[30][146] On 18 August, Melbourne sailed for Fremantle to participate in Exercise Sandgroper 80. Please be advised that HMAS Melbourne arrived at Port Huangpu, intact and safely afloat, proud and majestic. [30] This was immediately followed by a visit to the Solomon Islands in early April. Upon her return to Sydney, Melbourne commenced preparations for a major refit and modernisation, conducted at Garden Island Dockyard, to enable her to operate her new aircraft. We will commemorate crew members from HMAS Voyager (II) (pictured) who paid the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country, and the persons who answered the call for assistance including HMA Ships Melbourne, Stuart, Hawk, Ibis, Curlew, Snipe and Teal and search and rescue (SAR) vessels from HMAS Creswell (Air Sprite and Air Nymph), air The aircraft was seen to take off normally but quickly veered to the right and down into the water. 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. [38] Under consideration were British carrier HMSAlbion and a ship of the United States' Essex class. The two groups started SEALION independently before rendezvousing in the South China Sea on 11 May. 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 Minister for Defence, the Hon Allen Fairhall, MP, addressing the audience at Melbourne's rededication ceremony on 14 February 1969. [30][137], On 5 December 1976, a fire deliberately lit at HMASAlbatross by a member of the Fleet Air Arm damaged or destroyed all but one of Australia's S-2 Trackers. Once this was completed, Melbourne was removed while the new bow was put in place in the drydock. [30] While moored in Sydney Harbour, on 24 July, Melbourne was struck by Japanese cargo ship Blue Andromeda. Melbourne was the only Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions.[1]. On 15 June Melbourne led a column of RAN ships into Sydney Harbour for a ceremonial fleet entry celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the granting of the royal assent to the RAN. [67][68] The carrier spent the rest of the year visiting Australian ports for open inspections by the public. [82] The trials involved interactions between both ships, and when Melbourne performed night-flying exercises that evening, Voyager acted as the carrier's plane guard escort. Right: Leading Musician Cross lets one the students try out the trombone. Naval units from Australia, the USA, the UK, New Zealand and Canada participated in the exercises which concluded on 18 November. Melbourne's ship's company was recalled immediately from leave, the ship was loaded with supplies, and the carrier departed Sydney on 26 December in the company of HMASBrisbane. [61][63] Melbourne sailed east via the Great Australian Bight, meeting sister ship HMASSydney near Kangaroo Island a week later. She went on to visit Hong Kong in April before proceeding to Osaka, Japan, where members of the crew and the ships band contributed to Australian National Day on 8 May during Expo 70. The second of the Royal Australian Navy warships to carry the name HMAS VENDETTA was an Australian built Daring Class Destroyer similar to the vessels of the Royal Navy's Daring class but with modifications for Australian conditions. 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. Memorabilia from Melbourne's voyages with the Fleet Air Arm embarked, and examples of all the types of aircraft deployed on Melbourne, are on permanent static display in the Fleet Air Arm Museum at HMAS Albatross. [60] Commanding officers were changed on average every fifteen months, with few remaining on board for more than two years. Melbournes Commanding Officer, Captain Ronald Robertson, DSC, RAN, later reported; The actions required of Melbournes ships company called for individual initiative at all levels, and calm resolve to an extent that is not often required in peace time. Ledgers were completed quarterly for each ship, or shore establishment. She visited New Guinea and Singapore before proceeding to rendezvous with Sydney to once again join the troop carriers escort force bound for Vietnam. [105][106] As the carrier was optimised for anti-submarine warfare, there was little need for her at the start of the war. Melbourne got a glimpse of her future when she conducted deck handling and catapult trials with a USN Grumman S2E Tracker in the Philippines in July, and participated in Exercise FOTEX 64 in Singapore later in the month. Melbourne was laid down for the Royal Navy as the lead ship of the Majestic class in April 1943, and was launched as HMS Majestic (R77) in February 1945. [105] Despite the carrier being the centrepiece of several plans to involve Australian forces in the Vietnam War, the escort runs were the extent of Melbourne's participation in the