HMAS Manoora targets Exercise Hamel

31 August 2010

The ship’s company of HMAS Manoora (CMDR Stephen Dryden), have been burning the midnight oil in preparation for the most challenging Work up (WUP) and Unit Readiness Evaluation (URE) possibly ever undertaken by either of the RAN’s Amphibious ships (LPA).

Lieutenant (LCDR) Bill Canna said that following a period of extended maintenance ‘In War and Peace’ is ready for her WUP and URE, which will be conducted during Exercise HAMEL later this month.

“This is a new two phase WUP, beginning with a ‘famine, fire and flood’ style work up, before our URE during EX HAMEL, which is a Joint and Combined amphibious exercise that aims to develop and evaluate the foundation war-fighting skills of Army’s 3 Brigade and key enablers,” he said.

“What this means is that we will go through our URE, in company with HMAS Kanimbla, as a full blown amphibious operation, which I don’t think either of the RAN LPA’s have done before.”

LCDR Canna said Manoora’s unique WUP/URE directly relates to the new Fleet Operating Concept which aims to maximise training, evolve tactics, and to refine approaches to high-end war-fighting.

“EX HAMEL will also be an eye-opener for Sea Training Group to actually see Manoora full to the brim with 600 troops and scores of army vehicles, instead of just imagining the way it would look during a Damage Control scenario,” he said.

EX HAMEL will also allow Manoora’s ship’s company to validate lessons learnt from Exercise SEA LION and Exercise CROIX DU SUD, which were conducted earlier this year.