HMAS Sydney

HMAS Sydney Statistics

Commanding Officer	Captain Braddon Wheeler
Pennant	FFG 03
Class	Adelaide Class
Based	Sydney
Launched	26 September 1980
Commissioned	29 January 1983
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	13.7 metres1,370 cm 0.0137 km 0.00851 mi 44.948 ft 539.37 in
Armament	76mm rapid fire gun. Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Standard surface to air missiles. Evolved Sea Sparrow anti-air missiles Mk 92 Fire Control System Vulcan Phalanx close in weapons system. Mk 46 and MU 90 Torpedos, Nulka, Pirate and Seagnat anti-missile decoys .
Aircraft	Up to two SeaHawk helicopters
Main Machinery	Two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines driving a single controllable pitch propeller
Speed	30 knots15.433 m/s 55.56 km/h 0.0154 km/s 3,038.059 ft/min 50.634 ft/s
Company	210

HMAS Sydney is one of the six guided missile frigates in service with the Royal Australian Navy. She has recently been extensively upgraded.

Sydney is a long-range escort with the ability to provide area air defence, anti-submarine and anti-shipping warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction. She can counter simultaneous threats from the air, sea surface and under water.

Sydney has deployed to the Middle East four times. On the first occasion she took part in Operation Desert Storm, the action against Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, for which she earned a Meritorious Unit Citation. She later supported UN sanctions against Iraq in 1991/92 and 1993. Sydney also deployed to East Timor in support of INTERFET in 1999 and in 2000, supported the efforts bring peace to the Solomon Island . Her fourth deployment to the Middle East was during the pinnacle of the Iraq War in 2003 in support of allied forces.

This is the fourth ship to carry this name and she is the proud inheritor of eighth "battle honours", more than any other RAN unit. Notable actions of former ships include the sinking of the German light cruiser SMS Emden by Sydney (I) in World War I. In World War II, Sydney (II) sank the Italian light cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni and two Italian destroyers. On 19 November 1941, Sydney (II) was lost with all hands in battle against the German Raider Kormoran, which was also sunk. This loss of 645 sailors represented over a third of the RAN's casualties during WWII. Sydney (III), a light carrier, operated with distinction in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.