Melbourne commenced her South East Asian deployment shortly after her visit to Hobart, departing Sydney on 7 March. [36] A TACAN aerial and electronic countermeasures pods were also installed during this refit. She returned to sea on 11 May 1964 and commenced work-up exercises off the coast of New South Wales. The refit included a communications upgrade and a new radar suite, consisting of both Dutch and American radars. Her deployment took her to Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong where she participated in Exercise ALBATROSS, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea before arriving back in Sydney on 11 November. Job Skills /. The aircraft was seen to take off normally but quickly veered to the right and down into the water. Melbourne rendezvoused with Sydney on 30 April and remained in company until 4 May, when she detached south of Vung Tau for Hong Kong. Please be advised that HMAS Melbourne arrived at Port Huangpu, intact and safely afloat, proud and majestic. [2], Melbourne was paid off from RAN service in 1982. Melbourne was back in dock from November 1972 until August 1973, with further work done to her catapult. [73] The rest of the year was spent visiting Australian and New Zealand ports. [85] At the same time, Stevens, having just become aware of the situation, gave the order "Full ahead both engines. [30] On 11 July, the passenger liner SS Australis hit and damaged Melbourne in Sydney Harbour. [82] This required Voyager to maintain a position 20 off Melbourne's port quarter at a distance from the carrier of 1,500 to 2,000 yards (1,400 to 1,800m). [38][40], As well as an operational aircraft carrier, Melbourne was Flagship of the RAN, a role she received almost immediately following her 1956 arrival in Australia, and fulfilled until her decommissioning in 1982. Melbourne was the only Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions.[1]. [39], From March 1965 until mid-1967, Melbourne underwent a regular pattern of deployments to Southeast Asia, exercises, and flag-showing visits to nations in the Asia-Pacific region. [28] The 1969 and 1971 refits did improve conditions, although there was little scope for upgrade, and the system was still inadequate: temperatures inside the ship continued to reach over 65C (149F), and on one occasion a hold reached 78C (172F). Repairs were once again carried out at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney. [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. Melbourne was the only Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions. The work was completed on 27 April, with the shipyard receiving a commendation. [38] The fixed-wing aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm were marked for replacement by 27 Westland Wessex anti-submarine helicopters. Their boat was towed back to Sydney by a police launch. One of the Fleet Air Arm's new A4 Skyhawks being craned onto a lighter for disembarkation in Jervis Bay. ABERNETHY, Roderic Bell. Melbourne berthed in Hong Kong, April 1970. . [65] Melbourne spent from September to November in Southeast Asian waters, during which she participated in Exercise Albatross and received an official visit by Philippines president Ramon Magsaysay. There was a moment of levity during the exercises when Melbourne fuelled from USS Ponchatoula and the American replenishment vessel demonstrated its method of passing the first line with a baseball and bat. We hold several sources of information on RAN ships. Great Price $165 off avg. [82] The Daring-class destroyer HMASVoyager was also present, undergoing her own trials following refit, under the command of Captain Duncan Stevens. [8][9] Incorporation of new systems and enhancements caused the cost of the RAN carrier acquisition program to increase to AU8.3million. [30][146] On 18 August, Melbourne sailed for Fremantle to participate in Exercise Sandgroper 80. Then we want you! [102], Melbourne spent ten weeks at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, having her new bow fitted. VIN 3GTP1NEC0JG512012. [139] A two-seat Harrier jump jet demonstrator undertook a series of trial takeoffs and landings aboard Melbourne on 30 June: a trial organised as part of the project overseeing the ship's potential replacement. It was decided that two of the Majestic Class, HM Ships Terrible and Majestic, would be taken over by the RAN and named Sydney (III) and Melbourne (II) respectively. Laid down for the RN as HMS Majestic on 15 April 1943 and launched in 1945, the ship was nearing completion when construction was virtually brought to a halt with the cessation of wartime hostilities. [129] Despite the findings, Stevenson's next posting was as a minor flag officer's chief of staff, seen by him as a demotion in all but name. [83] Following a series of turns intended to reverse the courses of both ships beginning at 8:40pm, Voyager ended up to starboard of Melbourne. [15], Melbourne had a standard displacement of 15,740 long tons (17,630 short tons), which increased to 20,000 long tons (22,000 short tons) at full load. [3] It has also been claimed that the Royal Australian Navy received and "politely rejected" a request from the PLAN for blueprints of the ship's steam catapult. She entered refit in November in preparation for embarking the RANs new Skyhawk and Tracker aircraft in 1967, though a longer and more extensive modernisation would be required to make her fully operational with her new aircraft. Note: This video is hosted on YouTube and has no audio. [114] A radio message was sent from Melbourne to Evans' bridge and Combat Information Centre, warning the destroyer that she was on a collision course, which Evans acknowledged. 