HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01)
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HMAS ''Adelaide'' (FFG 01) was the
lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...
of the of
guided missile frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
s built for the
Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
(RAN), based on the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
's s. She was built in the United States and commissioned into the RAN in 1980. During her career, ''Adelaide'' was part of Australian responses or contributions to the
1987 Fijian coups d'état The Fijian coups d'état of 1987 resulted in the overthrow of the elected government of Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra, the deposition of Elizabeth II as Queen of Fiji, and in the declaration of a republic. The first coup d'état, in ...
, the
Iraq invasion of Kuwait The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, codenamed Project 17, began on 2 August 1990 and marked the beginning of the Gulf War. After defeating the State of Kuwait on 4 August 1990, Iraq went on to militarily occupy the country for the next seven months. ...
, the Indonesian riots of May 1998, the
INTERFET The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...
peacekeeping taskforce, the
War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...
, and the United States-led invasion of Iraq. In 1997, the frigate rescued two competitors in the 1996–97 Vendée Globe solo, round-the-world yacht race. In 2001, a boat carrying suspected illegal immigrants was intercepted by ''Adelaide''; the events of this interception became the centre of the Children overboard affair. In 2008, ''Adelaide'' was the second ship of the class to be decommissioned, in order to offset the cost of an upgrade to the other four vessels. This ship was to be sunk off
Avoca Beach, New South Wales Avoca Beach () is a coastal List of Central Coast suburbs, suburb of the Central Coast (New South Wales), Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney. Avoca Beach is primarily a residential suburb, Avoca Beach is a ...
as a
dive wreck Wreck diving is recreational diving where the wreckage of ships, aircraft and other artificial structures are explored. The term is used mainly by recreational and technical divers. Professional divers, when diving on a shipwreck, generally ref ...
on 27 March 2010, until an appeal to the
Administrative Appeals Tribunal The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was an Australian tribunal that conducted independent merits review of administrative decisions made under Commonwealth laws of the Australian Government. The AAT reviewed decisions made by Australian G ...
by protest groups led to a postponement of the scuttling until additional cleanup work was completed. Despite further attempts to delay or cancel the
scuttling Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel ...
, ''Adelaide'' was sunk off Avoca on 13 April 2011.


Design and construction

Following the cancellation of the
Australian light destroyer project The Australian light destroyer project aimed to build a class of small destroyers for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The project began in 1966 with the goal of developing simple light destroyers (DDL) to support patrol boat operations. The pro ...
in 1973, the British
Type 42 destroyer The Type 42 or ''Sheffield'' class was a class of fourteen guided-missile destroyers that served in the Royal Navy.Marriott, Leo: ''Royal Navy Destroyers since 1945'', , Ian Allan Ltd, 1989 A further two ships of this class were built for and ...
and the American were identified as alternatives to replace the cancelled light destroyers and the s.Jones, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 220 Although the ''Oliver Hazard Perry'' class was still at the design stage, the difficulty of fitting the Type 42 with the SM-1 missile, and the success of the acquisition (a derivative of the American ) compared to equivalent British designs led the Australian government to approve the purchase of two US-built ''Oliver Hazard Perry''-class frigates (including ''Adelaide'') in 1976.Frame, ''Pacific Partners'', pp. 102, 162 A third was ordered in 1977, followed by a fourth, with all four ships integrated into the USN's shipbuilding program.Frame, ''Pacific Partners'', p. 162MacDougall, ''Australians at war'', p. 345Hooton, ''Perking-up the Perry class'' A further two ships were ordered in 1980, and were constructed in Australia. As designed, the ship had a
full load displacement The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into weig ...
of 3,605 tons, a
length overall Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and is also ...
of , a
beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...
