[60] The majority of Melbourne's commanders later reached flag rank. Every day Melbourne provided some 200 personnel to act as marshals in various stadia, additionally, signalmen, carpenters and sick berth attendants were utilised to perform special duties. She arrived in Sydney the following day where the Trackers were landed. Our sources include the logs and reports of proceedings. Behind him from left to right are Chaplain Alan Batt, Chaplain Louis Breslan, the Minister for the Navy, the Hon Charles 'Bert' Kelly, MP, and Melbourne's Commanding Officer, Captain John Stevenson, RAN. The Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy, Commodore Jose Francisco, who had recently been present at a United States Navy (USN) flying demonstration, noted that while the Americans could put more planes in the air, "the standard of airmanship displayed by Melbourne's pilots was much higher than that shown by the USN pilots, and that in precision and variety Melbourne's demonstration was a much more effective one.". [17] Following this, she travelled to New Zealand, where she participated in exercises with HMNZS Royalist and visited several New Zealand ports. [70] The carrier returned to Australia on 27 November after 101 days at sea, and underwent a seven-month refit. Melbourne spent most of the first half of 1970 in foreign waters. The ship was not scrapped immediately; instead she was studied by Chinese naval architects and engineers as part of the nation's top-secret carrier development program. [30] On 11 July, the passenger liner SS Australis hit and damaged Melbourne in Sydney Harbour. [4] Following the end of World War II, the Admiralty ordered the suspension of many British shipbuilding projects, including the fitting out of Majestic and her five sister ships. [49][138] Following participation in RIMPAC 77, Melbourne was sent to San Diego to collect replacement aircraft. Robertson, D. D. Taylor, R. D. Beames, L. A. HMAS Melbourne (III) was one of six Adelaide Class Guided Missile Frigates (FFG) in service with the Royal Australian Navy. [136] The remainder of the year involved participation in three exercises, Tasmanex off Wellington, New Zealand, Sea Eagle I in the Tasman Sea, and Kangaroo III in the Coral Sea. The need to secure a replacement for Melbourne grew as the carrier's age caused the operating costs to increase to over A$25million per year. Less than three months later, on 29 April, the ship celebrated her 1000th deck landing since completing her refit when Sub Lieutenant Ross Smith, RAN, the youngest pilot aboard Melbourne at the time, successfully landed his Tracker. She then returned to Singapore for the SEATO exercise OCEAN LINK. [159] A Sydney-based group proposed in 1984 to purchase Melbourne and operate her as a floating casino moored in international waters off Eden, New South Wales, but nothing came of this. [10] Despite an increase to approximately one acre (4,000square metres, 4,800square yards) in area, the deck was still significantly smaller than other Cold War era carriers; S-2 Trackers, with their 22.12-metre (72ft 7in) wingspan, had less than a metre's clearance for their starboard wingtip when landing, and pilots from other navies often refused to attempt landing. [17] Initially, she had up to 22 fixed wing and 2 rotary wing aircraft embarked at any time. [164] Reports have circulated that either a replica of the flight deck, or the deck itself, was used for clandestine training of PLANAF pilots in carrier flight operations. Melbourne has been deployed to the Persian Gulf on several occasions, and served as part of the INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce in 2000. Work progressed slowly thereafter and many lessons learnt during the war regarding carrier design and operations were incorporated into the ship's modernisation programme. A Skyhawk coming over Melbourne's round-down. [51][54] Arriving back in Sydney on 5 April, the carrier was sent on a five-month deployment to the United Kingdom on 28 April, accompanied by HMASBrisbane and HMNZSCanterbury. USS Frank E. Evans in 1963. Melbournes 1962 South East Asian deployment began on 28 February when she departed Fremantle for Singapore. The Navy stopped recording crew information in this way after 1956. [169] Another anchor and the starboard side ship's bell are on display at the RAN Heritage Centre at Garden Island. HMAS Melbourne off the east coast of Australia on 6 May 1956, astern of HMAS Sydney, following her delivery voyage from Britain. On 18 March Melbourne deployed for a five month deployment that saw her circumnavigate Australia and return to South East Asian waters where she participated in the international Exercises TRADEWIND and ASTRA. [54][55] Although one of the largest ships to serve in the RAN, Melbourne was one of the smallest carriers to operate in the post-World War II period. She has been