Day One (Arrival in Brisbane River)
| A very early, cloudy arrival fresh from their three month
deployment to Balikpapan (Borneo), Sandakan (Sabah [Nth Borneo]) and Lumut
(Malaysia). |
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My son, Tony, an Able Seaman cook descends the gangway
about to touch Australian soil (concrete!) for the first time in three
months. |
| Right behind Kanimbla came the guided missile destroyer, HMAS Hobart,
a Charles F. Adams class DDG. It is seen here slipping in to tie up alongside
us. About as different a pair of ships as you could get. As is often typical
with RAN ships, they prefer to berth without tug assistance. |
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The superstructure & for'ard gun of a DDG is a very businesslike
place. The strong morning sun highlights the complexity of the modern warship
design. |
The superstructure and bridge of the Kanimbla on the other hand, is
more from the slab-sided practical school of naval architecture.
The group standing for'ard of the wind tunnel are the Navy Board inspectors
responsible for the redesign of the ship. Kanimbla bristled with various
sensors for the duration of the trip south to provide them with data. |
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HMAS Hobart's starboard RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat).
Now THIS is a rubber ducky with attitude. 5 cyl. Volvo-Penta grunt makes
it the floatie of choice for any serious bathtub! It can be deployed
very rapidly when needed. |
| Hobart's crew ready the missile launcher for a public inspection open
day. The Standard Missile being the main armament of the day. |
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Port side companionway, 2 deck. Definitely not a cruise ship. No carpets,
no tapestries and the games room director seems to have jumped ship! The
colour scheme is well co-ordinated though. Grey on grey throughout
I love it!. |
| In the evening, the wind tunnel joining the for'ard & aft upper
decks. This would not be great place to be when the cavalry is on the move.
A tight squeeze and fast moving armour would make a mess of anybody in
the way! |
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