[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. Both the carrier and destroyer were 'darkened' with only navigational/operational lighting in use. She went on to participate in the international cross service Exercise TUCKER BOX in the Coral Sea in August before visiting New Zealand in September. She departed Sydney to pick up the RANs new Skyhawks and Trackers in the USA on 20 September 1967. [111] Australian aircraft were not to be provided, as the A-4G Skyhawks used by the RAN were optimised for air defence, not the fighter-bomber role performed by the Marines, and would have suffered heavy losses from North Vietnam's heavy anti-aircraft defences. Naval Airman Douglas Wild suffered severe internal injuries when he slipped while trying to unhook an arrestor wire from a Gannet and was partially crushed between the tail of the plane and the ships deck. [76] The carrier's Strategic Reserve deployment ran from April to June, and was followed by manoeuvres along the east coast of Australia until September. Long shot of the Evans cut in two . [3] It is unclear whether the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) orchestrated the acquisition of Melbourne or simply took advantage of the situation; Rear Admiral Zhang Zhaozhong, a staff member at the National Defence College, has stated that the Navy was unaware of the purchase until Melbourne first arrived at Guangzhou. Right: A Hawker De Havilland Sea Venom. She performed sea trials in Jervis Bay from 17 February until 5 May, then sailed for Subic Bay, Philippines, to participate in SEATO Exercise Sea Spirit. Search and rescue operations began immediately and 199 men were saved, many of them embarking and receiving treatment in the Australian carrier before transferring to the American carrier, USS Kearsarge. She visited New Guinea and Singapore before proceeding to rendezvous with Sydney to once again join the troop carriers escort force bound for Vietnam. The ledger is recorded under the name of the parent vessel or shore base. [7] The Colossus-class carrier HMSVengeance was loaned to the RAN from 13 November 1952 until 12 August 1955 to cover Majestic's absence. [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. Work progressed slowly thereafter and many lessons learnt during the war regarding carrier design and operations were incorporated into the ship's modernisation programme. The Forgotten Cruiser HMAS Melbourne 1913-1928 By Andrew Kilsby and Greg Swinden, Longueville Media, Woollahra, NSW, 2013. Skyhawks conduct a low flypast, 2 September 1971. 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. Then we want you! HMAS Melbourne (III) was one of six Adelaide Class Guided Missile Frigates (FFG) in service with the Royal Australian Navy. 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. Search using the name of the vessel as a keyword, and the series number as A4624. The ship was a long-range escort prioritised for area air defence and fully capable of surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction. Melbourne was damaged but sustained no casualties. She participated in Exercise JUC 63 in August, visited New Zealand in September, and took part in Exercise SWORDHILT in the Coral Sea in October. 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. Later that month she participated in the SEATO exercise SEA IMP in Philippine waters. [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. [142] Melbourne was docked in Garden Island's drydock on arrival, where she remained until January 1978. While the construction of the RAN's first carrier, HMAS Sydney (III), was too advanced to include these modifications, the construction of Melbourne was still at an early enough stage for their inclusion. [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. [23] During this deployment, a fire ignited inside the ship's main switchboard. Melbourne struck Voyager at the after end of her bridge, heeling her over to an angle of about 50 degrees. The aircraft was located some 17 minutes later on a reef off Palali Island, in Kali Bay at the western end of Manus. of 2 Download Low Res Image Order a copy Download Low Res Image Order a copy Description Crew members aboard HMAS Vampire. [129] In a repeat of the aftermath of the Voyager collision, Melbourne's captain resigned amid accusations of scapegoating. En route, on 2 August, she participated in the search for survivors from the collier Birchgrove Park which had foundered north of Port Jackson the previous night resulting in the loss of ten lives. 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. Delays in construction and integrating the enhancements meant that the carrier was not commissioned until 1955. [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. [23] During this deployment, on 21 June 1981, Melbourne rescued 99 Vietnamese refugees from a disabled fishing vessel in the South China Sea. She departed for her annual South East Asian deployment from Darwin on 7 April, and visited Singapore before proceeding on to Manila to participate in Exercise SEALION. 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. 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. [154] By February 1981, the Iwo Jima class was the preferred option. [167] Melbourne arrived in China on 13 June. 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. [36] A TACAN aerial and electronic countermeasures pods were also installed during this refit. [44] These weapons were donated to the Australian War Memorial at Stavromenos, in Crete's Rethymno regional unit. [44][45] The aircraft did not fly from Melbourne until the conclusion of her refit in 1969. This is reflected in the title for each volume, for example, 'HMAS Rushcutter, quarter ended 30/6/1941'. 