A Glimpse of an Amphibious Future at RIMPAC 2010

28 July 2010

Members of 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) from Townsville have spent the past four weeks at sea off Hawaii, taking part in an exercise which will help to prepare Army for the Australian Defence Force's emerging amphibious capability.

The 130 soldiers were spread between Austin class Amphibious Dock Ship USS Cleveland and the 40,000 ton Wasp class Landing Helicopter Dock USS Bonhomme Richard. HMAS Kanimbla, transporting US Marines, completed a trifecta of amphibious ships participating in the exercise.

Marines from the US were integrated into the Australian Company onboard Cleveland while a rifle platoon of 30 from 2 RAR merged into the Marine contingent onboard Bonhomme Richard. According to Major Mick Buchanan, Officer Commanding B Company 2RAR onboard Cleveland, getting used to life at sea was sometimes challenging.

"Many of us have been on HMAS Kanimbla, HMAS Manoora or HMAS Tobruk before, but no-one has ever taken part in an amphibious activity on this scale. RIMPAC's focus is on interoperability; we got plenty of that during our time onboard," he said.

Being integrated with the US Marines was not the only exposure Australians had with soldiers from other countries. Across the three amphibious platforms in the exercise, diggers also shared their messes with troops from Canada, Indonesia and Tonga.

The Australians experienced a number of amphibious insertion methods, including helicopter, Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), which are giant hovercraft, and in various types of US Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs). The most common type of AAV, the P7 RAMRS, accommodates up to 21 soldiers. They are not designed for comfort. For most Australians, the experience took a little getting used to.

"With the hatches secured, it gets pretty stuffy in there," Major Buchanan said.

"It also helps to have an empty stomach, particularly in rough weather or when we hit the waves closer to shore. If anyone was complaining I didn't hear it; but it was pretty loud in there."

Whilst the experience of life onboard a ship and bashing through surf may have felt strange for most of the soldiers taking part, life at sea will soon become more commonplace across the Army. The ADF takes possession of the first of two Canberra Class amphibious ships in 2014. Crewing will be drawn from all three branches of the ADF.

During RIMPAC, CDRE Stuart Mayer was Commander of the Expeditionary Strike Group, which included all three amphibious ships plus airborne, surface and sub-surface support.

Commodore Mayer said the amphibious aspect of RIMPAC 10 was vital to prepare the ADF for its emerging capability.

"The first of our amphibious ships is scheduled to come into service in only a few years time. That doesn't give us long to adapt. But from what we have seen at RIMPAC this year, Army is preparing well. They will play a vital role in ensuring a successful transition to a new warfare capability we are all looking forward to."

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A Glimpse of an Amphibious Future at RIMPAC 2010

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