of , and a draught of .Moore (ed.), ''Jane's Fighting Ships 1977–78 '', p. 25 Early in the ship's career, she was modified from the ''Oliver Hazard Perry'' Flight I design to Flight III, requiring a lengthening of the helicopter deck for the RAST helicopter recovery system, increasing the displacement to 4,100 tons and pushing the overall length to . Propulsion machinery consisted of two
General Electric LM2500 The General Electric LM2500 is an industrial and marine gas turbine produced by GE Aviation. The LM2500 is a derivative of the General Electric CF6 aircraft engine. As of 2004, the U.S. Navy and at least 29 other navies had used a total of mor ...
gas turbines, which provided a combined to the single
propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...
shaft.Sharpe (ed.), ''Jane's Fighting Ships 1998–99'', p. 26 Top speed was , with a range of at . Two electric auxiliary propulsors were used for close manoeuvring, with a top speed of . The standard
ship's company A ship's company or complement comprises all officers, non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel aboard a naval vessel, excluding civilians and guests. United States Aircraft-capable ships An exception to this rule is the definition of shi ...
was 184, including 15 officers, but excluding the flight crew for the embarked helicopters. The original armament for the ship consisted of a
Mark 13 missile launcher The Mark 13 guided missile launching system (GMLS) is a single-arm missile launcher designed for use on frigates and other military vessels. Because of its distinctive single-armed design, the Mark 13 is often referred to as the "one-armed bandit" ...
configured to fire
RIM-66 Standard The RIM-66 Standard MR (SM-1MR/SM-2MR) is a medium-range surface-to-air missile (SAM), with a secondary role as an anti-ship missile, developed for the United States Navy (USN). A member of the Standard Missile family of weapons, the SM-1 was dev ...
and
RGM-84 Harpoon The Harpoon is an all-weather, Over-the-horizon radar, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). The Standoff Land Attack Missile , AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) ...
missiles, supplemented by an OTO Melara gun and a
Vulcan Phalanx The Phalanx CIWS () is an automated gun-based close-in weapon system to defend military watercraft automatically against incoming threats such as aircraft, missiles, and small boats. It was designed and manufactured by the General Dynamics Corp ...
point-defence system. For anti-submarine warfare, two Mark 32 torpedo tube sets were fitted; originally firing the
Mark 44 torpedo The Mark 44 torpedo is a now-obsolete air-launched and ship-launched lightweight torpedo manufactured in the United States, and under licence in Canada, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, with 10,500 being produced for U.S. service. It ...
, the ''Adelaide''s later carried the Mark 46 torpedoes. Up to six machine guns were carried for close-in defence, and beginning in 2005, two
M2HB The M2 machine gun or Browning .50-caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed near the end of World War I by John Browning. While similar to Browning's M1919 Browning machine gun, which was chambered ...
.50 calibre machine guns in
Mini Typhoon The Typhoon is a type of remote weapon station manufactured by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems of Israel, and it shares similar design principles and common technologies with Samson Remote Controlled Weapon Station (Samson RCWS), a land-based sys ...
mounts were installed when needed for Persian Gulf deployments.Scott, ''Enhanced small-calibre systems offer shipborne stopping power'' The sensor suite included an
AN/SPS-49 The AN/SPS-49 is a United States Navy two-dimensional, long range air search radar built by Raytheon that can provide contact bearing and range. It is a primary air-search radar for numerous ships in the U.S. fleet and in Spanish Navy, Spain, Poli ...
air search
radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...
, AN/SPS-55 surface search and navigation radar, SPG-60 fire control radar connected to a
Mark 92 fire control system The Mark 92 Fire Control System is a US-built medium-range anti-aircraft missile and gun fire control system. It was developed for the FFG-7 Oliver Hazard Perry class guided missile frigates. The system is a licensed USN version of the Thales Ne ...
, and an AN/SQS-56 hull-mounted
sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...
