Navy Farewells Faithful Servant

27 May 2011

HMAS Manoora, one of the Royal Australian Navy’s Amphibious Troop Transport Ships, was decommissioned in a ceremony held at Garden Island today, 27 May 2011.

HMAS Manoora, one of the Royal Australian Navy’s Amphibious Troop Transport Ships, was decommissioned today in a ceremony held at Garden Island.

The vessel gave 17 years of distinguished service to the Navy which included deployments to the Solomon Islands, East Timor, and the Middle East.

During the past decade Manoora made a strong contribution to border protection activities in Australia’s Northern waters, and she acted as ‘guard ship’ for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

In 2009 her flight deck was used for the word-first flight trials of the MRH-90 Tactical Transport Helicopter.

The Amphibious Landing Platform, originally purchased from the US Navy as the USS Fairfax County, was home to more than three-and-a-half thousand crew members during her RAN career, including permanently embarked army personnel.

She had the capacity to transport 450 troops, with helicopters, tanks and equipment, and land them ashore anywhere in the world.

Her versatility was widely regarded as her strength.

Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Russ Crane says Manoora will be remembered as a workhorse.

“Manoora has served both the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Government with marked distinction.

Now it’s time for us to look to the future and to the next generation of amphibious warships. The future has never looked so bright.” He said.

Initially Manoora will be replaced by Aurora Australis, an icebreaker leased from P&O, to give the Navy an additional disaster relief element.

Next to come online in 2012 will be the Largs Bay, a Bay Class Landing Ship purchased from the UK which will bolster the fleets’ heavy sea-lift capacity.

Then, in 2014, the first of the highly anticipated Canberra Class LHD’s (Helicopter Landing Dock) will join into the Australian fleet, significantly strengthening the RAN’s amphibious capabilities.

The Defence Materiel Organisation is considering future options for Manoora.

Imagery of HMAS Manoora's decommissioning is available on the RAN Image Archive and Navy's Facebook page.

A video summary of the decommissioning ceremony and a video tribute can be viewed on the Navy's YouTube channel.