HMAS Newcastle Ticks Off Milestone Towards Deployment

HMAS Newcastle Ticks off Milestone Towards Deployment

HMAS Newcastle achieved the milestone of Unit Readiness while conducting collective training with other Australian Defence Force (ADF) assets including the submarine HMAS Sheean and combat aircraft from the Air Force.

Sea Training Group mentors assessed Newcastle as Unit Ready in all areas during a four-week exercise in the Eastern Australian Exercise Area that culminated on March 1 with a challenging evaluation period.

Newcastle achieved unit readiness after a series of training exercises and serials with HMA Ships Sydney, Sheean, Tobruk, Sheean, Diamantina, 816 Squadron Seahawk helicopters and Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Hornet fighters. Newcastle was also the first Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ship to replenish with ESPS Cantabria during her 2013 Australian deployment.

CO Newcastle CMDR Paul O’Grady CSM, RAN said his ship’s company have worked hard to met all the required competencies.

“It has been a challenging period completing both Sea Qualification Trials and Unit Readiness training in a compressed timeframe” he said. “The determined, learning approach by the ship’s company has been very effective and is a credit to the, as has their focused, team approach to all activities.”

Newcastle is on track to achieve all its work up milestones including mission readiness while operating with Cantabria and HMNZ Ships Te Mana and Endeavour, prior to deployment in April.

Since completing unit readiness Newcastle’s crew have conducted a force protection exercise at Fleet Base East where they demonstrated their ability to manage a number of threats to security while alongside.

A feature of Newcastle’s work up has been the ability of other ADF units to leverage off the joint collective training opportunities of each other, and to progress or maintain their own combat skills.

Fleet collective training helps ensure the Navy team is trained in an environment that is challenging and asset rich to provide the basis for experience to fight and win at sea.

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Naval Today Staff, March 20, 2013; Image: Royal Australian Navy