. Two helicopters could be embarked: either two S-70B Seahawk or one Seahawk and one AS350B Squirrel. ''Adelaide'' was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...
to the ''Oliver Hazard Perry'' class' Flight I design at
Todd Pacific Shipyards Vigor Shipyards is the current entity operating the former Todd Shipyards after its acquisition in 2011. Todd Shipyards was founded in 1916, which owned and operated shipyards on the West Coast of the United States, East Coast of the United St ...
at
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
on 29 July 1977, launched on 21 June 1978 by Lady Ann Synnot (wife of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sir Anthony Synnot), and commissioned into the
Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
on 15 November 1980.Perryman, ''Ships Named Adelaide'', p. 2 During construction, she was identified with the United States Navy
hull number A hull number is a serial identification number given to a boat or ship. For the military, a lower number implies an older vessel. For civilian use, the Hull Identification Number (HIN) is used to trace the boat's history. The precise usage varie ...
FFG-17. A total of four ''Adelaide''-class ships were constructed by Todd Pacific, with a further two built by Australian shipbuilder AMECON.


Operational history

After commissioning, ''Adelaide'' and ''Canberra'' remained in the United States to work up; during this time both ships were attached to the United States Navy's Destroyer Squadron 9. The frigate ran aground off Seattle in early 1981, during post-commissioning trials, but was freed with only minor damage. Following the decommissioning of the
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...
in 1982 and the disbandment of fixed-wing aviation squadrons in 1984, the RAN
Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...
became focused on helicopter operations, but had minimal experience flying helicopters from small ships.Jones, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 247 To remedy this, a Bell Kiowa was embarked aboard ''Adelaide'' during 1984. ''Adelaide'' was awarded the
Gloucester Cup The Gloucester Cup is the common name for three awards of the Australian Defence Force officially called the Duke of Gloucester's Cup, the three awards are presented to the most proficient ship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), infantry battalio ...
for being the most efficient ship in the RAN during 1984. In May 1987, ''Adelaide'' visited
Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
, and was alongside in
Lautoka Lautoka (, ) is the second largest List of cities and towns in Fiji#List, metropolitan area in Fiji. It is on the west coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Ba Province of the Western Division, Fiji, Western Division. Lying in the heart of ...
when the first of the
1987 Fijian coups d'état The Fijian coups d'état of 1987 resulted in the overthrow of the elected government of Fijian Prime Minister Timoci Bavadra, the deposition of Elizabeth II as Queen of Fiji, and in the declaration of a republic. The first coup d'état, in ...
occurred on 14 May.Jones, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 260 ''Adelaide'' and sister ship , alongside in Suva, were instructed to remain off Fiji to aid in any necessary evacuation of Australian citizens; the first component of what became
Operation Morris Dance Operation Morris Dance was an Australian military operation conducted in May 1987 in response to the first of the 1987 Fijian coups d'état. On the morning of 14 May 1987 the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Military of Fiji took control of the ...
. ''Adelaide'' remained on station until at least 29 May, when a phased withdrawal began. On 3 July 1990, ''Adelaide'' became the first Australian warship to visit
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...
since 1970.Bendle et al., ''Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005'', p. 6 On 10 August, ''Adelaide'',
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...
, and the replenishment ship were deployed to the Middle East as part of
Operation Damask Australia was a member of the international coalition which contributed military forces to the 1991 Gulf War, also known as Operation Desert Storm. More than 1,800 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were deployed to the Persian Gulf from Au ...
, Australia's participation in the international coalition enforcing
sanctions against Iraq A sanction may be either a permission or a restriction, depending upon context, as the word is an auto-antonym. Examples of sanctions include: Government and law * Sanctions (law), penalties imposed by courts * Economic sanctions, typically a b ...
following that nation's
invasion of Kuwait The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, codenamed Project 17, began on 2 August 1990 and marked the beginning of the Gulf War. After defeating the Kuwait, State of Kuwait on 4 August 1990, Ba'athist Iraq, Iraq went on to militarily occupy the country fo ...
