HMAS Choules - Large Strategic Sealift
Australia's capacity to deploy and sustain land forces from the sea will be substantially enhanced when the two new Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious ships enter service in the coming decade. They will be able to carry a substantial quantity of equipment, stores and personnel. In terms of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, they will most likely be the best means available to provide assistance in our region without becoming a burden on damaged and fragile land infrastructure. They will also provide a significant capacity for maritime manoeuvre of land forces in the littoral environment.
The White Paper Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030 released on 02 May 2009, stated that the Government had decided to enhance this amphibious capability by acquiring a Large Strategic Sealift ship to move stores, equipment and personnel. Based on a proven design, the new ship will have a displacement of 10,000 - 15,000 tonnes, with landing spots for a number of helicopters and an ability to land vehicles and other cargo without requiring port infrastructure. The new ship will provide ongoing sustainment support for deployed forces, allowing the LHD ships to remain in areas of operations in direct support of the land force ashore.
A phase of JP 2048 will consider a strategic sealift capability. This capability would enable the ADF to transport bulk equipment, supplies and forces into a theatre of operations and provide significant ongoing support to deployed forces. Strategic sea lift is complementary to amphibious operations. This is likely to be an ACAT II project and Defence will commence work on developing this phase for Government consideration beyond 2019. This project arose from recognition of the need for a greater amphibious capability than was provided by the two KANIMBLA Class Landing Platform Amphibious Ships (LPA), the Heavy Landing Ship HMAS Tobruk, the six BALIKPAPAN Class Heavy Landing Craft and associated Army landing craft.
The new strategic sealift ship will provide the Australian Defence Force with the capacity to insert remaining elements of a large protected land force after the initial tactical lodgement has been made from the Navy's two new Canberra class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) amphibious ships. To undertake this complementary task, the new ship will be able to embark a number of helicopters as well as unload its vehicles and other cargo without requiring port infrastructure. This new ship will also support the LHDs by taking on the key role of logistically supporting deployed forces by transiting between the forwarded support base and the area of operations, thereby allowing the LHDs to remain in the area of operations supporting combat and aviation operations and providing the shorter-term logistic requirements of the force.
Importantly, the characteristics of the ship will also allow it to be employed in a wide range of non-combat operations such as evacuating Australian citizens from areas of trouble or providing disaster relief and humanitarian assistance after natural or man-made crises. This third ship will provide the Government with a greater versatility to respond to incidents in our region while providing a further layer of capability to the ADF's ability to deploy and sustain deployed forces. This third ship will also provide the Australian Defence Force with greater response options for short notice tasks when one or both of the LHDs might be in deep maintenance, deployed on concurrent tasks or otherwise unavailable for strategic sealift operations.
As of February 2006 an early decision had been taken on the type of ship needed to fulfil the Royal Australian Navy's requirement for a new strategic sealift capability. The choice was a conventional monohull vessel with a stern docking well, according to a Defence Materiel Organisation source. Several vessel types were under consideration, including high-speed vessels (HSV) and large roll-on/roll-off ships based on commercial designs. Only a sealift ship with a docking well could meet the demand for timely ship-to-shore cargo movements during high sea states. Ships without a docking well must rely on transferring cargo to landing craft via deck-mounted cranes or stern ramps. The effectiveness of either method is heavily dependent on favourable conditions and are generally not feasible above Sea State 1 or 2.
A general example of the type of ship which may prove suitable for the RAN's strategic sealift role is the UK's 16,000 tonne Bay-class landing ship dock (LSD), four of which were built for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.
HMAS Largs Bay
In January 2011 the Navy League, an Australian lobby group, proposed that the Royal Australian Navy should make significant savings by disposing of the ageing landing ship HMAS Tobruk and either HMAS Manoora or Kanimbla and buying a surplus British vessel. HMAS Tobruk, launched in 1980, was becoming increasingly unsustainable. And as of early 2010, both HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla, ex-US Navy vessels launched in 1970, were tied up in Sydney for urgent and overdue maintenance, with the government yet to decide their future. The United Kingdom's four Bay Class landing ship dock (LSD) vessels were all launched in 2006 and 2007.
