Melbournes South East Asian deployment began slightly earlier in 1961, as the ship departed from Fremantle on 20 February in order to participate in Exercise JET 61 in the Indian Ocean off Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The six most seriously injured survivors were transferred to Balmoral Naval Hospital by helicopter the following day, while others remained aboard Melbourne until she returned to Sydney on 12 February. The Forgotten Cruiser HMAS Melbourne 1913-1928 By Andrew Kilsby and Greg Swinden, Longueville Media, Woollahra, NSW, 2013. [30][31] The refit was lengthened by industrial action at the dockyard. [72][73] After filming concluded, the carrier participated in a demonstration exercise off the coast of Sydney before embarking on a Far East Strategic Reserve deployment from March until May. The impact pushed Voyager through the water laterally for a few seconds, and then she broke in two. There were 232 survivors. [155] She was towed to the mooring dolphins near Bradley's Head, where she remained until 1985. [114][128] Subsequent to the inquiry, the three USN officers and Stevenson were court-martialled by their respective navies on charges of negligence, with the three USN officers found guilty and Stevenson 'Honourably Acquitted'. [114] A radio message was sent from Melbourne to Evans' bridge and Combat Information Centre, warning the destroyer that she was on a collision course, which Evans acknowledged. Laid down for the RN as HMS Majestic on 15 April 1943 and launched in 1945, the ship was nearing completion when construction was virtually brought to a halt with the cessation of wartime hostilities. Sources are inconsistent regarding who attempted to purchase. Logs include information on: Most records about crew and ships are available for public access. Right: Melbourne's bell. During the 1970s and early 1980s, replacing parts became an increasing problem. [36] Although replaced by the Sea King, up to three Wessex helicopters could be carried as search-and-rescue aircraft. Melbourne was laid down for the Royal Navy as the lead ship of the Majestic class in April 1943, and was launched as HMS Majestic (R77) in February 1945. [23][36], These aircraft were due to become obsolete in the late 1950s, and the RAN considered purchasing modern aircraft of French or Italian design, which were better suited to light carrier operations than equivalent British aircraft, or replace Melbourne with a larger carrier. Subsequent reports and inquiries noted the exemplary behaviour, absence of panic, and the quiet and calm courage displayed by all involved in the aftermath of the tragedy. [169] Another anchor and the starboard side ship's bell are on display at the RAN Heritage Centre at Garden Island. RIMPAC activities occupied the ship for most of September before she went on to visit Yokosuka, Japan, in early October, and Manila where she participated in the SEATO exercise SEA SCORPION. [23], At the end of March 1978, Melbourne left Sydney for RIMPAC 78. A Sea Venom on one of Melbourne's flight deck lifts. [64] The carrier immediately underwent a two and a half-month refit, allowing for the inspection of machinery and repair of defects detected during the maiden voyage. The RN retained ten partially completed aircraft carriers, including the six Majestics, from suspended wartime programs. The passage proved a difficult one as cyclonic conditions caused a number of accidents and injuries throughout the fleet, including a shipwright aboard Melbourne who injured his hand in a circular saw and required surgery. The Gannet fleet was grounded pending an investigation and was cleared to recommence flying operations on 12 February. [3] It is unclear whether the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) orchestrated the acquisition of Melbourne or simply took advantage of the situation; Rear Admiral Zhang Zhaozhong, a staff member at the National Defence College, has stated that the Navy was unaware of the purchase until Melbourne first arrived at Guangzhou. [134] While the Army supported this proposal, the Navy successfully argued against its implementation, claiming that transporting troops and cargo would be misusing Australia's only active aircraft carrier, and would prevent Melbourne from participating in several major multi-national exercises. [13], As the lead ship of the Majestic-class of light aircraft carriers, Melbourne was conceived as a modified version of the Colossus-class carrier, incorporating improvements in flight deck design and habitability. HMAS Melbourne (R21) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1955 until 1982, and was the third and final conventional aircraft carrier[note 1] to serve in the RAN. 