conflict, and the carrier remained outside the Market Time area while Sydney and her other escorts proceeded to Vng Tu. While Melbourne was undergoing temporary repairs in Singapore, the ship's band spend time at the Singapore School for the Blind. They arrived at Garden Island at 4:13am on 28 April, some 5 hours and 32 minutes ahead of the ship. [86], Melbourne struck Voyager just aft of the destroyer's bridge, rolling the destroyer to starboard before cutting her in half. Repairs were once again carried out at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney. [127] It was learned during the inquiry that Evans' commanding officer was asleep in his quarters at the time of the incident, and charge of the vessel was held by Lieutenants Ronald Ramsey and James Hopson; the former had failed the qualification exam to stand watch, while the latter was at sea for the first time. | Australian War Memorial Home Collection Crew members aboard HMAS Vampire. 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. [121], Seventy-four of the 273 personnel from Evans were killed in the collision, with the majority of these believed to have been asleep or trapped inside the bow section, which sank within minutes. The National Archives of Australia has records about members of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) who served as crew aboard RAN ships. [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. The success of the exercises was tempered, however, when one of Melbournes Sycamore helicopters ditched into the sea near HMS Hermes while conducting a personnel transfer to the British carrier. [35], During the 19671969 refit, thirteen Bofors were removed, leaving four twin and four single mountings. [84] It was initially assumed by Melbourne's bridge crew that Voyager was conducting a series of tight turns to lose speed before swinging behind Melbourne, but Voyager did not alter course again. Pilot P Bainbridge and co-pilot D. Lawson all crew saved. The six most seriously injured survivors were transferred to Balmoral Naval Hospital by helicopter the following day, while others remained aboard Melbourne until she returned to Sydney on 12 February. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, age, color, sex (including pregnancy . The deployment was further marred when, just a week later while the ship was en route to Japan, a sailor was injured on the flight deck. [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. HMAS Melbourne was originally one of six Majestic Class light fleet aircraft carriers ordered for the Royal Navy (RN) during World War II. [169] Another anchor and the starboard side ship's bell are on display at the RAN Heritage Centre at Garden Island. Great Price $165 off avg. [36] Approximately 350 Fleet Air Arm personnel were stationed aboard the carrier. [30] Melbourne underwent another refit from late 1978 until August 1979. She has been innocent, never once bowed to the natural or human force, in spite of the heavy storm and the talked about jinx. [72][73] After filming concluded, the carrier participated in a demonstration exercise off the coast of Sydney before embarking on a Far East Strategic Reserve deployment from March until May. [2], Melbourne was paid off from RAN service in 1982. That afternoon a Gannet experienced a total power loss on take off and ditched into the sea about 500 yards from the ship. A proposal to convert her for use as a floating casino failed, and a 1984 sale was cancelled, before she was sold for scrap in 1985 and towed to China for breaking. In the foreground is the Landing Signal Officer, Lieutenant Peter James. [4] Construction resumed in 1946, and major modifications to the design were incorporated. [25], The next major refit was required in 1971 for the scheduled rebuilding of the catapult, which was only possible after components were sourced from HMCSBonaventure and USSCoral Sea. [77] Melbourne returned to Australia in June, and on 15 June led several ships in a ceremonial entry to Sydney Harbour to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the RAN. Temporary repairs were affected at sea before Melbourne proceeded to Singapore that afternoon. [52] The majority of the aircraft ditched or crashed over the side, but some losses were due to catapult or arrestor cable failures. [16] She had a beam of 24.38 metres (80.0ft), and a draught of 7.62 metres (25.0ft). [114] Evans was positioned on Melbourne's port bow, but began the manoeuvre by turning starboard, towards the carrier. In 1960, the United States Navy offered an Essex-class carrier to the Australian government, in the interest of improving relations between the two nations and their navies. [1] [2], Melbourne's initial armament included 25 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns: six twin and thirteen single mountings. Athol Townley MP, announced that fixed wing naval aviation would be disbanded in 1963 when Melbourne became due for a major refit. Melbourne spent most of the first half of 1970 in foreign waters. 