.Jones, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 261 ''Adelaide'' and ''Darwin'' remained in the area until 3 December, and was used for surveillance and boarding operations.Jones, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 263 In October 1992, ''Adelaide'' home port was changed to , making her the first ship of the class homeported in Western Australia under the Two-Ocean Policy.Perryman, ''Ships Named Adelaide'', p. 3 In January 1997, the
yacht A yacht () is a sail- or marine propulsion, motor-propelled watercraft made for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a ...
s of Thierry Dubois and
Tony Bullimore Tony Bullimore (15 January 1939 – 31 July 2018) was a British businessman and international yachtsman. During the 1996–97 Vendée Globe solo round-the-world yacht race, his vessel lost its keel and capsized in the Southern Ocean. He survi ...
(competitors in the 1996–97 Vendée Globe solo, round-the-world yacht race), capsized while attempting to cross the Southern Ocean.Grazebrook, ''A Drop in the Ocean?'' ''Adelaide'' successfully found and rescued the sailors after seven days of searching by ships and aircraft. During late May and early June, the frigate was deployed to the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, and represented Australia at the Philippines Centenary International Naval Review. Between 17 and 27 May 1998, ''Adelaide'' was one of four RAN ships placed on standby, in case Australian citizens required evacuation if the Indonesian riots of May 1998 escalated. The ships were not used. Starting in September, the frigate accompanied the destroyers and on a cruise through South East Asia.Bendle et al., ''Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005'', p. 35 During this deployment, the ships were present at a
naval review A Naval Review is an event where select vessels and assets of the United States Navy are paraded to be reviewed by the President of the United States or the Secretary of the Navy. Due to the geographic distance separating the modern U.S. Na ...
by Indonesian president
B. J. Habibie Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie (; 25 June 1936 – 11 September 2019) was an Indonesian politician, engineer and scientist who served as the third president of Indonesia from 1998 to 1999. Less than three months after his inauguration as the seventh ...
. In February 1999, ''Adelaide'' was awarded the Duke of Gloucester Cup awarded to the most efficient ship in the RAN during the previous year. The frigate was deployed to
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
as part of the Australian-led
INTERFET The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...
peacekeeping taskforce from 19 September to 19 October. On 6 October 2001, ''Adelaide'' was the ship which intercepted SIEV 4, the event which sparked the Children overboard affair.Senate Select Committee, ''A Certain Maritime Incident'' Under orders to prevent SIEVs from entering Australian waters, ''Adelaide'' attempted to warn the craft, carrying over 200 passengers (including children), against crossing from international waters during the night and into 7 October. When the SIEV failed to heed these warnings, ''Adelaide'' fired warning shots and initiated a
RHIB A rigid inflatable boat (RIB), also rigid-hull inflatable boat or rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB), is a lightweight but high-performance and high-capacity boat constructed with a rigid hull bottom joined to side-forming air tubes that are i ...
boarding action, with the boarding party took control of the craft that afternoon. Between this time and when the craft was manoeuvred from Australian territory late the next morning, several attempts were made to sabotage the craft, and some adult passengers jumped or were thrown overboard while others threatened to do so; the fourteen people that entered the water were recovered by the frigate's RHIB and taken back to the SIEV. ''Adelaide'' observed the craft as it headed towards Indonesia, and moved in to provide further assistance a few hours later, after systematic sabotage immobilised the small vessel. ''Adelaide'' was instructed to take the vessel in tow and head for
Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an States and territories of Australia#External territories, Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about south o ...
. The SIEV began to take on water during the afternoon of 8 October, and despite the appearance that the problem had been rectified, the craft sank without warning at 17:00. All aboard were forced into the water, and were rescued by personnel from ''Adelaide''. Reports of the sinking were conflated with information about those who jumped or were thrown overboard the day previous to give the impression that the threat of throwing children overboard had been made or carried out, a story that was later proven false but taken up at the time by the
Howard government The Howard government refers to the Government of Australia, federal executive government of Australia led by Prime Minister John Howard between 11 March 1996 and 3 December 2007. It was made up of members of the Liberal Party of Australia, Li ...
during the lead-up to the 2001 election to support their campaign promises to tighten border controls and immigration. From November 2001 to March 2002, ''Adelaide'' and the amphibious warfare ship were deployed to the Middle East as part of
Operation Slipper The Australian contribution to the War in Afghanistan (2001-present), war in Afghanistan has been known as Operation Slipper (2001–2014) and Operation Highroad (2015–2021). Australian Defence Force (ADF) operations and the size of the force ...
