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HMAS Kanimbla (L-51)
Encyclopedia
HMAS Kanimbla (L 51) (formerly ) is the lead ship of the Kanimbla class Landing Platform Amphibious
Kanimbla class landing platform amphibious
The Kanimbla class is a class of amphibious transport ships operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Two ships were purchased by Australia in 1994 and modified...
. Laid down in 1969 for the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
(USN) as Newport class
Newport class tank landing ship
Newport-class tank-landing ships are an improved class of American tank-landing ship , intended to provide substantial advantages over their World War II-era predecessors...
tank landing ship USS Saginaw, the ship was acquired by the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
in 1994 for conversion into a amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
transport ship.
Since entering RAN service in 1999, Kanimbla has participated in numerous worldwide deployments, including the Iraq War
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
, the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and in response to the 2006 Fijian coup d'état
2006 Fijian coup d'état
The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005-2006 Fijian political crisis....
. During the ship's career, two helicopters have been lost in crashes. After a fire broke out aboard Kanimbla in late 2010, she and sister ship were removed from active service because of extensive problems found aboard both ships. The intention was to repair Kanimbla and return her to service by 2012, but this was deemed uneconomical, and the ship was decommissioned in 2011.
Design and construction
The ship was laid down by National Steel and Shipbuilding CompanyNational Steel and Shipbuilding Company
National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, commonly referred to as NASSCO, is a shipyard in San Diego, California and Norfolk, Virginia and a division of General Dynamics. The shipyard specializes in constructing commercial cargo ships and auxiliary vessels for the US Navy and Military Sealift...
at San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
for the USN on 24 May 1969 as Newport class
Newport class tank landing ship
Newport-class tank-landing ships are an improved class of American tank-landing ship , intended to provide substantial advantages over their World War II-era predecessors...
tank landing ship . She was launched on 7 February 1970, sponsored by the wife of R. James Harvey, a Congressman and former mayor of Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, and commissioned into the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
on 23 January 1971. She was named after the city of Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
.
Transfer and conversion
In the early 1990s, the RAN initiated a procurement project to replace with a dedicated training and helicopter support ship. Meeting the vague specifications of the project required a purpose built vessel at an approximate cost of A$500 million. The high cost of the project led to its cancellation by the Minister for DefenceMinister for Defence (Australia)
The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
in 1993, with the instructions to find a cheaper alternative.
In 1994, the RAN was able to acquire the surplus Saginaw and her sister ship Fairfax County
USS Fairfax County (LST-1193)
USS Fairfax County was a United States Navy Newport class tank landing ship.Fairfax County was named for a county in Virginia. She was laid down on 28 March 1970 at San Diego, California, by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company; launched on 19 December 1970; sponsored by Mrs. James W....
for the combined price of A$61 million (US$40 million). Saginaw was to be renamed Kanimbla. Prior to Saginaws decommissioning and transfer, a RAN crew was sent to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, for several weeks training aboard the vessel, as they were to sail her to Australia after she was commissioned into the RAN. Saginaw was decommissioned on 28 June 1994, but instead of being immediately recommissioned as HMAS Kanimbla, it was announced at the decommissioning ceremony that the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
had decided not to release the ships into foreign service. The last-minute move was part of a sale blockage for fifteen surplus Newports to nine nations, and was caused by the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
United States Senate Committee on Armed Services
The Committee on Armed Services is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with legislative oversight of the nation's military, including the Department of Defense, military research and development, nuclear energy , benefits for members of the military, the Selective Service System and...
in an attempt to pressure US President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
on the perceived running-down of the USN's amphibious warfare capability, as well as the concerns of one Senator over human rights in Morocco
Human rights in Morocco
Morocco’s human rights record is mixed. On the one hand, Morocco has made considerable improvements since the repressive Years of Lead under King Hassan II's reign , but under his modernizing son, Mohammed VI, there are still complaints about abuses of power.This article deals with Morocco and not...
(one of the other nations slated to acquire a Newport class ship). The sale was not approved until the start of August, with the ship commissioned into the RAN on 29 August 1994.
Kanimbla sailed to Australia in October, after training and maintenance checks were completed. Kanimbla and Manoora were docked at Forgacs
Forgacs Group
Forgacs Group is a major Australian engineering and shipbuilding company. It has facilities at Newcastle, Sydney, Brisbane and Gladstone. The company employs 700 people....
