Australia

[IrishDigger]

Thought I would post this for the information of those interested in Naval Matters.

Click Here For Report

[Goldie fish]

Nice to see them keeping the "Hobart" name alive.

[Test Pilot]

Nice to see them keeping the "Hobart" name alive.

The name Hobart was well known in the Irish Navy. It was the potato peeling machine in the galley!

[Sea Toby]

I am more impressed with the Australians buying the Canberra class LHDs. They will solve once and for all Australia's sea lift difficulties. While the government has denied the rumor, the RAN wished to acquire a third LHD. I am sure a third sea lift ship will be bought, but I doubt with the new Labor government it will be an LHD. There is also talk about a fourth Hobart class destroyer too. We should probably wait and see what is in the new white paper.

The last white paper was keen on improving Australia's sea lift and air lift capabilities. Two large LHDs, with a third sea lift ship under consideration, along with C-17s Globemasters will significantly increase their sea lift and air lift. Nothing like having transport difficulties with respect to a neighboring island, their own back yard, to wake up the government to buy new increased transport assets.

[Stinger]

maybe we shouold get one of those canberra's for ourselves

[easyrider]

Maybe if there was something about quarter the size.....

[pmtts]

I am more impressed with the Australians buying the Canberra class LHDs.

What's the choppers on the computer generated image of the LHD's?

They look similar to a Merlin.

[easyrider]

NH90s

[Sea Toby]

There are also a UAV taking off the port ship's ski jump. They will have a crew of around 250 and carry over a 1,000 men and a battalion's equipment, some 830 lane meters. Unfortunately, the Canberras won't carry the F-35B Lightning IIs. They do not have enough weapons lifts or storage to be used as a light aircraft carrier like the British Invincibles. Of course, a new government could change their minds, and install the necessarily equipment at a later time.

As far as the name Hobart being reused, its more or less mandated by law. Before WWI the Australian government passed a law naming their capital ships after state capitols. With the OHPerrys FFGs, the Australians added Newcastle, Newcastle being the largest city that isn't a state or national capitol. The other exception was when they named a battle cruiser and a heavy cruiser Australia. If the Aussie's ever built another carrier designed version of the LHDs, I would assume that name would be used again.

To keep the other capitols happy, the RAN has been switching the city names to reflect different classes of ships. For example, Sydney and Melbourne class aircraft carriers, Perth class destroyers, Adelaide class frigates, Canberra class LHDs, and Hobart class destroyers, having had Brisbane class cruisers during WWI.

Many navies have used state or city names, along with rivers, mountains, and county names. The US Navy used to name submarines after fish. When Admiral Rickover had trouble getting his nuclear submarines through the Congress, he turned to city and state names. Why? Fish don't vote.

[Fireplace]

Nice photo of HMAS Norman passing Sydney Opera House

[Goldie fish]

We may be seeing an Aussie warship round this neck of the woods again soon. HMAS Sidney and HMAS Ballarat in April embarked on the "Northern Trident" voyage, taking in a number of European ports, including of course Ferrol in spain, where the air warfare destroyers and LHDs are being developed.
While there are no plans to visit Ireland, this time, they will be visiting the UK as well as exercising with the RN.

This international deployment will visit 13 countries in six months: India, Egypt, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Samoa and Japan.

They are no longer wearing the Grey Overalls as was the norm, instead they wear the new DPNU(Disruptive Pattern Naval Uniform)
Photos, and details on http://www.facebook.com/event.php?ei...id=82615197712


They also recently launched a new White paper, which (Unlike what we put out) there are very ambitious plans for the Future of the RAN.
The Future navy will consist of:
12 Submarines with Land Attack Missile capability
2 LHD capable of operating strike jets as well as Helicopters and Launching Landing craft.
4 Air Warfare Destroyers
8 ASW Frigates
1 Strategic Sealift Ship
New Class of Offshore Combat vessels, with modular Patrol, MCM, Hydrographic and UAV capabilities.
6 Ocean Going Heavy Landing craft
1 Logistics Support and Replenishment vessel
8 PA-8 Maritime Patrol Aircraft
24 Naval Combat Helicopters with dipping sonar and ASM capability
6 MRH-90 Support Helicopters
7 Flight Training MRH 90 shared with Army and Air Force
7 HALE UAVs.

[Jungle]

The LHD depicted above looks like an amazing platform; these Ships bring incredible capabilities. I sailed on the HMAS Tobruk for the INTERFET deployment, and more recently, on LPD-19 (USS Mesa Verde) for an exercise in Florida:
Ex Unitas Gold 2009
I am not a Sailor, but I was part of the CDN Infantry Coy taking part in the EX.
With those LHDs in service, Australia will have an interesting force projection capability.