, the Australian contribution to the
War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...
.Bendle et al., ''Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005'', p. 44 The ships also contributed to the continuing enforcement of the Iraq sanctions. ''Adelaide'' was deployed on border protection operations on multiple occasions until 2004. ''Adelaide'' returned to the Middle East from July 2004 to January 2005 as part of
Operation Catalyst Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...
, the Australian contribution to the reconstruction of Iraq following the United States-led invasion in 2003.Bendle et al., ''Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations, 1990–2005'', p. 60 During this deployment, in December 2004, several gunboats of the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...
attempted to capture a boarding party after it had inspected the freighter MV ''Sham'', which had grounded near the Iraq-Iran maritime boundary.Gardner, ''Iran 'unable to take Australians''Australian Associated Press, ''Australians repelled Iranian navy'' After completing their inspection, the boarding party returned to their two RHIBs, but were approached by an Iranian gunboat. The boarding party climbed back aboard ''Sham'', took up defensive positions, and, according to BBC reporter Frank Gardner, "warned he Iraniansto back off, using what was said to be 'highly colourful language'." During the next 45 minutes, four more gunboats arrived, and the stand-off lasted for four hours before the Australians were evacuated by ''Adelaide''s Seahawk helicopter. No shots were fired during the incident, and two of the Australians were later awarded the
Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation, state or country. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in act ...
for their conduct during the stand-off. The
Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...
did not immediately report the incident to the media, as they felt no need to highlight it, and the attempted capture did not come to light until July 2007, when Gardner wrote about it following the capture of 15 British personnel during a similar incident in March 2007. A March 2010 reorganisation of
battle honours A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military ...
awarded to RAN ships saw ''Adelaide'' retroactively honoured for her service with INTERFET ("East Timor 1999") and during the War in Afghanistan ("Persian Gulf 2001–02").Royal Australian Navy, ''Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours''Royal Australian Navy, ''Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours''


Decommissioning and fate

''Adelaide'' was originally scheduled to be paid off in November 2006, but delays with the project to upgrade four of ''Adelaide''s sister ships required that she be kept in service for another fourteen months to minimise the impact on the fleet.Fish, ''Australia's Adelaide ends 27 years of service'' ''Adelaide'' was decommissioned on 19 January 2008 at , before she was towed to Sydney and given to the
Government of New South Wales The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the executive state government of New South Wales, Australia. The government comprises 11 portfolios, led by a ministerial department and supported by several agencies. Th ...
, which planned to sink her as a
dive wreck Wreck diving is recreational diving where the wreckage of ships, aircraft and other artificial structures are explored. The term is used mainly by recreational and technical divers. Professional divers, when diving on a shipwreck, generally ref ...
off the coast near
Terrigal Terrigal is a coastal town on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, located east of Gosford on the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the local government area. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of . History Terrigal was fi ...
: the first military ship dive wreck in New South Wales.Nelson, ''Warship to be sunk off New South Wales coast'' ress release/ref> After spending time alongside at , ''Adelaide'' was towed to White Bay at a point prior to November 2009.Collins, ''HMAS Adelaide was stripped of her mast at White Bay last Thursday'' The ship was prepared for scuttling by McMahon Services during late 2009 and early 2010: her mast (which would have become a navigational hazard once the ship was scuttled) was removed, dangerous materials and toxins were removed, and access holes were cut in the ship's flanks.West, ''Scuttled ship would wreck bay: residents'' The ship was scheduled to be sunk on 27 March, offshore from
Avoca Beach Avoca Beach () is a coastal suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney. Avoca Beach is primarily a residential suburb, Avoca Beach is also a popular tourist destination. Avoca Beach is known for its ...