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. 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. She sailed from Sydney for her South East Asian deployment on 22 June which took her to New Guinea, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Search and rescue operations began immediately in the aftermath of the collision. 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. List of shipwrecks: 6 February 1969 Ship Country Description USS ATC-132-1 United States Navy The armoured troop carrier capsized off Vietnam. On 5 July Melbourne, along with other RAN and RAAF units, conducted a search and rescue operation for a fishing boat, Fishing News, which had not returned to Sydney after putting to sea the previous morning. [114][128] Subsequent to the inquiry, the three USN officers and Stevenson were court-martialled by their respective navies on charges of negligence, with the three USN officers found guilty and Stevenson 'Honourably Acquitted'. Melbourne commenced her South East Asian deployment shortly after her visit to Hobart, departing Sydney on 7 March. Left: HMAS Melbourne (II) in company with HMA Ships Vendetta (II) and Voyager (II). She departed for her annual South East Asian deployment on 3 March. Their actions and behaviour left nothing to be desired. 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. [17], Initially, two types of fixed-wing aircraft were operated from Melbourne. They contain the following information for each crew member: The ledgers for each ship have been bound as volumes for each quarter, or three-month period, that the ship was on active service. They reflect the period in which they were created and are not the views of the National Archives. [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]. That December she commenced another major refit at Garden Island Dockyard during which her flight deck was strengthened and her catapult rebuilt with a bridle catcher extension. [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. [151] Both offers were turned down due to operating and manpower costs. [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 returned to sea on 11 May 1964 and commenced work-up exercises off the coast of New South Wales. [114][119] Seeing the destroyer take no action and on a course to place herself under Melbourne's bow, Stevenson ordered the carrier hard to port, signalling the turn by both radio and siren blasts. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. She then returned to Singapore for the SEATO exercise OCEAN LINK. Right: A Hawker De Havilland Sea Venom. Following her return, the carrier spent six months in Australian waters, before a two-month deployment to Southeast Asia. [1] At the conclusion of this exercise, Melbourne proceeded to Japan on a diplomatic visit, then sailed to the Philippines to exercise with SEATO ships. [117], On the night of 23 June 1969, Melbourne and her escorts were involved in anti-submarine training exercises in the South China Sea. She was, however, involved in two major collisions with allied vessels; though Melbourne was not found to be the primary cause of either incident. She departed Sydney for Asian waters on 5 May and visited New Guinea before continuing on to the Philippines to participate in the SEATO exercise, SEA SPIRIT. Left: The band played a concert featuring a guest conductor. The first aircraft to touch down on Melbourne's flight deck was a Westland Whirlwind helicopter of the Royal Navy on 6 December 1955. In these cases, the remainder of the record will be made available. After a short visit to Melbourne, the carrier returned to Hobart later in the month for the Royal Hobart Regatta and the royal visit of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. Building trust in the public record policy, Getting started with information management, Royal Australian Navy ship and crew records, the approximate service period of the individual, remarks about punishments or qualifications, any incidents occurring on board during tours of duty, the design, construction and maintenance of vessels, ships' logs from 1855 onwards, in a number of series, records on design, construction and maintenance (including. [10] As the carrier neared completion, a commissioning crew was formed in Australia and first used to return Vengeance to the United Kingdom. [116] In preparation for launching a Tracker, Stevenson ordered Evans to the plane guard station, reminded the destroyer of Melbourne's course, and instructed the carrier's navigational lights to be brought to full brilliance. [147] The squadron's return in November 1980 concluded the largest and longest RAN deployment since World War II.