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. [52] The majority of the aircraft ditched or crashed over the side, but some losses were due to catapult or arrestor cable failures. They reflect the period in which they were created and are not the views of the National Archives. Melbourne 's aircraft were performing flying . Melbourne went on to visit the Solomon Islands before returning to Jervis Bay on 4 October. [23][64] The role of flagship was transferred from Sydney to Melbourne three days later. Melbourne was released from the search later in the day. The Australian Government had by this time committed naval forces to what became known as the Far East Strategic Reserve, which provided for an annual visit from an aircraft carrier as part of the RAN's contribution. South China Sea early morning 3 June 1969 aftermath scene of the HMAS Melbourne and USS Frank E Evans collision. Repair work kept Melbourne alongside in Sydney for three months. At the end of the Second World War, work on the ship was suspended until she was purchased by the RAN in 1947. [1], More large-scale refits occurred throughout the rest of the 1970s. Not all ledgers for 1950 to 1956 are individually listed on RecordSearch. She was laid down on 21 April 1944, and commissioned into the United States Navy on 3 February 1945. However, a subsequent RAN court martial cleared him of any responsibility. Hard-a starboard. At the time of purchase, it was decided to incorporate new aircraft carrier technologies into the design, making Melbourne the third ship to be constructed with an angled flight deck. The deployment was also notable as the only occasion on which both RAN aircraft carriers, Melbourne and Sydney, deployed overseas together. [23] A major refit scheduled to begin in late 1981 was postponed pending the decision on a replacement carrier. HMAS Melbourne was originally one of six Majestic Class light fleet aircraft carriers ordered for the Royal Navy (RN) during World War II. The RAN lost only 2 Vessels during World War 1 and these were both Submarines, AE1 & AE2. Photo courtesy Lieutenant Commander J Brown. That September Melbourne sailed for what was to be the first of many deployments to South East Asia. [130] In December 2012, Stevenson announced that he had received a letter from the Minister for Defence, apologising for his treatment by the RAN and the government of the day.[131]. Melbourne and the FAA in general received a boost during the year with the decision to re-equip the FAA with Douglas A4G Skyhawk fighter bombers and Grumman S2E Tracker anti-submarine warfare aircraft. [121] The board found Evans partially at fault for the collision, but also faulted Melbourne for not taking evasive action sooner, even though international sea regulations dictated that in the lead-up to a collision, the larger ship was required to maintain course and speed. During the 1970s and early 1980s, replacing parts became an increasing problem. [59], Following a working-up period in British waters, Melbourne departed Glasgow on 11 March 1956 on her maiden voyage to Australia via the Suez Canal. [23] The modifications cost A$8.5million, and included an overhaul of the hull and machinery, strengthening of the flight deck, improvements to the catapult and arrestor cables, modification of the aviation fuel systems and flight control arrangements, and upgrades of the navigational aids and radar. Melbourne and Voyager sailed from Jervis Bay early on Monday, 10 February, with the day being spent in the local exercise areas conducting a series of trials and exercises. Melbourne went on to visit Manila where she conducted flight deck and hangar handling trials with a USN Grumman Tracker, a precursor as to what lay in the carriers future. [126] Melbourne departed Singapore on 27 June and arrived in Sydney on 9 July, where the carrier underwent almost identical repairs at Cockatoo Island Dockyard as in 1964 (primarily the installation of a new bow section). All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy . US Navy Sea King helicopters in flight. The crew formed the caption 20,000 LANDINGS on the flight deck to be photographed by helicopter. She departed for the return journey to Australia on 31 October. [140] A Tracker from Melbourne located the disabled Dutch vessel Impala Princess in the Gulf of Aden on 25 May and directed a French destroyer to assist. HMAS Melbourne undergoing temporary repairs in Singapore. [169] Another anchor and the starboard side ship's bell are on display at the RAN Heritage Centre at Garden