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At around 3:35am on 31 May, USS Everett F Larson was ordered to take up a planeguard position astern of Melbourne from off her starboard bow. [4][6] As Terrible was the closer of the two ships to completion, she was finished without modification, and was commissioned into the RAN on 16 December 1948 as HMASSydney. She participated in Exercise TUCKER BOX 2 later in the year. The Melbourne-Voyager collision, also known as the Melbourne-Voyager incident or simply the Voyager incident, was a collision between two warships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN); the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the destroyer HMAS Voyager.. On the evening of 10 February 1964, the two ships were performing manoeuvres off Jervis Bay. HMAS Voyager sank on the night of 10 February 1964 off Jervis Bay, southern NSW, following a collision with the Melbourne during exercises off Jervis Bay, southern NSW. [127] It was learned during the inquiry that Evans' commanding officer was asleep in his quarters at the time of the incident, and charge of the vessel was held by Lieutenants Ronald Ramsey and James Hopson; the former had failed the qualification exam to stand watch, while the latter was at sea for the first time. Department of Defence users will not be able to view this video on the Defence Protected Network. On 27 March she contributed to Exercise SHOWPIECE off Singapore designed to impress upon the political and military leaders of the region the continued strength and readiness of the British Far East Fleet. Two days prior to that, one of Melbourne's Gannet aircraft developed an engine fault on take off and ditched into the sea ahead of the ship. The Great Australian Bight lived up to its reputation as a rough sea with Melbourne enduring a heavy swell during her passage east for a four day visit to her namesake city, Melbourne. 1959 began positively for Melbourne, with the news that she had been awarded the Duke of Gloucesters Cup for 1958 as the RAN unit displaying the highest level of overall proficiency for the year. USS Frank E. Evans in 1963. Tenders are additional vessels used to help or serve another vessel. This photo is taken from the flight deck of the RN aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, with her aircraft in the foreground. The observer, Lieutenant Edward Kennell, RAN, apparently did not eject but was briefly seen in the water next to the wreckage of the Sea Venom before he disappeared. In every situation, a new aircraft carrier was turned down due to the increases in manpower and operating costs required to operate the ship when compared to Melbourne. Temporary repairs were affected at sea before Melbourne proceeded to Singapore that afternoon. [38] Both options were turned down, and it was instead proposed to operate Melbourne as a helicopter carrier. The aircrew was rescued but efforts to recover the Gannet were unsuccessful and it was eventually released overboard. The aft section of USS Frank E Evans carefully being brought along side in Subic Bay. Melbourne went on to visit New Guinea, the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore before returning to the Philippines to participate in the SEATO exercise SEADOG in July. Melbourne's ship's company was recalled immediately from leave, the ship was loaded with supplies, and the carrier departed Sydney on 26 December in the company of HMASBrisbane. [67][68] The carrier spent the rest of the year visiting Australian ports for open inspections by the public. [148] The carrier's deployments for the second half of the year consisted of two exercises, Sea Hawk and Kangaroo 81. [152] In June 1977, the Defence Force Development Committee approved an investigation into acquiring a STOVL/helicopter carrier. That December she commenced another major refit at Garden Island Dockyard during which her flight deck was strengthened and her catapult rebuilt with a bridle catcher extension. In 1922 the Melbourne was involved in a dramatic rescue of the crew of an American schooner in the Tasman Sea, at the height of a hurricane. [164] Reports have circulated that either a replica of the flight deck, or the deck itself, was used for clandestine training of PLANAF pilots in carrier flight operations. [96] Robertson was posted to the training base HMASWatsona move that he and the Australian media saw as tantamount to a demotionbut resigned instead. A large proportion of this ships company had only recently joined the ship and some 25% were ordinary seamen, barely accustomed to wearing naval uniform. [24][25] Air conditioning systems and a liquid oxygen generation plant were also installed. [79] At the beginning of 1963, Melbourne again visited to the Royal Hobart Regatta, which was immediately followed by a deployment to the Strategic Reserve, including involvement in SEATO Exercise Sea Serpent. Ledgers were completed quarterly for each ship, or shore establishment. Seventy four of Evans crew lost their lives, and Melbourne sustained extensive damage to her bow section. [5] Flight direction radar was included, making Melbourne the only military airfield in the Australasian region at the time capable of operating aircraft at night and in poor weather.[13]. On 3 June 1969, the two ships were participating in SEATO exercise Sea Spirit in the South China Sea.Around 3:00 am, when ordered to a new escort station, Evans sailed under Melbourne ' s bow . Melbourne then continued on to Japan and Hawaii for Exercise REX with USN units before returning home via Western Samoa and Fiji. She visited New Guinea before proceeding on to Subic Bay where she commenced the SEATO exercise SEA ROVER in March and April, which took the SEATO fleet across the South China Sea to Sattahip in Thailand. On 18 March Melbourne deployed for a five month deployment that saw her circumnavigate Australia and return to South East Asian waters where she participated in the international Exercises TRADEWIND and ASTRA. She then sailed for Brisbane and the Hervey Bay area to conduct flying training. Following an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system completed in 2010, Melbourne was retroactively awarded the honour "Malaysia 196566" for her service during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation.