HMAS Kanimbla (L 51)
HMAS Kanimbla in 2010
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | Saginaw |
Namesake | City of Saginaw, Michigan |
Builder | National Steel & Shipbuilding Company |
Laid down | 24 May 1969 |
Launched | 7 February 1970 |
Sponsored by | Wife of R. James Harvey |
Commissioned | 23 January 1971 |
Decommissioned | 28 June 1994 |
Homeport | Little Creek, Virginia |
Identification | LST-1188 |
Fate | Transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1994 |
Australia | |
Name | Kanimbla |
Namesake | Kanimbla Valley |
Commissioned | 29 August 1994 |
Decommissioned | 25 November 2011 |
Homeport | Fleet Base East |
Identification | L 51 |
Motto | "Cry Havoc" |
Honours and awards |
|
Fate | Sold for scrap, 20 May 2013 |
Badge | |
General characteristics as Kanimbla | |
Class and type | Kanimbla-class landing platform amphibious |
Displacement | 8,534 tons |
Length | 159.2 m (522 ft 4 in) |
Beam | 21.2 m (69 ft 7 in) |
Draught | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) |
Propulsion | 6 × ALCO V16 diesel engines, 2,050 kW (2,750 hp ) each driving two shafts (3 engines per shaft) |
Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
Range | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
Boats & landing craft carried | 2 × LCM8 landing craft |
Capacity | 400 embarked forces, 955 m2 (10,280 sq ft) of usable tank deck space |
Complement | 23 naval officers, 2 army officers, 197 sailors, 18 soldiers |
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | 4 × Blackhawk or 3 × Sea King |
Aviation facilities | Hangar for 4 helicopters, 3 landing spots |
HMAS Kanimbla (L 51) was a Kanimbla-class landing platform amphibious ship operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Originally built for the United States Navy (USN) as the Newport-class tank landing ship USS Saginaw (LST-1188), the ship was decommissioned in 1994 and sold to the RAN.
After entering service with the RAN in 1999, Kanimbla participated in numerous worldwide deployments, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and in response to the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. During the ship's career, two helicopters were lost in crashes. After a fire broke out aboard Kanimbla in late 2010, she and sister ship Manoora 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. The ship was decommissioned in 2011, and sold for breaking in 2013.
Design and construction
The ship was laid down by
USN operational history
Transfer and conversion
In the early 1990s, the RAN initiated a procurement project to replace HMAS Jervis Bay with a dedicated training and helicopter support ship.[2] Meeting the vague specifications of the project required a purpose built vessel at an approximate cost of A$500 million.[2] The high cost of the project led to its cancellation by the Minister 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 for the combined price of A$61 million (US$40 million).[2][3] Saginaw was to be renamed Kanimbla. Prior to Saginaw's decommissioning and transfer, a RAN crew was sent to Norfolk, Virginia, for several weeks training aboard the vessel, as they were to sail her to Australia after she was commissioned into the RAN.[4] 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 had decided not to release the ships into foreign service.[5] 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 in an attempt to pressure US President Bill Clinton 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 (one of the other nations slated to acquire a Newport-class ship).[3][6] The sale was not approved until the start of August, with the ship commissioned into the RAN on 29 August 1994.[7][8]
Kanimbla sailed to Australia in October, after training and maintenance checks were completed.
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.[2] The now controversial refit cost for the two ships increased A$400 million, with half of the funding taken from repair and refit allocations for other ships.[2] During Kanimbla's conversion, a small fire started aboard, when a cigarette butt was dropped on piping insulation.[13] The fire, which occurred on 8 February 1999, was extinguished quickly, and only caused superficial damage.[13]
RAN operational history
1995–2003
During 1995, personnel from Kanimbla participated in celebrations for the 50th anniversaries of
Between April and June 2001, Kanimbla was sent to Vanuatu to provide disaster relief assistance following the eruption of the Lopevi volcano.[16] 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.[17] Following this,[citation needed] Kanimbla operated in support of the Peace Monitoring Group (PMG) in Bougainville.[18] This was a short term assignment at the end of the Solomon Islands deployment to assist with backload of PMG equipment to Australia.[citation needed]
On 2 December 2001, Kanmibla and the frigate
2004–2006
On 30 December 2004, Kanimbla sailed as part of
In May 2006, Kanimbla was deployed to East Timor as part of
2007–2010
In October 2007, Kanimbla visited New Zealand.[29] 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.[29]
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 in 1988.[30] 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
Decommissioning and fate
On 21 September 2010, Kanimbla was leaving Sydney Harbour when a fire broke out aboard and caused the ship to lose power briefly.[34] During the incident the ship drifted dangerously close to the North Head.[35] 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.[34][36] These included large quantities of ongoing corrosion and faults with the deck crane and alarm system, along with the need to overhaul the propulsion system, power generators, and air-conditioning, and upgrade the communication suite.[34] The problems have been attributed to the ship's high operational tempo, delays in maintenance, and the age of the ships.[36]
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.
In June 2012, the federal government offered Kanimbla and Manoora to the Queensland state government for
Citations
- ^ a b c Saginaw-II, in Directory of American Naval Fighting Ships
- ^ a b c d e Spurling, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 275
- ^ a b Scherer, Senate hampers sale of Navy ships to eager nations
- ^ Put in our place, in Australia and World Affairs, p. 43
- ^ Put in our place, in Australia and World Affairs, pp. 43–44
- ^ Put in our place, in Australia and World Affairs, p. 44
- ^ a b US OKs sale of 2 ships, in Sun Herald
- ^ a b c "HMAS Kanimbla (II)". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
- ^ a b Forgacs part of naval history, in Newcastle Herald
- ^ a b c Macey, Navy in $70M Copter Carrier deal
- ^ a b Sharpe (ed.), Jane's Fighting Ships 1997–1998, p. 30
- ^ Spurling, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 276
- ^ a b Australian Associated Press, Small fire on board Navy vessel
- ^ Bendle et al., Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005, p. 24
- ^ Bendle et al., Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005, p. 37
- ^ Bendle et al., Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005, p. 42
- ^ Bendle et al., Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005, p. 41
- ^ Bendle et al., Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005, p. 33
- ^ "It's An Honour – Honours". Retrieved 22 February 2008.