Island. On completion of these exercises she made port visits to both Wellington and Auckland before returning home to Sydney. [117] The escorts were again warned about the dangers of operating near the carrier and informed of Stevenson's expectations, while the minimum distance between carrier and escorts was increased from 2,000 to 3,000 yards (1,800 to 2,700m). [1], Operations in 1972 commenced with a three-month deployment to Southeast Asia. Search and rescue operations began immediately in the aftermath of the collision. [66] On return to Australia in mid-November, the carrier visited Melbourne for the 1956 Olympics, where 200 of Melbourne's complement were provided to work as signallers, event marshals, carpenters, and medical workers. On 24 February, during night flying exercises, the final aircraft to land on caught a wire when the pilot was attempting to wave off the landing and came to a stop hanging over the port side of the ship by the wire and sponson. On 5 March, while conducting an air defence exercise in the southern Coral Sea, one of the ships Wessex helicopters ditched into the water. [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 two other sailors in the car with him suffered only minor injuries. [1] During this deployment, Melbourne led a fleet of 17 ships from the RAN, Royal Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy, US Navy, Philippine Navy, and Royal Thai Navy in Exercise Sea Hawk. She participated in the inaugural ANZUK naval exercise GENESIS at the end of March and departed Singapore for Australia on 3 April. Note: This video is hosted on YouTube and has no audio. [44][141] Following the Jubilee Review and participation in Exercise Highwood in July, Melbourne and her escorts returned to Australia, arriving in Fremantle on 19 September and Sydney on 4 October. She participated in the Fleet Concentration Period off Hervey Bay in August followed by Exercise JUC 58 off Jervis Bay in late August and early September. [16] Melbourne's two propellers were driven by two Parsons single-reduction geared turbine sets providing 40,000shp, which were powered by four Admiralty 3-drum boilers. The disaster resulted in the loss of 82 lives - 14 officers, including the Commanding Officer, Captain Duncan Stevens, himself a former Executive Officer of Melbourne, 67 sailors and one civilian dockyard employee. RIMPAC activities occupied the ship for most of September before she went on to visit Yokosuka, Japan, in early October, and Manila where she participated in the SEATO exercise SEA SCORPION. Hourly Rate: Full Time $16.75/hr-$18.00 based on experience. She departed for her annual South East Asian deployment on 3 March. Melbourne returned to sea for post-refit trials and workup exercises on 17 March 1967 and participated in the Fleet Concentration Period off Hervey Bay in April. At around 3:35am on 31 May, USS Everett F Larson was ordered to take up a planeguard position astern of Melbourne from off her starboard bow. [30] Melbourne underwent another refit from late 1978 until August 1979. She participated in Exercises JUC 61 and HOMERUN with USN units off the New South Wales coast in March, before departing Sydney on 24 February for South East Asian waters. The first collision occurred on the evening of 10 February 1964, in which Melbourne rammed and sank the RAN destroyer HMASVoyager, when the latter altered course across her bow. Sources are inconsistent regarding who attempted to purchase. [12][61] Aboard were the 64 aircraft of RAN squadrons 808, 816, and 817, as well as the racing yacht Samuel Pepys (named after the English naval administrator and diarist), which was a gift to the RAN Sailing Association from the Royal Navy. Period 1970-1979 ", before instructing the destroyer's Quartermaster to announce that a collision was imminent. HMAS Voyager sank on the night of 10 February 1964 off Jervis Bay, southern NSW, following a collision with the Melbourne during exercises off Jervis Bay, southern NSW. [42] A separate proposal to order 10 A-4G Skyhawks, a variant of the Skyhawk designed specifically for the RAN and optimised for air defence, was approved in 1965. [23] During this deployment, on 21 June 1981, Melbourne rescued 99 Vietnamese refugees from a disabled fishing vessel in the South China Sea. Additional medical officers were embarked by aircraft from Nowra, and members of Melbournes ships company not directly involved in search and rescue efforts tended to the survivors immediate needs. She participated in the SEATO exercise SEA HAWK in the South China Sea that month at the conclusion of which she visited Hong Kong before proceeding to Singapore conducting Exercise TRANSITEX with other ANZUK units en route. [101] Robertson and the other officers of Melbourne were absolved of blame for the incident. Middle: Some students receiving instruction on the drums from Musician Wright. The National Archives holds these in Canberra in the record series A4624. 