Publication:Sea Talk Winter 2006/Team Anzac takes crews to '5 star'

By Darren MacDonald*

Team Anzac has recently faced the challenge of delivering major habitability upgrades to ANZAC ships in a flexible manner to ensure extra bunks and improved habitability for ships deploying on major operations.

Anzac, Arunta, Ballarat and Warramunga have all been partially upgraded so far, with significant improvements being delivered. The finish and standard of the full solution could be easily labelled as "5 Star" as can be seen in the photographs included below.

Aligned with the Navy's Sea Change initiative and consistent with Team Anzac's mission of delivering and maintaining capability to fight and win at sea, the capability element management group was seeking a convenient, efficient yet enjoyable habitability solution to expand the Anzac class complement.

The Anzac class frigate was designed as a minimum manned vessel equipped to accommodate 163 crew and recent changes to the fleet operational needs have seen this increased to 185. This is a similar trend to other major fleet surface units such as the guided missile frigates (FFGs), which were commissioned with a compliment of 186, a figure that has since grown to 212.

The habitability challenge was to deliver accommodation for the increased compliment without detriment to current standards with a secondary focus on providing additional recreational facilities wherever possible.

The result is an innovative options package including the CPO mess and habitability options (HO) projects. These projects deliver the needed capability but importantly provide flexibility for tailoring the package to optimise the challenging installation environment.

This philosophy has been adopted by Team Anzac, which has recently engaged a new initiative to optimise opportunities in the refit program.

This will be achieved by the ships work-package optimisation team (SWOT), drawn from Team Anzac generation and inservice experts and the capability element management group. SWOT's focus on driving an aggressive change program is to clear the way and reduce the technical and production capacity risk associated with massive anti-ship missile defence (ASMD) production program, which begins in late 2008.

HMAS Arunta was the first to receive the full suite of eight HOs plus the CPO mess upgrade during her DSRA04 while HMAS Ballarat took delivery of a more streamlined package, ensuring she had the required operational capacity to comfortably accommodate the necessary crewmembers without needing an extended external maintenance activity.

HMA Ships Warramunga and Anzac are currently undergoing outfit with Anzac having her remaining HO package installed as she was partially fitted in 2005 and Warramunga receiving only three of the options at this time, similar to her younger sister, Ballarat.

CPO mess optimisation

The primary objective behind the CPO mess optimisation was to provide a more efficient and attractive layout to ensure the 'distinguished' occupants are kept happy and comfortable at sea.

The fitout is crafted from Tasmanian oak with contrasting soft furnishings with flexibility to allow the mess members to choose the final colour schemes. The change includes:

• Improved dining facilities;
• Bar and necessary bar facilities;
• Display cabinets;
• New entry arrangements;
• Redesigned kitchen, appliances and facilities;
• Lounge settee; and
• New furniture and furnishings.

Habitability improvements

The primary objective of the habitability project was to secure optimised improvements to the current shipboard design so to provide the necessary increase to accommodation capacity but also to increase the available crew recreational facilities.

The additional equipment and fittings used are consistent to the existing ship fit items with additional furniture again crafted from Tasmanian oak with high quality contrasting soft furnishings.

The solution was eight habitability options including:

• Junior sailors' recreational area for theatre style entertainment;
• Provision of a crew briefing area including large screen and projector;
• Provision of an officers briefing area including large screen and projector
• Optimisation of chief petty officers' sleeping accommodation;
• Optimisation of junior sailors sleeping accommodation with increased capacity to wet area facilities;
• Optimisation of officers' cabins; and
• Optimisation of petty officers' sleeping accommodation.

The habitability changes undertaken so far aim to improve the Anzac sailors life at sea. The full Sea Change solution remains alive with Team Anzac pursuing further improvements such as greater access to computer and email facilities, a fully reticulated ship's entertainment system with video and audio on demand, plus integration of satellite TV.

Watch this space!

• ANZAC Ship Alliance

Supervising Projects Manager (WA)

Team Anzac.