82 of Voyager's personnel were killed, and two Royal Commissions were held to investigate the incident. [76] In the lead up to Melbourne's 1961 deployment to the Strategic Reserve, the carrier visited Bombay, Karachi, and Trincomalee. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that the National Archives' website and collection contain the names, images and voices of people who have died. Melbourne conducting flying operations with Westland Wessex anti-submarine warfare helicopters. [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. These larger and more dynamic jet aircraft led to commensurate advancements in the designs of the carriers from which they operated, most significantly the introduction of angled flight decks, mirror deck landing systems and steam powered catapults. That September Melbourne sailed for what was to be the first of many deployments to South East Asia. [9] Construction and fitting out did not finish until October 1955. The aircraft was seen to take off normally but quickly veered to the right and down into the water. The aircrew was rescued and hauled back on board, however, attempts to recover the aircraft were unsuccessful and it was lost over the side. [148] The carrier's deployments for the second half of the year consisted of two exercises, Sea Hawk and Kangaroo 81. Left: The band played a concert featuring a guest conductor. [89] Messages were immediately sent to the Fleet Headquarters in Sydney, although staff in Sydney initially underestimated the extent of the damage to Voyager. [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. [50][51], Over the course of her career, over thirty aircraft were either lost or heavily damaged while operating from Melbourne. 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. [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. 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. Ledgers often include individual crew lists for each vessel. | Australian War Memorial Home Collection Crew members aboard HMAS Vampire. [132] The ship's catapult was replaced with parts from the decommissioned HMCS Bonaventure in 1970. [17] Initially, she had up to 22 fixed wing and 2 rotary wing aircraft embarked at any time. The ship took part in Exercise JUC 85 later that month and into August, before departing for Pearl Harbor to participate in RIMPAC 72 on 17 August. Gannet 858 precariously suspended over Melbourne's port side after the pilot had unsuccessfully attempted to 'wave off' his landing. The crew formed the caption 20,000 LANDINGS on the flight deck to be photographed by helicopter. The integrity of the initial Board of Inquiry has since been questioned, particularly as it was presided over by Rear Admiral Jerome H King, USN, the officer in overall tactical command of Evans at the time of the collision. [32] During this refit, on 3 March, a boiler explosion caused minor damage to the carrier. Upon the conclusion of SEADOG, the carrier returned to Australia and arrived at Fremantle, via Singapore, on 8 August. She departed for the return journey to Australia on 31 October. Pls b advised that HMAS Melbourne arrived at Port Huangpu, intact n safely afloat, proud n majestic. 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. Following temporary repairs at Singapore, Melbourne returned to sea on 27 June bound for Australia. 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. [27][135] During this operation, the seven Wessex helicopters embarked on Melbourne performed 2,493flights, carrying 7,824passengers and 107tons of cargo. [4][6] As Terrible was the closer of the two ships to completion, she was finished without modification, and was commissioned into the RAN on 16 December 1948 as HMASSydney. In the early hours of 3 June 1969, in a manoeuvre almost identical to the near-miss with Larson a few days earlier, the destroyer USS Frank E Evans crossed Melbournes bows while attempting to move in the planeguard position, and was cut in two. Home delivery available. [4] Construction resumed in 1946, and major modifications to the design were incorporated. The need to secure a replacement for Melbourne grew as the carrier's age caused the operating costs to increase to over A$25million per year. [152] In June 1977, the Defence Force Development Committee approved an investigation into acquiring a STOVL/helicopter carrier. At the end of the Second World War, work on the ship was suspended until she was purchased by the RAN in 1947. [17][69], From February until July 1958, Melbourne was deployed on a 25,000-nautical-mile (46,000km; 29,000mi) flag-showing cruise. Tenders are additional vessels used to help or serve another vessel. Not long afterwards the first fixed wing aircraft, a Hawker De Havilland Sea Venom and a Fairey Gannet, arrived during trials in the English Channel. [117], On the night of 23 June 1969, Melbourne and her escorts were involved in anti-submarine training exercises in the South China Sea. [61] After visiting Melbourne and Jervis Bay, where the aircraft were offloaded and sent to Naval Air Station HMASAlbatross, the carrier concluded her maiden voyage in Sydney on 10 May. [79] After Strategic Reserve duties were completed, the carrier visited Japan, Guam, and Manus Island before returning to Sydney in late July. On 25 May Melbournes Commanding Officer, Captain John Stevenson, RAN, hosted the Commanding Officers of the ships in Melbournes Task Unit to a dinner on board, during which he ran through the procedures used for plane guard, expressed his concern for safety overall and related the events leading up to the Voyager tragedy. HMAS Melbourne (II) with Gannets and Sea Venoms ranged on deck. 99,290 miles. 