[23]. While conducting flying exercises off Manus Island on 16 March, one of Melbournes Gannets ditched into the sea when the pilot was unable to control the aircraft after relighting her second engine. The Gannets crew, Lieutenant David Farthing, RAN, Lieutenant Graham Bessell-Browne, RAN, and Petty Officer Frederick McCreanor, were quickly recovered by helicopter, somewhat shaken but otherwise unhurt. [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. Long shot of HMS Bulwark at anchor off Pall Tidman, 1969. . USS Frank E. Evans was an Allen M. Sumner class destroyer. [23] In May 1967, it was proposed that while Melbourne was out of service, A-4 Skyhawk pilots and maintenance personnel could be attached to a United States Marine Corps Skyhawk squadron in South Vietnam. They covered around 555 miles (893km) in a little more than two and a half days, and at the end of the month had raised over $6000 with donations still coming in. She visited Singapore and participated in Exercise FESTOON en route to Hong Kong, where members of her ship's company took part in the Queen's Birthday Parade on 21 April. [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. 19551982 Majestic-class aircraft carrier of Royal Australian Navy, During the late 1970s, the project to replace, Aircraft carriers of the Royal Australian Navy, For the purpose of this article, a conventional aircraft carrier is defined as a ship designed primarily to launch and recover multiple fixed-wing aircraft from a flight deck, and operated as such. She remained alongside in Sydney until February 1969. She participated in Exercise FIRST TIME in January 1965, and on 2 February departed Sydney for Hobart and the Royal Hobart Regatta. Melbourne underwent a refit from October 1965 to January 1966 and conducted post-refit trials and workup exercises off Jervis Bay in February 1966. Melbourne returned to sea on 3 February 1969 for sea trials and workup exercises, and a rededication ceremony was conducted on board on 14 February. [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. The missing vessel was located on the morning of 6 July some 60kms offshore, and the three occupants, suffering from exposure but otherwise in good health, were embarked in Melbourne by the carriers rubber Gemini dinghy. [17] Initially, she had up to 22 fixed wing and 2 rotary wing aircraft embarked at any time. [16] At launch, the carrier was 213.97 metres (702.0ft) long overall, but this was increased by 2.43 metres (8.0ft) during a refit in 1969. [74] All four Sea Venom incidents occurred in March, with three attributed to aircrew error and one to brake failure. Period 1970-1979 [77] In August, Melbourne was called upon to lead Exercise Tuckerbox, in the Coral Sea. [166] The towing gear broke a day later, requiring a second tug to secure the carrier while repairs were made to De Ping. [92], Melbourne arrived in Sydney with the survivors on 14 February, and after spending time alongside at Garden Island, was moved to Cockatoo Island Dockyard on 25 March, where repairs were undertaken; the damaged section of the bow was cut away and repairs to the ship's internal structure were undertaken in drydock, while a 40-ton prefabricated bow was constructed. [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. [153] By August 1979, the decision was limited to three ships: a modified American Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship, an Italian Giuseppe Garibaldi-class carrier, and a Sea Control Ship design that later became the Spanish Navy's Principe de Asturias. On 8 August tragedy struck Melbourne when Lieutenants Barry Thompson and Keith Potts of 808 Squadron were both killed when their Sea Venom crashed into the sea off Hervey Bay shortly after take off. A veteran from the HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Voyager collision on February 10, 1964 that killed 82 people believes changes to floodlighting on the aircraft carrier caused Australia's worst peacetime . [19] The flight deck, hangar deck and aircraft lifts were strengthened, and reinforced arrestor cables were installed. [91] At 9:58pm, Melbourne was informed that search-and-rescue boats from HMASCreswell, helicopters from HMASAlbatross, and five Ton-class minesweepers had been despatched to assist in the search. 