Publication:Sea Talk Autumn 2006/Armidale boats replace Fremantles at the Top End
By MC Hugh McKenzie
Like the Patrol Boat FEG, LCDR Andrew Quinn scored a double at HMAS Coonawarra on February 10 and 11.
He was commissioning CO of HMAS Bathurst and decommissioning CO of HMAS Bunbury.
"I knew the Fremantle Class patrol boats had served our nation proudly protecting Australia's sovereignty," he said.
"I knew the ship's company were a tight knit community that looked after one another and were part of the larger naval family in the community.
"Having lived this life for the past 15 months, it makes decommissioning HMAS Bunbury much sadder."
LCDR Quinn paid a particular tribute to Mary Ciccarelli, the decommissioning lady who had named Bunbury 21 years earlier.
Commissioning HMAS Bathurst, LCDR Quinn said: "We have inherited a rich and proud heritage from HMAS Bathurst I and all the WWII corvettes that made up the Bathurst Class.
"Australians have designed and built a new class of ship to meet our needs and, to everyone who has made this possible and my ship's company, I thank you."
LCDR Quinn paid tribute to his commissioning lady Mrs Judith Bagley whose husband Ron was a commissioning crew member in Bathurst I.
"We are very lucky to have a commissioning lady who has such strong ties with the RAN and the city of Bathurst," he said. "I hope we will make you all proud by staying true to the Bathurst spirit and our motto 'Strike Hard'."
Decommissioning HMAS Wollongong, LCDR Iain Jarvie thanked his ship's company for their hard work and detailed some of the ship's proud history.
"Wollongong served her early years patrolling Bass Strait before relocating to the north in 1989 for countless more patrols," he said.
"She had the honour of being guard ship for the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, when he reviewed the fleet for the Bicentennial Naval Salute in 1988.
"More recently she received a CDF Commendation for intercepting a suspected illegal entry vessel off Western Australia in 2001. That crew had sabotaged their own vessel and Wollongong, along with the customs vessel Arnhem Bay, worked courageously in very tough conditions to rescue 164 people from the burning hull and the sea."
LCDR Jarvie thanked his decommissioning lady, Patricia Robertson accompanied by her husband RADM Andrew Robertson (retd), for her continued interest over the 24 years since she named Wollongong.
Commissioning his ship, CO of Larrakia LCDR Tony Powell paid tribute to the Larrakia people present and to the members of the Kenbi dance troop who danced a welcome and performed a smoking ceremony for both ships. LCDR Powell also paid special tribute to his commissioning lady, Donna Odegaard, for the particular help she had given in forging the ties between his ship and the Larrakia people.
"Our crew is also inheriting the Pacific honours of the first HMAS Larrakia, a small air-sea rescue and patrol boat that, at 45 feet, was just over twice the length of one of our RHIBs," he said.
"Her first crew, in 1936, faced the same challenges we do in getting to know a new ship and how to operate effectively in the north.
"Over the years as we get to know more of the Larrakia people and them about us, I know our paths will continue to cross and with greater understanding of both our traditions we will, in the words of our motto, be 'United as One'."
Speaking at the decommissioning, Maritime Commander RADM Davyd Thomas said: "I particularly want to recognise the efforts of our officers and sailors in carrying out their mission.
"They respond to challenging tasks and changing circumstances at short notice, are focussed on doing their very best for their country and really are the unsung heroes within our defence force as they face more challenging and demanding situations than ever before … They are called away from their families at short notice, often unable to provide an exact date of their return and spend many weeks on standby, ready to deploy at a moment's notice ... I recognise and thank those that patrol our seas."
MCAUST praised HMAS Wollongong and HMAS Bunbury for exemplary service during their commissions and presented CO Wollongong LCDR Jarvie with the NQEA Sword for engineering excellence and CO Bunbury LCDR Andrew Quinn with the Kelly Shield for minor war vessel efficiency.
As she decommissioned, Bunbury displayed the traditional gold star aft of her bridge.
After the ceremonial, a senior sailor summed up: "I've been in patrol boats for 15 years and I've been away a couple of times but I always come back. It's family."
