A gathering of naval vessels from a number of rather exotic nations has sailed from Darwin, northern Australia, to start Exercise Kakadu IX, a maritime exercise supposed to strengthen ties with Australia’s international counterparts and that seeks to improve maritime interoperability in the region.
Exercise Kakadu IX will be held in the Northern Australian Exercise Area, off Darwin through August 8. It is described as the Royal Australian Navy (RAN)'s premier international engagement activity for 2008.
During Kakadu IX the RAN will be represented by the replenishment vessel HMAS Sirius, the Anzac class frigate HMAS Toowoomba, Adelaide class frigate HMAS Melbourne, Collins class submarine HMAS Collins, two Huon class minehunters (HMAS Diamantina and Gascoyne) and the Armidale class patrol boats HMAS Maryborough and HMAS Maitland.
HMAS Toowoomba (156) is one of the largest Australian surface ships taking part in the exercise. This ship, based on the German Meko 200 design from ThyssenKrupp Marine-owned Blohm + Voss of Hamburg, was built at Tenix Defence Systems of Williamstown, Melbourne and commissioned into the RAN in 2005.
The Australian contingent also includes the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), who will contribute assets including two AP-3C Aircraft and Hornet and Hawk Fighter Strike Aircraft.
Regional participating forces contribute 10 ships to the Australian contingent, as well as various supporting military aircraft. The 19-day exercise has brought together approx. 2,000 defense personnel from Australia, New Zealand, the French Armed Forces – New Caledonia (FANC), Singapore, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Japan and Thailand; with observers from India, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Pakistan is participating with the 3,700-metric-ton Type 21 frigate PNS Babur, formerly the UK Royal Navy's HMS Amazon of Falklands War fame, that was originally commissioned in the RN in 1974 after having built at Vosper Thornycroft's old shipyard at Woolston, Southampton.
The Australian Defense Dept. says that through integrated harbor and sea phases, Kakadu IX aims to improve the RAN’s ability to work with international naval forces.
"The harbor phase consisted of briefings and cultural exchange activities between participating international forces. The sea phase will promote a shared understanding of maritime security issues through graduated training activities and weapons practices. The planned maritime security exercises and evolutions will test the effectiveness of participating assets at sea," Canberra says.
Photos of some of the participating ships follow (courtesy of Australian Defense Dept.):
Japan's Murasame-class destroyer Samidare (106), a 6,200-ton anti-submarine warfare ship commissioned in 2,000 and built by Ishikawajima Harima of Tokyo. Japan's navy is very active internationally at the moment, being involved in exercise Rimpac 2008 off Hawaii and Kakdu off Australia while three destroyers have been touring Europe in recent weeks. The ship on the left is the 96-metric-ton missile corvette HTMS Sukhothai of the Royal Thai Navy. This ship was built in the U.S. by Tacoma Boatbuilders, Washington State, in the mid-1980s and features a largely Thales Nederland-supplied combat system.
Missile corvettes RSN Vigour (92) and Vengeance (93) of the Republic of Singapore Navy during the harbor phase in Darwin.An Australian-built Pacific-class large patrol craft from the Papua New Guinea Naval Forces. This ship is the HMPNGS Moresby (04).
The Australian Huon-class minehunter HMAS Gascoyne (85). In the distance, the U.S. Navy's hospital ship Mercy and the Pakistani frigate PNS Babur can be seen. Below, the Australian patrol boat HMAS Maryborough departs Darwin to start the sea phase of the Kakadu exercise.
