HMAS Newcastle
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| Commanding Officer | Commander Justin Jones |
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| Pennant | FFG 06 |
| Class | Adelaide Class |
| Based | Sydney |
| Launched | 21 February 1992 |
| Commissioned | 11 December 1993 |
| Displacement | 4200 tonnes4,200,000 kg 4.2e+9 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 |
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| Aircraft |
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| Main Machinery |
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| Speed | 30 knots15.433 m/s 55.56 km/h 0.0154 km/s 3,038.059 ft/min 50.634 ft/s |
| Company | 184 |
HMAS Newcastle is one of four Adelaide Class Guided Missile Frigates (FFG) in service with the Royal Australian Navy. The Adelaide Class is based on the US Navy – Oliver Hazard Perry Design. Newcastle is the youngest of the four frigates and was constructed in Williamstown, Victoria with all previous class modifications incorporated.
Newcastle is a long range escort vessel, capable of air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction. The ship can counter simultaneous threats from aircraft, surface vessels and submarines.
HMAS Newcastle and her three sister ships were the first RAN ships to be powered by gas turbines. This combined with a modern repair by replacement policy, has allowed both a reduced complement and a high availability for sea duty. Additionally, two forward mounted retractable auxiliary propulsion units provide a secondary means of propulsion plus excellent manoeuvrability in confined waters.
Having recently completed the FFG Upgrade Program, Newcastle has emerged with a new and highly sophisticated combat system and a greatly improved sensors suite and weapons package. The Australian Distributed Architecture Combat System (ADACS), along with an upgraded Air Search Radar and the newly installed Vertical Launch System (VLS), vastly improves Newcastle's capability of fulfilling Navy's mission to fight and win at sea.
The principle weapons for Newcastle are the Standard Missile medium range surface-to-air missile (SM1), the Evolved Sea Sparrow anti-air-missile (ESSM),the Harpoon anti-ship missile, the Mk46 and MU90 torpedo and the 76mm rapid fire gun.
In recent years Newcastle has deployed in support of peacekeeping operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands and Operation Catalyst in the Persian Gulf.
Newcastle is named after the City of Newcastle and is the first RAN ship to carry this name. The ship maintains close links with her namesake city, particularly through active support of her adopted charity organisation, the Hunter Orthopaedic School.
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