HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06)

HMAS Newcastle in 2010
Career (Australia)
Namesake: City of Newcastle
Builder: Australian Marine Engineering Consolidated
Laid down: 21 July 1989
Launched: 21 February 1992
Commissioned: 11 December 1993
Motto: Enterprise
Honours and
awards:		 Battle honours:
East Timor 1999–2000
Persian Gulf 2002–03
Status: Active as of 2015
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:Adelaide class guided missile frigate
Displacement:4,200 tons
Length:138.1 m (453 ft)
Beam:14.3 m (47 ft)
Draught:7.5 m (25 ft)
Propulsion:2 × General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, each providing 20,500 hp (15,287 kW). Total 41,000 hp (30,574 kW)
Speed:Over 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range:4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement:184 plus aircrew for the helicopters
Sensors and
processing systems:		AN/SPS-49A(V)1 radar, Mk 92 Guided Missile Fire Control System, AN/SPS-55 radar, Spherion B sonar
Armament:1 × single-arm Mk 13 Missile Launcher for Harpoon and SM-2MR missiles – with a magazine for a total of 40 missiles
1 × 8 cell tactical MK 41 VLS with RIM-162 ESSM
2 × triple Mark 32 ASW torpedo tubes
1 × OTO Melara 76 mm naval gun
1 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS
  NULKA Decoy Missiles
Aircraft carried:2 × S-70B Seahawk

HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06), named for the city of Newcastle, New South Wales, the largest provincial city in Australia, is an Adelaide class guided-missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The last ship of the class to be constructed, Newcastle entered service in 1993. During her career, the frigate has operated as part of the INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce, served in the Persian Gulf, and responded to the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. The frigate is active as of 2015.

Construction

Newcastle was laid down by AMECON at Williamstown, Victoria, launched on 21 February 1992 and commissioned into the RAN on 11 December 1993.[1][2] Unlike the first four Adelaide class frigates, Newcastle was not constructed in the United States of America and therefore does not possess a US Navy hull number.[2]

Newcastle is the only Adelaide class ship not named after a state capital city. Instead, she is named after Newcastle, New South Wales, the largest regional city in the country. She is the first ship of the RAN to be named Newcastle,[1] but eight Royal Navy ships have been named HMS Newcastle. The Australian Newcastle was the first RAN ship not to inherit battle honours awarded to previous British ships of the same name.[3]

Operational history

Newcastle was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce from 19 December 1999 to 26 January 2000.[4]

During 2005, Newcastle was deployed to the Persian Gulf.[5] Newcastle and HMAS Parramatta were the first RAN ships to be fitted with two M2HB .50 calibre machine guns in Mini Typhoon mounts; now a standard theatre fit for all RAN frigates deployed to the Persian Gulf.[5]

At the start of November 2006, Newcastle was one of three Australian warships sent to Fiji during the leadup to the 2006 coup d'état by Fijian military forces against Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. Newcastle was the first vessel on station, and was later joined by HMAS Kanimbla and HMAS Success. The three vessels were to be used in the event of an evacuation of Australian citizens and nationals.[6] It did not prove necessary to conduct an evacuation and Newcastle returned to Australia in late December 2006.

On the morning of 13 March 2009, Newcastle was one of seventeen warships involved in a ceremonial fleet entry and fleet review in Sydney Harbour, the largest collection of RAN ships since the Australian Bicentenary in 1988.[7] The frigate was one of the thirteen ships involved in the ceremonial entry through Sydney Heads, and anchored in the harbour for the review.

Following an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system, completed in March 2010, Newcastle‍ '​s service was recognised with two honours: "East Timor 1999–2000" and "Persian Gulf 2002–03".[8][9] In April 2010, Newcastle was presented with the RAN Gloucester Cup, recognising her as the most efficient ship during 2009.[10] During July and August 2010, Newcastle was one of three RAN ships to participate in the RIMPAC 2010 multinational exercise.[11]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "HMAS Newcastle". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 11 December 2009.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hooton, E.R. (1 December 1996). "Perking-up the Perry class". Jane's International Defence Review (Jane's Information Group) 9 (9).
  3. ↑ Cassells, Vic (2000). The Capital Ships: their battles and their badges. East Roseville, NSW: Simon & Schuster. p. 207. ISBN 0731809416. OCLC 48761594.
  4. ↑ Stevens, David (2007). Strength Through Diversity: The combined naval role in Operation Stabilise (PDF). Working Papers 20. Canberra: Sea Power Centre – Australia. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-642-29676-4. ISSN 1834-7231. Retrieved 6 September 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Scott, Richard (12 December 2007). "Enhanced small-calibre systems offer shipborne stopping power". International Defence Review (Jane's Information Group).
  6. ↑ Aussie warships heading for Fiji. The Daily Telegraph (Australia), 2 November 2006.
  7. ↑ Brooke, Michael (2 April 2009). "Marching into History". Navy News (Department of Defence).
  8. ↑ "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  9. ↑ "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  10. ↑ "Navy crew set sail on top gongs". The Daily Telegraph. 7 April 2010. p. 20.
  11. ↑ Dodd, Mark (6 August 2010). "No-show by subs slammed". The Australian. Retrieved 17 August 2010.

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