Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith will visit Vietnam tomorrow where he will meet with his counterpart General Phung Quang Thanh, Australian Defence Ministry informed today. This will be his second visit to Vietnam as an Australian Minister for Defence and he will be accompanied by the Secret
Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare today announced the departure of the hull of the first of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN’s) new amphibious ships from Ferrol in northern Spain. Mr Clare said the Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) 01 hull will be transported to Melbourne, Australia, by the Heav
On the evening of 28 February/1 March 1942, two proud ships fought together against overwhelming odds by facing the Japanese Western Java Invasion Convoy in the midst of the Sunda Strait. HMAS Perth (I) and USS Houston were both torpedoed and sank within 30 minutes of the other, consigning almost a
9 August 1942 is a date that will always be remembered by the Royal Australian Navy for it was on this day that it suffered its largest warship loss at sea. 70 years later, HMA Ships Gascoyne and Huon positioned themselves over the final resting place of HMAS Canberra (I), fell silent and remembered
HMAS Perth has completed an advanced air warfare weapons event during a multinational firing serial at Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012, the world’s largest maritime exercise in Hawaii. HMAS Perth joined HMAS Darwin in a six-ship formation with Canadian and US ships that conducted a coordin
Australian Navy Clearance Divers are playing a key role at RIMPAC 2012, both in Hawaii and on the US mainland. Their focus is on mine countermeasures – the largest collection of Mine Counter Measures (MCM) capacity ever deployed by Australia on this exercise. Commander Doug Griffiths is in charge of
HMAS Perth has completed an advanced air warfare weapons event during a multinational firing serial at Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012, the world’s largest maritime exercise in Hawaii. HMAS Perth joined HMAS Darwin in a six-ship formation with Canadian and US ships that conducted a coordin
HMAS Melbourne has departed the Middle East Area of Operations after a successful six-month deployment as part of Operation SLIPPER. Melbourne heads home to Fleet Base East in Sydney, NSW, after conducting maritime security patrols, counter-piracy and anti-smuggling operations from the Red and Arabi
As part of Exercise RIM-OF-THE-PACIFIC (RIMPAC 2012), a group of officers from United States Ships Chafee and Crommelin spent the day on HMAS Perth observing and experiencing life onboard an Australian ship. The visitors were given a tour of the ship, including a walk through of the engine room and
There has been some sensationalist reporting relating to a minor flood in HMAS Farncomb on 25 July 2012. The following media release is the actual statement made by the Department of Defence on 25 July 2012. On Wednesday 25 July (Australian Eastern Standard Time), while participating in Exercise RIM
The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Collins Class submarine HMAS Farncomb has successfully sunk a target ship, the 12,106-tonne former USNS (United States Navy Ship) Kilauea in Hawaii. Farncomb fired one Mark 48 Torpedo and achieved a hit just below the bridge of the ship as part of a sinking exercise
Navy, Army and Air Force women in Western Australia got a chance to tell their ‘war stories’ in June, at the Perth Convention Centre’s ‘Every Woman Expo.’ The expo explored the lives of women, and featured more than 300 interactive displays and demonstrations about food, fashion, fitness, finance, i
HMS Diamond has taken her place among the international naval effort determined to stamp out criminal activity on the seas east of Suez. The state-of-the-art destroyer has relieved her sister HMS Daring as the latest Royal Navy warship serving with the 26-nation Combined Maritime Forces, sailing in
The Chief of the Defence Force General David Hurley is hosting the annual Australia-US Military Representations with Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, Commander US Pacific Command and other senior military officials in Canberra this week. General Hurley said the military dialogue is an important means
