Kanimbla class landing platform amphibious

The Kanimbla class is a class of amphibious transport ships (designated Landing Platform Amphibious) operated 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...

(RAN). Two ships (originally built 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 ships 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...

) were purchased by Australia in 1994 and modified. Problems during the handover process and the need to repair previously-unidentified defects meant the ships did not enter operational service until the end of the decade.

Between them, the two ships have participated in the Afganhistan

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...

and Iraq wars, the Australian response

Operation 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...

to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the Australian deployment

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...

to East Timor following the 2006 political crisis. After a large number of defects were found in both ships during late 2010, the vessels were docked. It was decided that was beyond economic repair, and she was decommissioned in May 2011. was to be repaired and returned to service, but the estimated cost and time to do this, plus the successful acquisition of the British landing ship dock as an interim capability replacement, prompted the government to decommission Kanimbla in November 2011.

Acquisition

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 Defence

Minister 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. At around the same time, the United States Navy

United States Navy

(USN) began plans to decommission fifteen of their twenty Newport class tank landing ships

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...

, offering them for purchase by various countries.

In 1994, the RAN elected to purchase two Newports: US Ships and for the combined price of A$61 million (US$40 million), with the intention of converting each into a combined pocket helicopter carrier

Helicopter carrier

Helicopter carrier is a term for an aircraft carrier whose primary purpose is to operate helicopters. The term is sometimes used for both ASW carriers and amphibious assault ships....

and 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. Saginaw was to decommission in the US and be immediately recommissioned into the RAN as , and sailed to Australia by a RAN crew, while Fairfax County was to travel to Australia with a USN crew before decommissioning and recommissioning as . Prior to Saginaws decommissioning, 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 training aboard the vessel.

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. This last-minute move was part of a sale blockage for the 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 ship). The sale to Australia was not approved until the start of August and Saginaw commissioned as HMAS Kanimbla on 29 August 1994.

Conversion

After transferring into the RAN and arriving in Australia, Kanimbla and Manoora spent two years docked at Fleet Base East before they were moved to Forgacs Dockyard at 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...

in June 1996, where they underwent conversion from tank landing ships to amphibious warfare

Amphibious warfare

transports. The conversion required the main features of the Newport class, the bow doors, derrick, and tank ramp, to be removed. 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 for prolonged periods. 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, with Manoora upgraded first. However, extensive corrosion was discovered in both ships. The refit cost for the two ships increased to A$400 million, with half of the funding taken from repair and refit allocations for other ships. The two ships did not enter service until the end of the decade.

Operational history

HMAS Kanimbla ships are based at Fleet Base East. The Kanimblas operate primarily in South East Asian regions, and are usually the first asset deployed by the Australian government during regional emergencies. The ships have participated in the Afganhistan

War in Afghanistan (2001–present)

The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...

and Iraq wars, the Australian response

Operation Sumatra Assist

to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and the Australian deployment

Operation Astute

to East Timor following the 2006 poilitical crisis, among other deployments. Two helicopters have crashed while operating from Kanimbla.

In late September 2010, both ships were brought to Fleet Base East for an 'operational pause' after several problems were identified with the ships. These included large quantities of corrosion, faults with the deck crane and alarm system, the need to overhaul propulsion machinery, power generators, and airconditioning, and an outdated communication suite. The problems have been attributed to the ship's high operational tempo, delays in maintenance, and the age of the ships. On 1 November it was reported that the two vessels might never put to sea again due to their poor condition, but a Navy spokesman was quoted the next day as saying that they would both be repaired by early 2011.

On 1 February 2011 the Minister for Defence

Minister for Defence (Australia)

announced that repairing Manoora would not be cost effective given that the ship was scheduled to retired at the end of 2012 and that she would instead be decommissioned. Manoora was decommissioned at Fleet Base East on 27 May 2011. At the time of the February 2010 announcement, the intention was to repair Kanimbla return her to active service by mid-2012, and let her continue operating until her original 2014 decommissioning date. 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 at earliest opportunity. Kanimbla was decommissioned on 25 November 2011.

Replacement

One of the ships will be replaced by one of the Canberra class landing helicopter dock ships by 2015, while the other is to be replaced by a strategic sealift

Sealift

Sealift is a term used predominantly in military logistics and refers to the use of cargo ships for the deployment of military assets, such as weaponry, vehicles, military personnel, and supplies...

ship sometime between 2016 and 2018. In the meantime, the ships' capability will be replaced by Largs Bay/Choules, until the Canberra class amphibious warfare ships enter service.

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