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. Ralston, M. G. Watson, D. T. The following is a list of Officers and Ratings serving in Lt. Smith, W. N. Ian Critchley LM (E) Served from 1956 - 1969 Served in HMAS Vampire. To use these records effectively you need: The best available source for crew details is the ships' ledgers. The RAN lost only 2 Vessels during World War 1 and these were both Submarines, AE1 & AE2. [82] The Daring-class destroyer HMASVoyager was also present, undergoing her own trials following refit, under the command of Captain Duncan Stevens. The Melbourne struck the Evans amidship cutting her in half. [147] During this cruise two Skyhawks were lost: on 2 and 21 October. Crew members aboard HMAS Vampire. [142] Melbourne was docked in Garden Island's drydock on arrival, where she remained until January 1978. The Sycamores crew and all four passengers were safely retrieved by Hermes. The ten, ranging in rank from Ordinary Seaman to Commander, formed two five man relay teams and departed Melbourne Town Hall, along with their support volunteers, in the afternoon of 25 April to race the ship back to Sydney. [121] Melbourne hit Evans amidships at 3:15am, cutting the destroyer in two. She departed Singapore on 3 July and arrived back in Sydney, after disembarking her aircraft at Jervis Bay, on 15 July. A joint USN/RAN Board of Inquiry into the tragedy held Captain Stevenson partly responsible, stating that as Commanding Officer of Melbourne, he could have done more to prevent the collision from occurring. For more information, you can ask us a question. Melbourne immediately commenced search and rescue operations and requested assistance from nearby NAS Nowra where search and rescue aircraft and boats were based. [107] Utilising the carrier was suggested again by RAN officials in March 1966, when the United States Seventh Fleet was having difficulties maintaining anti-submarine patrols around Yankee Station, but Melbourne could only remain on station for a single, ten-day period, a third of the time that US carriers were operational for on rotating deployments. Ledgers often include individual crew lists for each vessel. The first aircraft to land on HMAS Melbourne. During the First World War the R.A.N. [26][114], Melbourne's commanding officer during the SEATO exercise was Captain John Phillip Stevenson. The Australian carrier HMAS Melbourne (R21, left) and the British carrier HMS Bulwark (R08) pictured at anchor in Singapore during the SEATO exercise "Operation Oceanlink" on 4 May 1958.The photo was taken from the U.S. Navy carrier USS Philippine Sea (CVS-47).Note the 40 mm Bofors flak in the foreground and the Grumman S2F-1 Tracker planes of Anti-Submarine Squadron VS-21 on deck of the . A Sea Venom on one of Melbourne's flight deck lifts. In April 1946 the RAN received prime ministerial permission to investigate the establishment of a naval Fleet Air Arm along British lines. Melbourne received a warm and colourful reception in Western Australia and there was great media interest in her arrival. Melbourne was back in dock from November 1972 until August 1973, with further work done to her catapult. Melbourne maintained a regular program of exercises, training and maintenance over the next few years, including annual deployments to the Asia-Pacific region. Melbourne went on to visit ports in Ceylon, India, Singapore, the Philippines where she took part in the years SEATO exercise PONY EXPRESS; Hong Kong where she had to put to sea to avoid Typhoon Alice; and Papua New Guinea before returning home in June. 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. After further visits to Manila and Singapore, she arrived back in Fremantle on 25 May. [4] The ship was laid down as HMS Majestic on 15 April 1943, and was launched on 28 February 1945 by Lady Anderson, the wife of Sir John Anderson, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer. de Havilland Sea Venom FAW.53 fighter aircraft were flown by 805 Squadron RAN and 808 Squadron RAN, while Fairey Gannet anti-submarine strike aircraft were operated by 816 Squadron RAN and 817 Squadron RAN. 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. [85] Both ships' measures were too late to avoid a collision; Melbourne hit Voyager at 8:56pm. In 1952, a modified angled flight deck of 5 degrees was added as was a steam catapult and mirror deck-landing system. [112] This deployment did not occur; the Skyhawk pilot training program was experiencing delays because US squadrons were being shipped training equipment and replacement parts in priority to the RAN, and sending qualified pilots overseas would have caused further holdups with the program, while also disrupting Melbourne's post-refit reactivation. [110] Both options were made more prohibitive by the need to supply at least two escorts for the carrier at a time when the RAN was having difficulty meeting deployment commitments with the available destroyers and destroyer escorts. 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