HMAS Adelaide (II)

HMAS Adelaide (II) Statistics

Pennant	FFG 01
Type	Surface Combatant
Classification	Guided Missile Frigate (FFG)
Class	Adelaide Class
Launched	21 June 1978
Commissioned	15 November 1980
Decommissioned	19 January 2008
Displacement	4200 tonnes4,200,000 kg 4,200,000,000 g 9,259,412.4 lb 148,150,640.4 oz
Length	138.1 metres13,810 cm 0.138 km 0.0858 mi 453.084 ft 5,437.008 in
Beam	14.3 metres1,430 cm 0.0143 km 0.00889 mi 46.916 ft 562.992 in
Armament	76mm Rapid Fire Gun Harpoon Anti-ship Missiles SM2 Surface-to-Air Missiles Evolved Sea Sparrow Surface-to-Air Missiles Mk 41 Vertical Launch System Mk 13 Missile Launcher Phalanx Close-in Weapons System Nulka, Pirate, Seagnat and Lescut decoy systems 2 Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes Mk 46 torpedoes
Aircraft	Up to two Seahawk helicopters
Main Machinery	Two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines driving a single controllable pitch propeller one test
Speed	30 knots15.433 m/s 55.56 km/h 0.0154 km/s 3,038.059 ft/min 50.634 ft/s
Company	221
Battle Honours	Pacific 1941-43 East Indies 1942 East Timor 1999 Persian Gulf 2001-02

HMAS Adelaide (II) (FFG-01) was a long-range escort frigate with roles including area air defence, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance, and interdiction. The Ship could simultaneously counter threats from the air, surface and sub-surface.

Built in the United States, Adelaide (II) was commissioned on 15 November 1980 and was the first of six Adelaide Class guided-missile frigates to be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy. Adelaide (II) was the second ship in the RAN to carry this name. The first was a light cruiser that served from 1922 to 1945.

Along with her five sister ships, Canberra (II), Sydney, Darwin, Melbourne and Newcastle, Adelaide (II) was powered by gas turbines for it's main propulsion. Guided-missile frigates could be underway from a cold start in less than 30 minutes. In addition, two forward mounted auxiliary propulsion units provided a secondary means of propulsion and excellent manoeuvrability in confined waters.

Adelaide (II) was equipped with a number of sensors that included long range radars for air and surface surveillance, electronic warfare and optical surveillance systems, a medium range sonar and a command and control system, that incorporated target data received by data link from other ships and aircraft.

The principal weapons installed in Adelaide (II) were the Standard medium-range anti-aircraft missile and the Harpoon anti-shipping missile. Both missiles were launched from the Mk 13 launcher on the forecastle. A 76mm gun to counter both air and surface threats was fitted forward of the funnel. A 20mm Phalanx close-in-weapons-system, Nulka decoy and chaff systems were fitted for anti-missile defence. Adelaide (II) had a capacity for two S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopters and was fitted with two sets of Mk 32 triple torpedo tubes to provide a counter to submarines.

Adelaide (II) was the first guided-missile frigate to be home-ported in Western Australia. The ship participated in the 1990/91 Gulf War, peacekeeping operations in East Timor in 1999 and was deployed to the Arabian Gulf as part of the International Coalition against Terrorism in 2001 and 2004.