[170][171]. Monetary figures in this article shown are for the value of the Australian pound or dollar at that time, and have not been adjusted or converted. [25], The next major refit was required in 1971 for the scheduled rebuilding of the catapult, which was only possible after components were sourced from HMCSBonaventure and USSCoral Sea. [71] At the start of 1959, Melbourne spent four days in her namesake city, where she was used for the filming of On The Beach, based on Nevil Shute's post-apocalyptic novel of the same name. Country. Our sources include the logs and reports of proceedings. The aircraft was seen to take off normally but quickly veered to the right and down into the water. Duties: Work resumed on Melbourne in 1949 at which time it was decided to increase the size of the flight deck lifts to accommodate the larger aircraft coming into service. [62], In February 1957, Melbourne was sent to the Royal Hobart Regatta. [3] It has also been claimed that the Royal Australian Navy received and "politely rejected" a request from the PLAN for blueprints of the ship's steam catapult. Melbourne has been deployed to the Persian Gulf on several occasions, and served as part of the INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce in 2000. Historic video footage showing a Gannet anti-submarine aircraft taking off and landing from the deck of HMAS Melbourne (II). [147] On 24 October, a Tracker from Melbourne observed Soviet warships Storozhevoy and Ivan Rogov shadowing the squadron. She went on to visit Hong Kong in April before proceeding to Osaka, Japan, where members of the crew and the ships band contributed to Australian National Day on 8 May during Expo 70. Upon her return to Sydney, Melbourne commenced preparations for a major refit and modernisation, conducted at Garden Island Dockyard, to enable her to operate her new aircraft. During the First World War the R.A.N. Larson made an incorrect turn and was, at one stage, on a collision course with Melbourne. [134] The refit concluded in late 1971, with the carrier participating in the first RIMPAC exercise, RIMPAC 71, before the end of the year. She visited Pearl Harbor and Suva en route, and arrived in Jervis Bay, where the Skyhawks were landed, on 21 November. A shore party took part in an internal security exercise at RNAS Sembawang in August before the ships departed for home later that month. [42][43] Both aircraft types entered RAN service in 1968, with the Trackers operated by 816 Squadron RAN and 851 Squadron RAN, and the Skyhawks by 805 Squadron RAN and 724 Squadron RAN. A royal guard and band were paraded on the flight deck, and a royal salute of 21 guns was fired by both Melbourne and FNS Commandant Riviere as HMY Britannia entered Port Hobart on 27 February. [166] The towing gear broke a day later, requiring a second tug to secure the carrier while repairs were made to De Ping. [35], During the 19671969 refit, thirteen Bofors were removed, leaving four twin and four single mountings. [132] Components were failing due to wear and age, but the companies responsible for manufacturing the parts had gone out of business during the previous twenty years, sometimes immediately after World War II ended. [117] Subsequent action narrowly prevented a collision. 74 American personnel died, and a joint USNRAN Board of Inquiry was held. [73], The following year, 1960, was a bad year for the carrier's air group, with four Sea Venoms and two Gannets damaged in separate incidents aboard Melbourne. Department of Defence users will not be able to view this video on the Defence Protected Network. Repair work kept Melbourne alongside in Sydney for three months. A New Guinean sailor from HMAS Tarangau spends some time on board HMAS Melbourne during one of the flagship's visits to New Guinea. The Melbourne-Evans collision was a collision between the light aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans of the United States Navy (USN). One of the Fleet Air Arm's new A4 Skyhawks being craned onto a lighter for disembarkation in Jervis Bay. Melbourne returned to sea on 6 February 1964 and proceeded to Jervis Bay to commence exercises with HMA Ships Voyager (II) and Kimbla. [1] In mid-1971, the Australian military's Joint Planning Committee considered using Melbourne as a transport to help complete the withdrawal of the Australian Task Force from Vietnam before the end of 1971. She participated in Exercise JUC 63 in August, visited New Zealand in September, and took part in Exercise SWORDHILT in the Coral Sea in October. On 5 July Melbourne, along with other RAN and RAAF units, conducted a search and rescue operation for a fishing boat, Fishing News, which had not returned to Sydney after putting to sea the previous morning. After a short visit to Melbourne, the carrier returned to Hobart later in the month for the Royal Hobart Regatta and the royal visit of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh.
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