Citation: For meritorious service in warlike operations in the war against weapons of mass destruction, IRAQ, during Operations BASTILLE and FALCONER between February and May 2003.
- ^ Dale, A dark history of crashes
- ^ Banham, Streets calmer, but peril remains
- ^ Australian Associated Press, Peacekeepers to check weapons in E Timor
- ^ a b "Aussie warships heading for Fiji". The Daily Telegraph. 2 November 2006.
- ^ a b ABC, One dead, one missing in Black Hawk crash off Fiji
- ^ Remains of SAS soldier found off Fiji, in The Age
- ^ a b Royal Australian Navy, A 'chully in zid' experience for Kanimbla
- ^ Brooke, Marching into History
- ^ Royal Australian Navy, Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours
- ^ Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours
- ^ Dodd, No-show by subs slammed
- ^ a b c McPhedran, The rust never sleeps on pride of navy fleet
- ^ Welch, Dylan (24 February 2011). "Ship metres from harbour crash". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
- ^ a b Kerr, Operational tempo and neglect spell problems for ageing Australian amphibs
- ^ a b Stephen Smith MP Minister for Defence, Transition plan to Landing Helicopter Dock
- ^ a b Minister for Defence Materiel and Minister for Defence, Decommissioning of HMAS Kanimbla
- ^ Brooke, Decommissioning marks end of an era
- ^ Marshall, Naval ships offered as dive sites for coast
- ^ a b McPhedran, Navy workhorses HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla to end careers as scrap
- ^ a b Australian Defence Magazine, Sale of decommissioned ships Manoora and Kanimbla
References
Books
- Bendle, Vanessa; Griffin, David; Laurence, Peter; McMillan, Richard; Mitchell, Brett; Nasg, Greg; Perryman, John; Stevens, David & Wheate, Nial (2005). Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005 (PDF). Working Papers. Vol. 18. Canberra, ACT: Sea Power Centre – Australia. ISBN 0-642-29623-5. Archived from the original(PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 16 August 2009.
- Sharpe, Richard, ed. (1997). Jane's Fighting Ships 1997–1998. Jane's Fighting Ships (110th ed.). Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-1546-9.
- Spurling, Kathryn (2001). "The Era of Forward Defence". In Stevens, David (ed.). The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence. Vol. III. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. OCLC 50418095.
Journal and news articles
- "One dead, one missing in Black Hawk crash off Fiji". ABC. 29 November 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2006.
- "Remains of SAS soldier found off Fiji". The Age. 6 March 2007. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
- "Put in our place". Australia and World Affairs. 22 (Spring): 43–45. Spring 1994. ISSN 1033-6192.
- Australian Associated Press (8 February 1999). "Small fire on board Navy vessel". Australian Associated Press. AAP Information Services.
- Australian Associated Press (19 July 2006). "Peacekeepers to check weapons in E Timor". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- "Sale of decommissioned ships Manoora and Kanimbla". Australian Defence Magazine. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
- Banham, Cynthia (27 May 2006). "Streets calmer, but peril remains". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- Brooke, Michael (2 April 2009). "Marching into History". Navy News. Department of Defence.
- Brooke, Michael (24 November 2011). "Decommissioning marks end of an era". Navy News. 54 (22). Department of Defence: 3 (liftout). Retrieved 23 November 2011.
- Dale, Amy (30 November 2006). "A dark history of crashes". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- Dodd, Mark (6 August 2010). "No-show by subs slammed". The Australian. Retrieved 17 August 2010.
- Kerr, Julian (15 October 2010). "Operational tempo and neglect spell problems for ageing Australian amphibs". Jane's Navy International. Jane's Information Group.
- McPhedran, Ian (18 October 2010). "The rust never sleeps on pride of navy fleet". The Herald Sun. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
- McPhedran, Ian (3 January 2013). "Navy workhorses HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla to end careers as scrap". Herald Sun. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- Macey, Richard (27 June 1994). "Navy in $70M Copter Carrier deal". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 6.
- Marshall, Candice (25 June 2012). "Naval ships offered as dive sites for coast". ABC Gold Coast. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
- "Contract puts Forgacs part of naval history". Newcastle Herald. Fairfax Media. 13 May 1998. p. 8.
- "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- "A 'chully in zid' experience for Kanimbla". Royal Australian Navy. 1 November 2007. Archived from the original on 6 September 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
- Scherer, Ron (18 July 1994). "Senate hampers sale of Navy ships to eager nations". The Christian Science Monitor. p. 7.
- "US OKs sale of 2 ships". Sun Herald. 7 August 1994. p. 26.
Websites and media releases
- "Saginaw-II". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval Historical Center – United States Navy. Retrieved 22 February 2008.
- "Decommissioning of HMAS Kanimbla". Minister for Defence Materiel and Minister for Defence. Archived from the original on 29 December 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- "HMAS Kanimbla (II)". Ship Histories. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- "Transition plan to Landing Helicopter Dock". Media release. Stephen Smith MP Minister for Defence. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011.