Dockyard in Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
, where they underwent conversion from tank landing ships to amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare
Amphibious warfare is the use of naval firepower, logistics and strategy to project military power ashore. In previous eras it stood as the primary method of delivering troops to non-contiguous enemy-held terrain...
transports. The conversion required the bow ramp to be removed and the bow doors welded shut. A hangar for three Sea King
Westland Sea King
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
or four Blackhawk helicopters was added, while the aft helicopter deck was reinforced. Chinook
CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
helicopters are able to land and take off from the aft deck, but cannot be carried long-term. The deck forward of the superstructure was converted to carry two LCM-8
LCM-8
The LCM-8 is a river boat and mechanized landing craft used by the United States Navy and Army during the Vietnam War and subsequent operations. They are currently used by governments and private organizations throughout the world. The acronym stands for "Landing Craft Mechanized, Mark 8...
landing craft, which are launched and recovered by a single 70 ton crane. When the LCM-8s are deployed, the area functions as a third helicopter landing spot. Accommodation was provided for up to 450 soldiers, while improved medical facilities and an upgraded galley were also installed.
The refit was planned to last from 1995 to 1996, but did not conclude until late 1999, after extensive corrosion was discovered in both ships. The refit cost for the two ships increased A$400 million, with half of the funding taken from repair and refit allocations for other ships. During Kanimblas conversion, a small fire started aboard, when a cigarette butt was dropped on piping insulation. The fire, which occurred on 8 February 1999, was extinguished quickly, and only caused superficial damage.
1995–2003
During 1995, personnel from Kanimbla participated in celebrations for the 50th anniversaries of Victory in Europe Day and Victory in the PacificVictory in the Pacific
Victory in the Pacific is a board wargame published by the Avalon Hill game company in 1977. Based on the game system first used in War at Sea, also published by Avalon Hill, the game deals with the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II...
Day. In April 1999, personnel from Kanimbla, Manoora, and Sydney bases assisted the New South Wales Department of Agriculture in containing an outbreak of Newcastle disease
Newcastle disease
Newcastle disease is a contagious bird disease affecting many domestic and wild avian species. First found in Newcastle, United Kingdom in 1926, then by Burnet in 1943 in Australia in connection with laboratory infection where the virus was isolated from a ocular discharge of a patient to show the...
in Mangrove Mountain poultry farms.
Between April and June 2001, Manoora was sent to Vanuatu to provide disaster relief assistance following the eruption of the Lopevi
Lopevi
Lopevi is an uninhabited island in Malampa Province, Vanuatu. It lies to the southeast of Ambrym and east of Paama. It consists of the 7-km-wide cone of the active stratovolcano by the same name. It reaches a peak of 1413 m above sea level, the tallest point in central Vanuatu. It has erupted...
volcano. After this, from 2 June to 8 August 2001, the ship was deployed to the Solomon Islands to support the International Peace Monitoring Team following the signing of the Townsville Peace Agreement
Townsville Peace Agreement
The Townsville Peace Agreement was signed in Townsville, Australia on 15 October 2000 between the Malaita Eagle Force and the Isatabu Freedom Movement. The Agreement successfully calmed the situation in Honiara and the Islands in general after the coup d’état of June that year.-External links:*...
.
Operation Slipper
Operation Slipper is the Australian Defence Force contribution to the war in Afghanistan. The operation commenced in late 2001 and is ongoing...
, to enforce UN trade sanction against Iraq. This deployment concluded on 4 March 2002. The ship returned to the Gulf on 13 February 2003. During this deployment, which concluded on 14 June, she was involved in the US invasion of Iraq, served as a command-and-control ship during operations in the northern waters of the Gulf, and helped deliver relief supplies to Baghdad. The ship received a Meritorious Unit Citation
Meritorious Unit Citation
The Meritorious Unit Citation is a collective group decoration awarded to members of Australian military units. It recognises sustained outstanding service in warlike operations...
on 27 November 2003 for her service during this deployment.
Somewhere between April 1998 and August 2003, Kanimbla operated in support of the Peace Monitoring Group
Peace Monitoring Group
The Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville in Papua New Guinea was brought about by the civil unrest on the island in 1990. The PNG government requested the Australian and New Zealand governments to provide a monitoring group to oversee the cease fire on the island. This group was made up of both...
in Bougainville
Bougainville
-People:*Louis Antoine de Bougainville , French navigator, explorer and military commander*Hyacinthe de Bougainville , French naval officer and son of Louis Antoine de Bougainville-Places:...
.
2004–2006
On 30 December 2004, Kanimbla sailed as part of Operation Sumatra AssistOperation Sumatra Assist
Operation Sumatra Assist was the Australian Defence Force's contribution to disaster relief in Indonesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. ADF personnel were deployed within hours of the earthquake. They served mainly in Aceh province of Indonesia...