, in of water. Local
resident action group NIMBY (, or nimby), an acronym for the phrase "Not In My Back Yard", is a characterization of opposition by residents to proposed real estate development and infrastructure developments in their local area, as well as support for strict land us ...
s campaigned to prevent the scuttling, claiming that the wreck would affect tides and littoral sand drift, and that the removal of chemicals and hazardous materials in the ship had not been thorough enough, with the chance that marine life and people could be poisoned.Trembath, ''HMAS Adelaide to sleep with the fishes'' An appeal by the protest groups to the
Administrative Appeals Tribunal The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was an Australian tribunal that conducted independent merits review of administrative decisions made under Commonwealth laws of the Australian Government. The AAT reviewed decisions made by Australian G ...
three days before the sinking saw the project placed on hold until the case could be heard in full: supporters and opponents of the dive wreck agreed to participate in
mediation Mediation is a structured, voluntary process for resolving disputes, facilitated by a neutral third party known as the mediator. It is a structured, interactive process where an independent third party, the mediator, assists disputing parties ...
in the meantime.ABC News, ''Plans to sink warship scuttled by court order''Tovey & Harvey, ''Tribunal scuppers plan to sink ship'' The case was to be heard on 5 May, but was later postponed to July.West, ''Judge fires broadside at rush to sink warship''West, ''New tests ordered for warship toxins'' On 15 September, the Tribunal ruled that scuttling of the ship could go ahead after the removal of any remaining wiring, which may contain
polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organochlorine compounds with the formula Carbon, C12Hydrogen, H10−''x''Chloride, Cl''x''; they were once widely used in the manufacture of carbonless copy paper, as heat transfer fluids, and as dielectri ...
s, canvas, insulation, and exfoliating red lead paint.Harvey & West, ''Judge orders tough new rules for scuttling'' The delays caused by the tribunal hearing meant that the original $5.8 million assigned to the scuttling project was expended, and the tribunal hearing, additional cleanup, and berthing fees brought the cost of the scuttling project to $8.5 million. A new scuttling date was announced on 24 February 2011 by NSW Lands Minister Tony Kelly, with ''Adelaide'' scheduled to be sunk on 13 April 2011, after the additional cleaning ordered by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal was completed in March.Australian Associated Press, ''Greenies try to scuttle plans to sink HMAS Adelaide'' ''Adelaide'' was towed from Sydney Harbour on the morning of 11 April for the voyage north. The action group attempted to cancel or further delay the sinking of the warship, requesting that the New South Wales
Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...
investigate the government's handling of the artificial reef project, filing a summons in the
Land and Environment Court of New South Wales The Land and Environment Court of New South Wales is a court within the Australian court hierarchy established pursuant to the to hearing (law), hear environmental, development, building and planning disputes. The Court's jurisdiction, confined ...
on the afternoon of 12 April, and asking an Aboriginal 'whale caller' to summon
humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...
s to the planned wreck site.McMahon, ''Dolphins delay scuttling of HMAS Adelaide'' Despite this, the sinking went ahead just before midday on 13 April, after being delayed by over an hour by a pod of dolphins inside the exclusion zone. After the scuttling charges were fired, ''Adelaide'' submerged within two minutes.Westbrook, ''Dolphins frolic, protesters sunk as frigate sent to the bottom'' As an artificial reef, the aluminum superstructure of the ship has suffered
galvanic corrosion Galvanic corrosion (also called bimetallic corrosion or dissimilar metal corrosion) is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially when it is in electrical contact with another, different metal, when both in the prese ...
. With the superstructure weakened, a storm and heavy seas in 2024 removed the superstructure from the vessel and deposited it on the seabed on the port side of the vessel.


Citations


References

Books * * * * * * * ** ** Journal articles * * * * News articles * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Other sources * * *Senate Select Committee Inquiry into A Certain Maritime Incident ** ** *


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adelaide (FFG 01) Adelaide-class frigates Ships built in Seattle 1978 ships Ships sunk as dive sites Scuttled vessels of New South Wales Maritime incidents in 2011 Underwater diving sites in Australia Australia in the Iraq War Iran in the Iraq War