130816-N-DT805-020 – PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM (Aug. 16, 2013)- The Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Perth (FFGHM 157) arrives in Pearl Harbor to conduct a routine port visit. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist John M. Hageman /Released)
Not entirely sure why the article published a photo of HMNZS Resolution (hyrdographic survey ship) instead of HMNZS Te Mana (Anzac class frigate), but still… good to see the continuing RNZN contribution.
New Zealand Navy’s to assist in counter-piracy operations
New Zealand Navy’s to assist in counter-piracy operations
The Royal New Zealand Navy’s off to assist in counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
The frigate HMNZS Te Mana left Devonport Naval Base this morning for the Middle East.
The ship’s presence aims to act as a deterrent to individuals attempting acts of piracy in the region.
It’ll join a multi-national maritime security task force by December this year.
Commanding Officer Commander Shane Arndell says the presence of warships in the area has seen acts of piracy drop in the last few years.
Tricky bastards, those Kamarians. You’ve got to watch them.
Exercise TALISMAN SABER fleet prepares for battle
Ship’s company from Royal Australian Navy Anzac Class frigate HMAS Perth keep watch from the gun directional platform during an air defence exercise held during Exercise TALISMAN SABER 2013.
Following aggression by the fictional island nation ‘Kamaria’, Australia and the United States have been called upon to form a combined force to restore peace and security to the region.
Now, a large and highly capable Australian and US Navy fleet is amassing in the Coral Sea to prepare for action against the mythical ‘Kamarians’.
This fictional scenario provides the backdrop for Exercise TALISMAN SABER 2013, a bilateral Australian/US exercise aimed at improving combat readiness and the ability of US and Australian forces to operate together.
As the fictional political scenario unfolds, warships from the Royal Australian Navy and the US Navy’s 7th fleet are gathering together for an initial period of force integration training, designed to get the two navies used to working together before engaging in higher level ‘free-play’ combat exercises.
Training so far has included anti-submarine and anti-air warfare exercises, underway replenishments and coordinated manoeuvres involving multiple ships steaming in formation.
Among the fleet is the Upgraded Anzac Class frigate HMAS Perth, sporting its recently-installed anti-ship missile defences.
Attacks by Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 Hornets have tested the ship’s upgraded sensors and combat system while members of Perth’s 5-inch gun crew have proven their skills in live firing exercises against towed airborne targets.
Perth’s bridge and operations room teams have been put through their paces working in close company with US Navy Arleigh Burke class destroyers USS Preble and USS Chung Hoon and Ticonderoga Class cruiser USS Antietam and Australian guided missile frigate HMAS Sydney.
Other members of the ship’s company have participated in several fire fighting and damage control exercises.
HMAS Perth Commanding Officer, Captain Lee Goddard said this initial phase of the exercise training was invaluable, as it set the scene for the next stage of the combined training.
“This initial force integration training aims to bring together a large number of ships that will be working together during the exercise so they can become an effective combined fighting force.
“It gives us the opportunity to establish command and control relationships, refine operating procedures and learn how we can best use the capabilities each ship brings to the task force.
“Once this solid foundation is established, we can safely move into higher level training in a free-play exercise environment where we respond to a rapidly unfolding exercise scenario,” Captain Goddard said.
Perth is participating in exercise TALISMAN SABER alongside other Royal Australian Navy vessels HMA Ships Choules, Sydney, Waller and Tarakan and helicopters from 816 and 808 Squadrons. Also involved in TALISMAN SABER is Spanish combat support ship ESPS Cantabria and ships from the US Navy’s 7th Fleet, including the USS George Washington aircraft carrier strike group and an expeditionary strike group led by Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard.
Exercise TALISMAN SABER will run from 15 July – 5 August, with around 28,000 Australian and US personnel taking part in the 21-day exercise being held in the Coral Sea and in military training areas in central and northern Queensland.
Supporting activities are also underway in the waters of the Timor and Arafura Seas, and throughout Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Imagery is available on the Australian Defence Image Library at http://images.defence.gov.au/TS13-023.
This is a great story… except it would difficult to conduct a RAS with “light crusiers” HMAS Perth (D29) and HMAS Sydney (D48) because Perth was lost to Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Sunda Strait in 1942 and Sydney was lost to a German raider in 1941.
Do you think it’s possible that the whoever compiled this MSC press release simply copied the wrong Perth & Sydney data from Wikipedia? No… that could never happen… could it? {groan}
The current HMAS Perth and HMAS Sydney are frigates.
Combat Logistics Force Ships underway for Talisman Saber exercise
Story Number: NNS130720-06Release Date: 7/20/2013 7:11:00 PM
CORAL SEA (NNS) — Navy Combat Logistics Force ships USNS Charles Drew (T-AKE 10), USNS Wally Schirra (T-AKE 8) and USNS Yukon (T-AO 202) are steaming off the coast of northeastern Australia this week, providing vital logistics support to U.S. and Australian ships participating in Talisman Saber 2013.
Thousands of U.S. and Australian military forces took to the air, land, and sea in and around northeastern Australia for the two-week exercise. Operating as a Combined Joint Task Force, Talisman Saber 2013 focuses on combined operations, as well as responding to humanitarian emergencies or natural disasters. The exercise includes both live and computer-simulated scenarios.
CLF ships are shadowing vessels from the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group and USS Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group, which will conduct bilateral training with ships from the Royal Australian Navy.
USNS Charles Drew conducted its first underway replenishment operation with Australian fleet replenishment oiler HMAS Sirius (O-266) July 18. CLF ships are also scheduled to resupply Royal Australian Navy light cruisers HMAS Perth (D-29) and HMAS Sydney (D-48).
CLF ships’ role in the exercise will conclude July 29.
Personnel from Singapore based Military Sealift Command Far East’s logistics directorate work closely with counterparts from Australia’s navy throughout the exercise. MSCFE’s Combat Logistics Force officers – who operate a centralized, one-stop shop for Navy combat logistics force ships – manage the delivery of commodities to both U.S. Navy and Australian ships at sea.
Jointly sponsored by the U.S. Pacific Command and ADF headquarters Joint Operational Command, Talisman Saber 20l3 will incorporate U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, the ADF, as well as other government agencies from each country.
MSC operates approximately 110 noncombatant, U.S. Navy civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world, and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.
Naval Matters 