innocent, never once bowed to the natural or human force, in spite of the heavy storm and the talked about jinx. The defect was rectified in time for her to take her place in phase two, which once again saw the fleet proceeding north to the Philippines. In the foreground is the Landing Signal Officer, Lieutenant Peter James. [85] At 8:55pm, with Voyager approaching, Melbourne's navigator ordered the carrier's engines to half astern speed, with Robertson ordering an increase to full astern a few seconds later. The forward section of Evans sank quickly while her stern section was secured to Melbournes starboard side enabling that part of the ship to be searched for survivors. She went on to visit Kobe, Manila and Singapore where she participated in Exercise BERSATU PADU involving defence units from Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore in May and June. [23] The first of several annual three-month deployments to Southeast Asia as part of the Far East Strategic Reserve began in April, with Melbourne returning to Darwin at the end of June. Morris was an Australian record holder in the hammer throw, and had represented Australia at the 1956 Olympic Games and the 1958 Commonwealth Games. [19] At Melbourne's commissioning, the standard air group consisted of eight Sea Venoms and two squadrons of eight Gannets, with two Bristol Sycamore search-and-rescue helicopters added shortly after the carrier entered service. One of the ship's anchors is incorporated into a memorial to naval aviation at Nowra, New South Wales. I am also proud to record that Voyagers officers and men displayed the same high standards of individual behaviour. Stevensons defence council, Gordon Samuels, QC, later Governor of New South Wales, said that he had: never seen a prosecution case so bereft of any possible proof of guilt. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that the National Archives' website and collection contain the names, images and voices of people who have died. References to many ledgers appear at item level on RecordSearch. She once again visited Hobart in February 1958, before departing from Fremantle for a four month South East Asian and Pacific deployment at the end of March. [108] Seventh Fleet staff suggested in April 1967 that Melbourne deploy in the anti-submarine role, but nothing came of these talks. HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) was an Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy, which entered service in 1992. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy . [166] The journey was delayed when the towing line began to part, requiring the carrier and tug to shelter in Queensland's Moreton Bay, on 30 April. Left: A Royal Navy Westland Whirlwind. [61][63] Melbourne sailed east via the Great Australian Bight, meeting sister ship HMASSydney near Kangaroo Island a week later. Melbourne rendezvoused with Sydney on 30 April and remained in company until 4 May, when she detached south of Vung Tau for Hong Kong. Left: The band played a concert featuring a guest conductor. [155] The RAN was again offered HMS Hermes, and again declined due to the carrier's age and manpower requirements. The Sycamores crew and all four passengers were safely retrieved by Hermes. [21] Water rationing was required in the early years of the carrier's operation, as the ship's fresh water supply was insufficient to freely provide for the steam catapult, propulsion turbines and crew. [45] In 1969, the RAN purchased another ten A-4G Skyhawks, instead of the proposed seventh and eighth Oberon-class submarines. She returned to sea on 11 October to commence workup exercises and shortly thereafter resumed a regular program of exercises, training and maintenance. This photo is taken from the flight deck of the RN aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, with her aircraft in the foreground. The two groups started SEALION independently before rendezvousing in the South China Sea on 11 May. During the First World War the R.A.N. [71] At the start of 1959, Melbourne spent four days in her namesake city, where she was used for the filming of On The Beach, based on Nevil Shute's post-apocalyptic novel of the same name. Gannet 858 precariously suspended over Melbourne's port side after the pilot had unsuccessfully attempted to 'wave off' his landing. [44] The highlight of the deployment saw the three ships represent Australia and New Zealand at the Silver Jubilee Naval Review on 28 June 1977. The crew formed the caption 20,000 LANDINGS on the flight deck to be photographed by helicopter. The pilot, Lieutenant Commander Armand Roland, RAN, was recovered by the helicopter planeguard with minor injuries, while the observer and telegraphist, Lieutenants Anthony Horton, RAN, and Haliburton Findlay, RAN, were recovered unhurt a few minutes later by HMS Cavalier. She departed for the return journey