 HMAS Adelaide in 2007 |
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| Career (Australia (RAN)) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | City of Adelaide |
| Builder: | Todd Pacific Shipyards |
| Laid down: | 29 July 1977 |
| Launched: | 21 June 1978 |
| Commissioned: | 15 November 1980 |
| Decommissioned: | 19 January 2008 |
| Motto: | "United For The Common Good" |
| Nickname: | FFG-17 (US hull designation during construction) |
| Fate: | To be sunk as dive reef |
| Status: | Decommissioned, awaiting conversion to dive wreck |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Adelaide class guided missile frigate |
| Displacement: | 4,100 tons |
| Length: | 138 metres (450 ft) |
| Beam: | 14.3 metres (47 ft) |
| Draught: | 7.5 metres (25 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, each providing 20,500 horsepower (15,287 kW). Total 41,000 horsepower (30,574 kW) |
| Speed: | Over 30 knots (56 km/h) |
| Complement: | 184 + aircrew |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
AN/SPS-49; AN/SPS-55; AN/SQS-56; AN/SLQ-32(V)2 |
| Armament: | Mk 13 launcher for Harpoon and SM-1MR missiles; 1 × 3 in OTO Melara; 1 × 20 mm Mk 16 Mod 2 Phalanx CIWS; 2 x triple 324 mm Mk 32 torpedo tubes; 1 × MK75 76 mm rapid-fire naval artillery gun |
| Aircraft carried: | 2 x S-70B Seahawk |
HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01) was the lead ship of the Adelaide class of guided missile frigates, based on the United States Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates. She was built in the United States of America and commissioned into the RAN in 1980.
In 2008, Adelaide was the second ship of the class to be decommissioned, in order to offset the cost of an upgrade of the other four ships, and is to be sunk as a dive wreck off the coast of NSW.
Contents |
Construction
Adelaide was laid down by Todd Pacific Shipyards at Seattle, Washington on 29 July 1977, launched on 21 June 1978, and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 15 November 1980. During construction, she was referred to as FFG-17.
Operational history
On 8 Jan 1981, whilst conducting sound ranging in Carr Inlet, Puget Sound, Washington, Adelaide grounded and suffered major propeller damage, necessitating replacement of her propeller and delaying her workup and delivery voyage to Australia [1]
In 1990, along with HMAS Darwin, Adelaide deployed to the Middle East as part of Operation Damask, Australia's participation in the international coalition against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. In 1998, Adelaide was awarded the Duke of Gloucester Cup for Operational Efficiency. Adelaide effected the famous rescue of solo sailors Terri Dubois and Tony Bullimore in January 1997 and also saw service in East Timor in 1999, as a part of INTERFET.[2]
Adelaide was the ship which intercepted SIEV 4, the event which sparked the Children overboard affair, in October 2001.
Adelaide later saw service again in the Middle East, during two tours of service. These were in support of Operation Slipper in 2001 and as part of Operation Catalyst in 2004/05.[2]
On 22 July 2007, it was reported that a party of Australian navy personnel from Adelaide successfully repelled a 4-hour capture attempt from five Iranian gunboats near the Iraq-Iran maritime border during Operation Catalyst on 6 December 2004.[3][4] Two personnel from the crew were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for their efforts to save the boarding party. [5]
Fate
Adelaide was originally scheduled to be paid off in November 2006, but delays with the project to upgrade four of Adelaide’s sister ships required that she be kept in service for another fourteen months to minimise the impact on the fleet.[6] Adelaide was decommissioned on 19 January 2008 at Fleet Base West, before she was towed to Sydney and gifted to the New South Wales Government, which plans to sink her as a dive wreck off the coast near Terrigal.[2][6] As of February 2009, the decommissioned frigate is docked at White Bay in Sydney Harbour.
References
- ^ [1] - An account by one of her sailors at the time of the grounding
- ^ a b c WARSHIP TO BE SUNK OFF NEW SOUTH WALES CENTRAL COAST. Press release. 8 February 2007. http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/NelsonMintpl.cfm?CurrentId=6361. Retrieved on 9 February 2007.
- ^ Aussies repelled five gunboats: ADF - Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Iran 'unable to take Australians' - BBC News
- ^ [2] - The Australian Government Honours and Awards website
- ^ a b Fish, Tim (1 March 2008). "Australia's Adelaide ends 27 years of service". Jane's Navy International (Jane's Information Group).
External links
Media related to HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01) at Wikimedia Commons- RAN webpage for HMAS Adelaide
- MaritimeQuest HMAS Adelaide FFG-01 Photo Gallery
- Official HMAS Adelaide Artificial Reef website
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