, the Australian contribution to relief efforts following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. The ship's involvment ended on 26 March 2005, and she sailed to Singapore, but was redeployed three days later after a new earthquake off the Sumatran coast
2005 Sumatra earthquake
The 2005 Sumatra earthquake, referred to as the Nias Earthquake by the scientific community, was a major earthquake on 28 March 2005, located off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. Approximately 1300 people were killed by the earthquake, mostly on the island of Nias...
. On 2 April, a Sea King
Westland Sea King
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines , British made anti-submarine warfare systems and a...
helicopter operating from Kanimbla crashed on the island of Nias
Nias
Nīas is an island off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago, containing the Hinako archipelago....
, killing nine of the eleven personnel aboard; the single deadliest incident in the Australian Defence Force since 1996. Operations did not conclude until 13 April.
Operation Astute
Operation Astute is an Australian-led military deployment to East Timor to quell unrest and return stability in the 2006 East Timor crisis. It is currently headed by Brigadier Bill Sowry, and commenced on 25 May 2006 under the command of Brigadier Michael Slater...
, the Australian response to the 2006 East Timorese crisis. The ship remained in the area until late July. At the start of November 2006, Kanimbla, , and sailed to Fiji as part of Operation Quickstep
Operation Quickstep
Operation Quickstep was the name given to the deployment of military resources by the Australian Defence Force during the leadup to the 2006 Fijian coup d'état on 4-5 December 2006, during which the Fijian military took control of the Fijian government which, at the time, was led by Prime Minister...
, the ADF response to threats of a coup d'etat by Fijian military forces
2006 Fijian coup d'état
The Fijian coup d'état of December 2006 occurred as a continuation of the pressure which had been building since the military unrest of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état and 2005-2006 Fijian political crisis....
. The three vessels were to be used in the event of an evacuation of Australian citizens and nationals, but not as a military force. On 29 November 2006, an Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
S-70A Black Hawk helicopter operating from Kanimbla crashed and fell overboard while attempting to land on the aft helicopter deck. Of the ten Army personnel onboard, seven were injured, one was killed, and the tenth was declared missing until his remaines were found trapped in the helicopter wreckage, which had sunk to 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) below sea level and was not located until 5 March 2007 because of the need to borrow high-detail survey equipment from the United States.
2007–2010
In October 2007, Kanimbla visited New Zealand. The ship had been previously scheduled to visit New Zealand on two occasions in 2006, but was unable to on both occasions due to short-notice operational deployments.On the morning of 13 March 2009, Kanimbla was one of seventeen warships involved in a ceremonial fleet entry and fleet review in Sydney Harbour, the largest collection of RAN ships since the Australian Bicentenary
Australian Bicentenary
The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1970 on the 200th anniversary of Captain James Cook landing and claiming the land, and again in 1988 to celebrate 200 years of permanent European settlement.-1970:...
in 1988. Kanimbla was one of the thirteen ships involved in the ceremonial entry through Sydney Heads, and anchored in the harbour for the review.
Following an overhaul of the RAN battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
system completed in early 2010, Kanimbla was also granted the battle honours "Persian Gulf 2001–2003" and "Iraq 2003". During July and August 2010, Kanimbla was one of three RAN ships to participate in the RIMPAC
RIMPAC
RIMPAC, the Rim of the Pacific Exercise, is the world's largest international maritime exercise. Conducted biennially , it is hosted and administered by the United States Navy, with the United States Marine Corps, United States Coast Guard, and Hawaii National Guard forces under the leadership of...
2010 muntinational exercise.
Decommissioning
On 21 September 2010, Kanimbla was entering Sydney Harbour when a fire broke out onboard and caused the ship to lose power briefly. Shortly after this, Kanimbla and sister ship Manoora were brought to Fleet Base East for an 'operational pause' after several problems were identified with both ships. These included large quantities of corrosion and faults with the deck crane and alarm system, along with the need to overhaul the propulsion system, power generators, and airconditioning, and upgrade the communication suite. The problems have been attributed to the ship's high operational tempo, delays in maintenance, and the age of the ships.Manoora was marked for decommissioning in early 2011, but the intention at that time was to repair Kanimbla and return her to active service by mid-2012. However, the predicted timeframe and cost of the repairs (18 months and over $35 million), and the successful acquisition of the British landing ship dock (to enter RAN service at the end of 2011 as HMAS Choules) prompted the Australian government to announce plans on 18 August 2011 to decommission Kanimbla. The decommissioning occurred on 25 November 2011.
The ship's capability will initially be replaced by Largs Bay/Choules, until the Canberra class amphibious warfare ships enter service.