Sirius gets serious on Bersama Lima
7 November 2008
After the long journey from Fleet Base West and the 'Crossing the Line' Ceremony now a fading memory for the pollywogs onboard HMAS Sirius (CMDR Alex Hawes), the thrill of being 'up top' was now engulfed by those eagerly awaiting the liberty boat to a small port over on the Malaysian Peninsular.
Sirius had anchored a couple miles off the coast, which in these parts appeared to be a mix of white beaches, rugged jungle clad hills, a slight smattering of industry and the occasional dome and minaret of a mosque. Once on the boat, a quaint, wooden-hulled 'chug-along' type, the ship's company were on their way to the harbour of Kemaman.
Alongside in port were HMA Ships Anzac, Norman and Yarra as well as units of the Malaysian, Singaporean, New Zealand and British Navies. A small contingent from Sirius joined their countrymen and foreign counterparts for briefings associated with the upcoming Exercise Bersama Lima 08, while those not on duty explored the region and tasted the local cuisine.
Following four days at anchor, the task group for Bersama Lima sailed for what promised to be a challenging exercise, working hard with our northerly neighbours. The next week and a half saw a constant flow of warfare serials merging into each other.
Having just sent the Replenishment At Sea (RAS) tally into three figures with HMNZS Te Kaha on the passage north, the customers just kept coming back for more and the enthusiastic crew were ever-ready to supply. Adding to the repertoire of services that Sirius has to provide, there was also a steady demand for Vertical Replenishment transfers.
The location of this busy exercise presented some challenges in itself, being so close to one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, and the seemingly thousands of small fishing boats that suddenly appear when the sun sets. Matching the abundance of fishing boats at night, the frequent swoops across the formation by fighter jets created the impression of similar levels of activity above. The fast pace of the air warfare exercise usually put Sirius on the back step, obliging her to rely on the efforts of the combatant consorts, who did an excellent job protecting the High Value Unit.
After a vigorous week of serialised warfare, it was time for a break at anchor in beautiful Palau Tioman. The task group went to anchor off one of the holiday islands. Sirius successfully tested her new capability of alongside refuelling, with Norman rafting up alongside and provided fuel.
That afternoon under the scorching tropical sun, the ship's company of Sirius battled alongside the other RAN ships to take on the Kiwis, Poms, Malaysians and Singaporeans in the Perth Cup. The activities for the competition included Soccer, Touch Football, European Handball, Volleyball and a biathlon. Despite the fierce competition, Australia once again proved herself to be a country of valiant sportsmen. The evening finished on the beach, where the weary battlers soaked up the relaxed atmosphere as the sun set behind the mighty task group at anchor.
The next few days consisted of the warfare phase of the exercise. This involved all ships in free play battle. As expected, Sirius was tasked to refuel her friends as required, at short notice. After three days of battle, the ships proceeded one by one into Singapore for the conclusion of the exercise and deserved rest alongside.
Bersama Lima had been a busy but rewarding exercise. The ships company had made the best of it and once again proved what Sirius is capable of. It was a great finale to 2008, being the last trip of the year and one that will always be remembered by those who onboard.
