History & Specifications HMAS Adelaide II
The HMAS Adelaide II (FFG 01) was one of four Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates built in the Todd Pacific Shipyards at Seattle Washington in the United States with the hull designation of FFG-17 during construction.
HMAS Adelaide II was laid down in 29th July 1977 and was one on four built in the United States - HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01), HMAS Canberra (FFG 02), HMAS Sydney (FFG 03) & HMAS Darwin FFG 04) which are known as Adelaide class frigates in Australia .
Two more Frigates, HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) & HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06) were built in Australia at the Australian Marine Engineering Consolidated (AMECON) in Williamstown Naval Dockyard in Victoria .
She was launched on 21st June 1978 and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 15th November 1980 and decommissioned at HMAS Stirling on 19th January 2008, the HMAS Canberra being decommissioning earlier on 12th November 2005.
HMAS Adelaide II was the first of the ship based on the United States Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, hero of the naval battle of Lake Erie in 1813.
Image courtesy of Royal Australian Navy
HMAS Adelaide II is the second ship to carry this name. The first was a light cruiser that served from 1922 to 1945. HMAS Adelaide II was the first guided missile frigate to be home ported in Western Australia.
HMAS Adelaide II participated in the 1990/91 Gulf War as part of Operation DAMASK, Australia's participation in the international coalition against Iraq 's invasion of Kuwait . More recently, the ship was deployed for peacekeeping operations in East Timor in 1999 and to the Persian Gulf as part of the International Coalition against Terrorism in 2001 and 2004.
HMAS Adelaide II again in the Middle East with two more tours of service. These were Operation Slipper in 2001 and in 2004/05Operation Catalyst .
HMAS Adelaide is 138 metres long, displaces 4100 tonnes and has a beam of 14.3 metres and a draught of 7.5 metres and had a crew of 184 as well as helicopter aircrew and maintainers.
Image and text courtesy of Royal Australian Navy
In January 1997 competitors in the 1996-97 Vendee Globe solo, round-the-world yacht race, capsized while attempting to cross the Southern Ocean. The HMAS Adelaide II came to the rescue of Thierry Dubois and Tony Bullimore assisted a Orion search aircraft.
In February 1999, HMAS Adelaide II was awarded the Duke of Gloucester Cup, this is awarded to the most efficient ship in the RAN of the previous year.
The event the "Children overboard affair" occurred on 6th October 2001 when the HMAS Adelaide II
intercepted
SIEV 4 (suspected illegal entry vessel). Failing to heed warnings to stay in international waters, the boat entered during the night.
When the SIEV was boarded passengers tried to sabotage their ship and fourteen people jumped or were thrown overboard. They were recovered by the Navy's RHIP (Rigid-hulled inflatable boat)
HMAS Adelaide II is the first military ship to be converted into a dive wreck and artificial reef in NSW waters. Four former warships have already been scuttled as dive sites in Australia:
- ex-HMAS Swan in Western Australia ( December 1997)
- ex-HMAS Perth in Western Australia (November 2001)
- ex-HMAS Hobart in South Australia (November 2002)
- ex-HMAS Brisbane in Queensland (July 2005)
- ex-HMAS Canberra in Victoria (October 2009)