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. The exercise commenced on 16 April and included sea and air units from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, the US, Pakistan and Thailand, under the overall command of the Flag Officer Commanding HMA Fleet, Rear Admiral Alan McNicoll, CBE, GM, RAN, aboard Melbourne. Her voyage to Australia was by way of the Mediterranean Sea and included visits to Gibraltar, Naples and Malta before transiting through the Suez Canal. [114][118] Evans had performed the manoeuvre four times over the course of the night. [16] The size of the ship's company averaged 1,350 officers and sailors, including 350 personnel from the embarked Fleet Air Arm squadrons. [1], Operations in 1972 commenced with a three-month deployment to Southeast Asia. Abaft the funnel, an SPN-35 carrier-controlled approach radar was mounted within a dome, and on the lattice mast a new tactical air navigation (TACAN) aerial and electronic countermeasures (ECM) pods were mounted. [64] The carrier immediately underwent a two and a half-month refit, allowing for the inspection of machinery and repair of defects detected during the maiden voyage. Melbourne immediately commenced search and rescue operations and requested assistance from nearby NAS Nowra where search and rescue aircraft and boats were based. [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. The National Archives of Australia acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, sea and community. The ships visit to Rabaul was marred by the tragic death of Seaman Brendan Lane in a car accident on 25 September. 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. A New Guinean sailor from HMAS Tarangau spends some time on board HMAS Melbourne during one of the flagship's visits to New Guinea. Not all ledgers for 1950 to 1956 are individually listed on RecordSearch. Finally on 9 May she arrived in Sydney for the first time. [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. Melbourne was the only Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions. See more photos. [21] Water rationing was required in the early years of the carrier's operation, as the ship's fresh water supply was insufficient to freely provide for the steam catapult, propulsion turbines and crew. 808 Squadron in 1955 posing before a Sea Venom onboard Melbourne. [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. [87] The destroyer's forward section sank quickly, under the weight of the two 4.5-inch (110mm) gun turrets. [121] Melbourne hit Evans amidships at 3:15am, cutting the destroyer in two. On 3 June 1947 the Commonwealth Government approved the acquisition of two aircraft carriers for the RAN. She joined Sydneys escort group for the final time early in June, and visited Malaysia later in the month before returning home. 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. 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. With 24 ships and submarines from five nations participating, OCEAN LINK was the largest SEATO exercise yet. [1] This was followed by goodwill visits to numerous Southeast Asian ports, including Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Singapore, and Surabaya, before Melbourne returned to Sydney at the end of April. [38] Both options were turned down, and it was instead proposed to operate Melbourne as a helicopter carrier. [163] Three days later, Melbourne ran aground while still in Moreton Bay. This cine film has been placed online as part of the Sea Power Centre - Australias ongoing archival digitisation program. HMAS Melbourne off the east coast of Australia on 6 May 1956, astern of HMAS Sydney, following her delivery voyage from Britain. Since both ships had just completed refits, this was the first time they had been involved in close quarters manoeuvring for almost six months. The three carriers astern of her are, from forward to rear, HMS Bulwark, HMAS Melbourne and HMS Victorious. On 28 April during flying operations in the Sulu Sea, one of Melbournes Sea Venoms crashed over the side when an arrestor wire failed on landing, and the aircraft did not regain enough airspeed to once again get airborne. We hold several sources of information on RAN ships. Requirements. HMAS Melbourne (R21) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). [12] Two days later, the ship was renamed Melbourne by Lady White, the wife of Sir Thomas White, the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and recommissioned. [33] After docking at Garden Island in December, the carrier was accidentally flooded by an officer who was impatient to commence leave. [143] During this exercise, Melbourne acquired the nickname 'Little M' after working with 'Big E' USSEnterprisethe smallest and largest aircraft carriers (respectively) in operation at the time. She departed Sydney on 27 January 1972 for that years South East Asian deployment and arrived in the Philippines, via Papua New Guinea, on 10 February. [155] The Australian carrier was prepared for disposal, and was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 30 June 1982. Note: This video is hosted on YouTube and has no audio. [155] The RAN was again offered HMS Hermes, and again declined due to the carrier's age and manpower requirements. [51][139] En route, Melbourne lost a Sea King in the Indian Ocean on 9 May, with the aircrew recovered by Brisbane. [77] Following the conclusion of Tuckerbox, the carrier visited several New Zealand ports before returning to Sydney for demonstration exercises and public relations activities. NSW. The two-carrier navy originally envisaged by the Naval Board was no longer feasible and HMAS Sydney (III) was successively relegated to a training vessel before being placed into reserve in 1958. [54][55] Although one of the largest ships to serve in the RAN, Melbourne was one of the smallest carriers to operate in the post-World War II period. [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. 