to Australia on 31 October. [26][114], Melbourne's commanding officer during the SEATO exercise was Captain John Phillip Stevenson. [151] In 1968, Hermes took part in a combined exercise with the RAN, during which the carrier was visited by RAN and Australian government officials, while RAN Skyhawks and Trackers practised landings on the larger carrier. In June 1981, crew on the Australian Navy's HMAS Melbourne were flying in an anti-submarine patrol plane, a Grumman S-2G Tracker 851, when they helped rescue 99 refugees from their broken-down vessel in the South China Sea, 250 nautical miles east of Vietnam. For more information, you can ask us a question. [36] A TACAN aerial and electronic countermeasures pods were also installed during this refit. [13], As the lead ship of the Majestic-class of light aircraft carriers, Melbourne was conceived as a modified version of the Colossus-class carrier, incorporating improvements in flight deck design and habitability. Back row, left to right: LEUTs Peter Wyatt and David Hilliard, LCDRs Peter Seed and George Jude, LEUTs Barry Thompson, Alan Cordell, Edward Wilson and Geoffrey Gratwick. [157] The Australian government began to reconsider the previous contenders for replacement, as well as considering requesting the United Kingdom or United States to build a simple carrier capable of operating F/A-18 Hornet strike fighters, but the issue was suspended at the commencement of the 1983 Australian Federal Election. of 2 Download Low Res Image Order a copy Download Low Res Image Order a copy Description Crew members aboard HMAS Vampire. [22] As time passed, the refits increased in duration or were replaced by major upgrades or overhauls. The service life of the Sea Venoms and the Gannets, meanwhile, was extended past 1963. In 1964, Melbourne was involved in a collision with the Australian destroyer HMAS Voyager, sinking the smaller ship and killing 82 of her crew. [83] At 8:52pm, Voyager was ordered to resume the plane guard station. [32] A refit scheduled to begin in late 1981 was postponed in September until a decision regarding the new carrier was made, then cancelled in January 1982, after the announcement that the RAN would be acquiring HMS Invincible. During the 1970s and early 1980s, replacing parts became an increasing problem. While in the Philippines Melbourne embarked the Philippine President Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay as well as the three Philippine service chiefs and the Australian ambassador for a flying demonstration. The RN retained ten partially completed aircraft carriers, including the six Majestics, from suspended wartime programs. [155] The government also announced that the ship would be renamed HMASAustralia and operated as a helicopter carrier, and that a decision on the purchase of fixed wing aircraft would be made after acquisition. Melbourne was the only British Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions. Melbourne undergoing trials at Barrow-in-Furness, England 1956. She visited Pearl Harbor and Suva en route, and arrived in Jervis Bay, where the Skyhawks were landed, on 21 November. On 3 June 1969, the two ships were participating in SEATO exercise Sea Spirit in the South China Sea.Around 3:00 am, when ordered to a new escort station, Evans sailed under Melbourne ' s bow . Melbourne went on to visit the Solomon Islands before returning to Jervis Bay on 4 October. Vickers Armstrong Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness, England, Lady Anderson, wife of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Department of Defence users will not be able to view this video on the Defence Protected Network. She departed Sydney to pick up the RANs new Skyhawks and Trackers in the USA on 20 September 1967. She returned to sea on 11 May 1964 and commenced work-up exercises off the coast of New South Wales. On 5 March, while conducting an air defence exercise in the southern Coral Sea, one of the ships Wessex helicopters ditched into the water. The deployment was also notable as the only occasion on which both RAN aircraft carriers, Melbourne and Sydney, deployed overseas together. [156] The Invincible class had been considered and discarded during the investigation, but the decreased price and the fact the already-constructed carrier would be ready for RAN service in 1983 prompted the Australian government to announce its intention to purchase Invincible on 25 February 1982 and close the carrier acquisition program. [23] Melbourne was capable of being reactivated as a helicopter-equipped anti-submarine warfare carrier within 26 weeks, but was never required to do so. A small team of RAN officers developed a detailed plan for the acquisition of two of these vessels along with two Carrier Air Groups (CAGs) and the establishment of a naval air station. 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