Sydney and Ballarat visit historical Plymouth

25 June 2009

The regional capital of Devon and Cornwall, Plymouth is a historic port with a rich maritime history that dates back to the first recorded cargo ship leaving the famous port in 1211. By the late 16th century, it was the port of choice for explorers including Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh and Captain Cook who set sail in search of a southern continent (Australia) in 1768.

During WWII, the Luftwaffe attacked the majority of the city, however the historic area known as The Barbican still remains and contains many Tudor and Jacobean buildings, including plenty of pubs, shops and restaurants. It proved a popular tourist attraction for the crews of HMAS Sydney and HMAS Ballarat with the Mayflower Steps, marking the point where the Mayflower set sail for America in 1620, as a particular highlight.

“Plymouth was a city of contrasts. The Barbican buildings were like something you would see on a historic film set. The cobblestone streets were so old that I expected a horse and cart was going to come round the corner any minute,” said LEUT Mathew Adams.

“The locals were very welcoming to us Aussies and I made sure I had some fish and chips, bangers and mash as well as a hot beer in a back street pub as soon as I arrived,” he said.

“Some of us were also lucky to attend a reception at the historic naval base HMS Drake and the Royal Navy looked after us extremely well. The Drake wardroom contained a replica of St Francis Drake’s sword and a replica Spanish Navy ship hanging from the ceiling, so it was certainly different to what I have seen in Australian wardrooms that’s for sure.” he said.

The visit to Plymouth however, was not all relaxation with both ships participating in a ‘Thursday War’ exercise off the coast as part of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). The training provided the RAN with the opportunity to ‘benchmark’ its training processes and focussed on core warfare skills, advanced seamanship operations and damage control.