Thread: RAN gets a new ship.....

Originally Posted by UncleHo

G'day Clubagreenie

No,I wasn't,but visited her several times when they were loading Landrovers and spares going to the "Great S.E.Asian Holiday" and was below decks a couple of times , yes, she was very 1939-45 era, originally laid down in UK as "HMS Terrible" from memory,built for the Mediterranean sea threatre, or, was that the Melbourne (shallow draft) we bought both from UK and I can remember the "Vengeance" loan carrier until Melbourne arrived.


cheers

The RAN operated 3 carriers after WW2, Sydney, Vengeance, and Melbourne. Sydney, commissioned in 1948, accepted in 1949, arrived first, and was ordered to Korea to support the UN against the communist invasion from the north. She relieved HMS Glory and operated from oct. 1951 to jan. 1952. 817 Squadron, sea furies, undertook 743 sorties, 805 and 808 squadrons, firefly aircraft, flew 1623 sorties.Aircraft lost - 4 fireflies, 9 sea furies. Sydney did a 2nd tour from oct. 1953 to june 1954.

Melbourne undertook modernisation, and while this took place Vengeance was loaned to the RAN. Vengeance returned to the UK on delivery of Melbourne. All 3 Carriers were designated light fleet carriers, designed to operate in the Atlantic, on anti-submarine patrols. They were not shallow draft ships. cheers, Bob

Gents and Ladies,

Untill 3 weeks ago, i served on HMAS Manoora on and off for 5-6 years of her 17 years of service. Its sad to see the old girl go. Although she was known to many as the "rust bucket" we still knew how to drive her around her problems and mood swings (just like an old car where you'd drive it in a different way than you would a newer one)

One thing the her propulsion plant hated was Work Ups (any ex jacks out there are probably reliving vivid memories of WUPE's ORE's etc....)

Alot of blood sweat and tears have poured into Manoora over the past 17 years we have had her in service, although i've never spent any time on Kanimbla, i would honestly say (and also being very biased) that Manoora is the best ship i have served on in my 15 years in pussers.. The crew have a different mentality to other ships, even Sea Training Group used to always comment about how well Manoora's crew worked well together, well i think the ship itself was partly responsible for that..

Aquiring the RFA Largs Bay will help resolve some issues in regards to an amphibious capability, but i can honestly see this ship and her ships company spending at least 9-10 months sea time per year once she is ready so she can take on the role of 3 ships (Manoora, Kanimbla and Tobruk) so the government can show off to everyone what we have etc...

I just hope that this wont run the ship into the ground like it has our last 3 amphib ships.

Eddie

Didn't realise it is so salty around here ( I still feel a bit wet under the ears)
JR- Lewuin in 84
Parramata DE (in dry dock only)
Vampier at the end of her days as a training ship- too rusty to j gunn under the only working bofor! - I tried the j gun till the buffer kicked my butt as he wanted to fire a few rounds every now and again. NZ and local trips
Hobart-DDG SE asia tour, Canada US and a few other joy rides I painted the patched up holes mentioned from dopey yank pilot who fired the Sparrow missiles assuming our ameriacn built DDG was a viet cong gun boat
Plastic fantastic Adelaide FFG SE trip
out in 1991.

Originally Posted by bob10

The RAN operated 3 carriers after WW2, Sydney, Vengeance, and Melbourne. <snip> cheers, Bob

Bob

I think you overlooked another (pre-WWII) carrier. The HMAS Albatross, a seaplane carrier commissioned in 1929 but remained in commission only till 1933. After a time in reserve was traded as part payment for the cruiser Hobart.

It is from that ship that the HM Air Station near Nowra obtained it's name.

Originally Posted by eddie_tdi

Gents and Ladies,

Untill 3 weeks ago, i served on HMAS Manoora [snip]

Alot of blood sweat and tears have poured into Manoora over the past 17 years we have had her in service [ snip]

Eddie

Eddie, whilst attached to the 7th Fleet during the Vietnam conflict, Perth had the task of escorting USS Fairfax County from Subic Bay to the gunline, as you know that was the name of Manoora in a different life. She had a full complement of US Marines on board, and judging by their mood in the bars on the base, and in Olongapo City, they would rather have been somewhere else. Little did we know then that that ship would form an integral part of our Navy in the future.When I was in the Navy, the gratest asset we had was the people , and their attitude to get the job done, whatever it took. Good to see nothing has changed, you and your mates deserve a pat on the back for the job done, if we ever meet on a bush track somewhere, first shouts on me! , Bob

Originally Posted by juddy

<snip>
$73.4 million on fit out??? like what its a almost new ship???,
<snip>
But whats the rest for, changing the electrical sockets?
<snip>

$10,000 for the sockets. $3,390,000 for an electrician to wander around changing them. $100,000 for some paint and $69,900,000 for unionised Australian painters to change the colour to the RAN Fleet Grey.

But we'll get that refunded when she goes back to the UK, having done the fit-out for them, right?

Yeah right!

Originally Posted by 4bee

But we'll get that refunded when she goes back to the UK, having done the fit-out for them, right?

Yeah right!

She's not going back, we will own her,.......... good or bad, she will be the third logistics ship mentioned in the defence white paper to support the two Spanish designed L.H.D.'S , in the light of that, we got her for a bargain price.Without her, we would have no amphibious cabability at all. Bob