Under the UK government's Strategic Defence and Security Review released in October 2010 one of the 16,000 ton Bay class LSDs will be decommissioned. Australia and the UK have discussed the possibility of Australia either leasing or buying one of these ships. Under current plans, the Navy is acquiring two Spanish-built 27,000 ton landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships, scheduled to enter service from mid-decade. The latest Defence Capability Plan (DCP) proposed acquisition of a new Strategic Sealift vessel of up to 15,000 tons, with the initial procurement decision in mid-decade and entry to service around 2022-24.
On 17 March 2011 Reuters News Agency reported that Australia had purchased RFA Largs Bay from the UK as a replacement for HMAS Tobruk. On 06 April 2011 Minister for Defence Stephen Smith and Minister for Defence Materiel Jason Clare announced that Australia had been successful in its bid to acquire the United Kingdom's Bay Class amphibious ship Largs Bay. The Government had previously announced that it had asked Defence to develop new and comprehensive options to ensure transition to Australia's Canberra Class amphibious Landing Helicopter Dock ships, which become operational from 2014, including the lease or purchase of a Bay Class Ship from the UK Government.
On 11 February 2011 Minister For Defence Stephen Smith, MP, spoke "... about accepting to decommission to Manoora, accepting advice at the Kanimbla would be out of service until the middle of next year. We're working very hard to put Tobruk on effectively a 48-hour operational call. But it's quite clear that as we transition to our new amphibious fleet with Landing Helicopter Dock ships arriving effectively from Spain on a 2014-2016 timetable, that we now have capacity challenge and capacity constraint.
So I've spoken, when UK Defence Secretary Fox was in Australia, about the possibility of Australia leasing a Bay Class amphibious vessel. Since that meeting I've spoken to him by telephone last week and we're working very hard to see whether it's possible to acquire such a vessel. And that would be in our view a good compliment to our capability. And that is a very good prospect, just as today's development, which is agreement for enhanced cooperation, enhanced interoperability and if I can use this expression, effectively potentially some joint use of the New Zealand amphibious ship Canterbury, provides us with another potential additional compliment which will be very handy as we make that transition, particularly in the disaster relief and humanitarian assistance area in our own region."
Largs Bay is a Landing Ship Dock (LSD) which was commissioned into service in 2006. It became surplus to United Kingdom (UK) requirements as a result of the UK Government's 2010 Defence Strategic Review. The ship weighs 16,000 tonnes. It is 176 metres long and 26 metres wide. Its flight deck has room for two large helicopters and can also carry around 150 light trucks and 350 troops. Its cargo capacity is the equivalent of the Royal Australian Navy's entire amphibious fleet.
Largs Bay is a proven capability having provided humanitarian relief as part of the international response to the Haiti earthquake in 2010. Largs Bay will help ensure that the Royal Australian Navy has the amphibious capability it needs for operation and humanitarian support in our region in the period leading up to the arrival of the Landing Helicopter Dock Ships.
The ship has been acquired for £65 million (approximately $100 million). Teekay Shipping Australia has thoroughly inspected the ship and found that: "The ship presents very well, and from a technical point of view, there are no major defects." Before the acquisition is finalised, Defence and the Royal Australian Navy conducted sea trials to confirm the material state of the ship. The ship was expected to arrive by the end of 2011 in time for it to be operational in early 2012.
The Government planned to announce further details of the transition plan for Australia's amphibious ship capability to provide this essential capability until arrival of the Canberra Class in due course.
RFA Largs Bay was designated as Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary)” or LSD(A), and is an amphibious support vessel capable of transporting large numbers of troops and equipment. A&P Falmouth carried out an intensive three month refit and upgrade prior to the vessel being handed over to her new owners the Royal Australian Navy. Work included, drydocking, main thruster overhaul, blasting and painting, main engine overhaul, general maintenance work, and provision of complete Mexeflote assembly. A&P Falmouth also had responsibility for training the Australian Navy crew in all aspects of the vessel operation. All was completed on time in order for the vessel to make a firm deadline of reaching Australia in time for her formal commissioning into the Australian Navy on 13th December 2011. Her new name is now HMAS Choules.
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