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. During the 1970s and early 1980s, replacing parts became an increasing problem. [123] All of the survivors were located within 12 minutes of the collision and rescued before half an hour had passed, although the search continued for fifteen more hours. Left: Lady White unveils Melbourne's ship's badge. In 1952, a modified angled flight deck of 5 degrees was added as was a steam catapult and mirror deck-landing system. 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. Seventy four of Evans crew lost their lives, and Melbourne sustained extensive damage to her bow section. [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. [13], As the lead ship of the Majestic-class of light aircraft carriers, Melbourne was conceived as a modified version of the Colossus-class carrier, incorporating improvements in flight deck design and habitability. [84] The procedure to accomplish this required Voyager to turn away from Melbourne in a large circle, cross behind the carrier, then take position off Melbourne's port side. The observer, Lieutenant Edward Kennell, RAN, apparently did not eject but was briefly seen in the water next to the wreckage of the Sea Venom before he disappeared. Ledgers were completed quarterly for each ship, or shore establishment. [23] She returned to Australia on 12 October, but sailed out ten days later to participate in Exercise Leadline off Malaysia, before reaching Sydney again in December. Historic video footage showing a Gannet anti-submarine aircraft taking off and landing from the deck of HMAS Melbourne (II). [23], At the end of March 1978, Melbourne left Sydney for RIMPAC 78. [16] The carrier could achieve a top speed of 24 knots (44km/h; 28mph), and a range of 12,000 nautical miles (22,000km; 14,000mi) at 14 knots (26km/h; 16mph) or 6,200 nautical miles (11,500km; 7,100mi) at 23 knots (43km/h; 26mph). [30] Melbourne underwent another refit from late 1978 until August 1979. Early in her career, Melbourne underwent a series of short annual refits, commencing in September and ending in January or February of the next year. 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 [164] At this time, few western experts expected that the Chinese government would attempt to develop aircraft carriers in the future. 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. [134] While the Army supported this proposal, the Navy successfully argued against its implementation, claiming that transporting troops and cargo would be misusing Australia's only active aircraft carrier, and would prevent Melbourne from participating in several major multi-national exercises. [39] A reduction of embarked plane numbers to four Sea Venoms and six Gannets, along with regular rotation and careful use of the aircraft, extended their service life until the mid-1960s, while the size of the air group was maintained by carrying up to ten Wessex helicopters. Department of Defence users will not be able to view this video on the Defence Protected Network. The aircrew was rescued but efforts to recover the Gannet were unsuccessful and it was eventually released overboard. [4], A review by the Australian Government's Defence Committee held after World War II recommended that the post-war forces of the RAN be structured around a Task Force incorporating multiple aircraft carriers. Melbourne returned to sea on 6 February 1964 and proceeded to Jervis Bay to commence exercises with HMA Ships Voyager (II) and Kimbla. Special thanks to Aeroplane Magazine for their explanation of the mirror-deck landing system (Aeroplane September 2004). Melbourne underwent a refit from October 1965 to January 1966 and conducted post-refit trials and workup exercises off Jervis Bay in February 1966. [124] After Evans' stern was evacuated, it was cast off, while the carrier moved away to avoid damage. : USS Redfish United States Navy The decommissioned Balao-class auxiliary submarine was sunk as a target in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California, by . Captain Willis hands over command of the Australian Flagship HMAS Melbourne to Captain McDonald, 24 May 1972. [23][64] The role of flagship was transferred from Sydney to Melbourne three days later. 74 American personnel died, and a joint USNRAN Board of Inquiry was held. She arrived in Pearl Harbor, via Suva, on 25 October. [29] The next major refit ran from April 1975 to June 1976, and was intended to increase the operational lifespan of the carrier to at least 1985. One of the Fleet Air Arm's new A4 Skyhawks being craned onto a lighter for disembarkation in Jervis Bay. [166] The towing gear broke a day later, requiring a second tug to secure the carrier while repairs were made to De Ping. Melbourne then continued on to Japan and Hawaii for Exercise REX with USN units before returning home via Western Samoa and Fiji. Melbourne in San Francisco Bay with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. As the ship was never directly involved in a conflict, her weapons and embarked aircraft did not fire a shot in anger. 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