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. [28] The refit took seven months to complete, and cost A$2million. [120] It is uncertain which ship began to manoeuvre first, but each ship's bridge crew claimed that they were informed of the other ship's turn after they commenced their own. On completion of the exercise, Melbourne led the four nation fleet in ceremonial fleet entry into Sydney Harbour on 22 November. [117], On the night of 23 June 1969, Melbourne and her escorts were involved in anti-submarine training exercises in the South China Sea. HMAS Melbourne (R21) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Both the carrier and destroyer were 'darkened' with only navigational/operational lighting in use. Shift: Monday thru Friday 6:00pm-2:30am. Melbourne maintained this commitment with the Strategic Reserve and later with ANZUK forces, participating in many exercises conducted under the auspices of the South East Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO). [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. [93] Several of the Southeast Asian deployments were related to the IndonesiaMalaysia confrontation, and involved participation in show of force exercises off the coast of Malaysia. Right: Leading Musician Cross lets one the students try out the trombone. [38] Under consideration were British carrier HMSAlbion and a ship of the United States' Essex class. Upon the conclusion of SEADOG, the carrier returned to Australia and arrived at Fremantle, via Singapore, on 8 August. Responsible for maintaining carpet and hard surface floors in commercial buildings using industry approved methods and chemistry. The Douglas and McDonnell aircraft companies merged in 1967 so that the Skyhawk was known as the McDonnell-Douglas Skyhawk by the time it entered RAN service. Crew members of the HMAS Melbourne (II) attend a memorial service on the deck of the aircraft carrier while it transports injured sailors from HMAS Voyager (II) to Sydney. [154] By February 1981, the Iwo Jima class was the preferred option. She arrived back in Fremantle on 22 June. The two groups started SEALION independently before rendezvousing in the South China Sea on 11 May. The Flagship band was part of the RAN massed bands that gave an extremely polished display in the main stadium as a prelude to the official opening ceremony. [74] All four Sea Venom incidents occurred in March, with three attributed to aircrew error and one to brake failure. Delays in construction and integrating the enhancements meant that the carrier was not commissioned until 1955. [19], The main modifications centred around the need to operate jet aircraft, which were larger and heavier than those propeller-driven aircraft that the carrier was originally designed for. The helicopters aircrew was recovered uninjured by HMAS Derwent. Corrective action from both ships was required to avoid a collision. [77] In August, Melbourne was called upon to lead Exercise Tuckerbox, in the Coral Sea. [77][81], On 10 February 1964, Melbourne was performing trials in Jervis Bay under the command of Captain John Robertson, following the annual refit. Operating from 1955 until 1982, she was the third and final conventional aircraft carrier to serve in the RAN. Following an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system completed in 2010, Melbourne was retroactively awarded the honour "Malaysia 196566" for her service during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation.[170][171]. She took part in the convoy defence exercise PASAD in the Tasman Sea in March 1960 before once again making a port visit to Hobart. Melbourne's service is commemorated with a stained-glass window at the Garden Island Naval Chapel. [5] Flight direction radar was included, making Melbourne the only military airfield in the Australasian region at the time capable of operating aircraft at night and in poor weather.[13]. [158], Following the decision to replace Melbourne with HMS Invincible, the postponed refit was cancelled outright. [143] On return in July, the carrier entered a major refit, which continued until 3 August 1979. Kimbla had preceded them to sea bound for Sydney. [142] Melbourne was docked in Garden Island's drydock on arrival, where she remained until January 1978. 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. [87] The destroyer's forward section sank quickly, under the weight of the two 4.5-inch (110mm) gun turrets. [115][116] Additionally, during the lead up to the exercise, Admiral Crabb had strongly warned that all repositioning manoeuvres performed by the escorts had to commence with a turn away from Melbourne. In 1970, Melbourne participated in three major inter-navy exercises: Sea Rover with SEATO forces in the South China Sea, Bersatu Padu with British Commonwealth forces off Malaysia, and Swan Lake with the Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy off Western Australia. The pilot, Lieutenant John da Costa, RAN, one of the FAAs most experienced pilots, ejected before the aircraft hit the water and was later rescued by a search and rescue helicopter. Melbourne once again visited Hobart in early February 1963 and conducted exercises with other RAN units in Tasmanian waters. 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