Cry Havoc takes aim at RIMPAC
11 Jun 2010
HMAS Kanimbla (CMDR Tim Byles) recently set sail for Hawaii where she will ‘Cry Havoc’ among the 20,000 personnel, 34 surface ships, five submarines and more than 100 aircraft from 14 countries participating in at Exercise RIMPAC 10.
After completing her Unit Readiness Evaluation (URE) and Workup (WUP), Kanimbla’s ships' company are now ready for the challenge of participating in 'Rim of the Pacific' (RIMPAC), where many new members of the crew will receive their ‘baptism of fire’ in a coalition training environment.
CMDR Byles said RIMPAC is a great opportunity for people, individually and collectively, to participate in one of the largest maritime exercises in the world which is a really great experience for his crew.
“RIMPAC also demonstrates a commitment to working with partners in guarding the sea lanes, protecting national interests abroad, and ensuring freedom of navigation as a basis for global peace and prosperity,” he said.
CMDR Byles told Navy News that RIMPAC would mark an important milestone for Kanimbla which will be one of only three amphibious platforms in this large scale joint exercise.
“Kanimbla for the first time is being used to launch and recover ten (a platoon) of US Marine Corps Amphibious Assault Vehicles involved in a battalion size amphibious assault,” he said.
He said the lessons learnt by Kanimbla will help the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to develop its amphibious warfare doctrine which will contribute to the integration of the Canberra-class LHDs that will give the ADF a truly expeditionary capability.
“While HMAS Tobruk performed a similar task at RIMPAC in 2008, this is a milestone for Kanimbla and the RAN’s LPA’s,” he said.
Enroute to Hawaii Kanimbla will deliver two fire trucks to Samoa that were donated by the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade, to replace one that was destroyed in the tsunami last year.
Kanimbla is scheduled to visit Samoa from 15-18 June while in transit to RIMPAC which will be conducted from July to early August.
Before Kanimbla departed Fleet Base East she opened her gangway to the Federal Minister for Defence Materiel and Science, Greg Combet and NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, who announced a $75 million investment by NSW to attract defence related industry contracts and jobs.
Ms Keneally said the funding package will create a hi-tech defence hub at Macquarie Park in North Ryde, and provide $25 million to secure new defence projects, generating 1,500 new jobs.
Members of Kanimbla’s ship's company had the opportunity to tell the State Premier about their roles and responsibilities when she visited the Junior Sailors’ Cafe, the Primary Care Reception Facility (PCRF) and the Bridge.
The sailors who met Ms Keneally included 11 Gap Year sailors and the PCRF medical team.
Gap Year sailors Alvin Forrest, Kate Tonacia and Phillipa Robertson said the NSW Premier had a good understanding of the Navy and the Gap Year program.
“She was really nice to talk to and wanted to know about what we thought of our experience in the Navy so far,” said Phillipa Robertson, who wants to be a Navy Aviator.
LEUT Richard Classon told Ms Keneally the PCRF provides a Level Three health capability and consists of a Casualty Reception Area, a modern Operating Theatre, an eight-bed High Dependency Unit, 32 bed Low Dependency Unit and X-ray and pathology equipment.
CMDR Byles, who presented Ms Keneally with a Kanimbla baseball cap and souvenir coin, said it was a great honour for the NSW State Premier to visit Kanimbla.
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