with more than a week’s steaming ahead, the opportunity to refuel was a timely one for Arunta.
“Our Anzac-class frigates have a long endurance capability, but we always welcome the opportunity to enhance our interoperability with partner navies, particularly with our US allies,” he said.
“Arunta successfully took on 300 cubic meters of marine diesel fuel during the replenishment, a demonstration of our navies’ ability to seamlessly integrate during longer-term regional deployments.”
The following day Arunta conducted a passage exercise with RSS Valour, adding to the already extensive list of partner nations she has exercised with during the past five months.
Commanding Officer Arunta Commander Troy Duggan said these interactions between navies built confidence and contributed to the security of the Indo-Pacific.
“Regional deployments form part of Australia’s longstanding contribution to the preservation of security and stability in this region,” Commander Duggan said.
“Singapore and Australia have a long history of partnership and cooperation in matters affecting our region and it’s great to exercise with the Singapore Navy again.”
Arunta departed Fleet Base West in June and will return home after an absence of 164 days.
