Aircraft Carriers II (Closed to posting)

bd popeye said:

AFB, according to wiki only one Harrier ever was in service aboard the ship.

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bd popeye said:

With a crew of only 200 aboard a ship as large as this I don't know how they could conduct proper firefighting and damage control or clean the ship..and yes I know the ship has a lot of automation. Any major fire and...it's not pleasant to think about.

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Jeff Head said:

Well, these are still builder's trials really, so I expect there were French aboard too. It has not been turned over to the Russians yet, and that has been delayed. At least until November...but it may be extended, and it is feasible that it will not be turned over at all depending on what happens in Ukraine.

In any case, I believe the 200 Russians were there for training and review of what is happening. I do not believe that was meant to indicate that that was all the crew there was.

I am sure there are probably several undred French aboard as well. At least I certainly hope so!

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The ship has a crew of 160 with 20 officers. A mission voyage involving the transport of troops and equipment would typically take two to three weeks. Mistral and Tonnerre carry sufficient stores for the crew and 450 troops for 45 days between replenishment's. The maximum speed is 19kt and the range at 14kt is 11,000nm.

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bd popeye said:

... crew not counting air wing and deployed "marines' is ..160 enlisted plus 20 officers.

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djkeos said:

Singapore would be a potential buyer for one of the 'new' Mistrals.

Any other nations with aspirations and money?

That would p*** off the Russians.

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Jeff Head said:

A ship that size only crewed by 180 people? Sounds like they are planning to NEVER take any serious combat damage. God help them if they do.

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thunderchief said:

Mistral-class was not designed for combat with serious opponents. It suits the needs of France (various interventions against 3rd world countries), but in Russian navy it would stick out like a sore thumb.

Btw, I can't help imagining following scenario : Somewhere in the middle of the ocean Russians decide to overpower French crew and to make a run straight for St. Petersburg. Russian fleet is steaming west to meet them, but NATO decides to intercept ... It would be fairly decent movie for all navy buffs, better then "Red October"

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With final contractor sea trials now completed, plans are well underway for the majority of NUSHIP Canberra’s ship’s company to move down to the ship, which is currently berthed at Williamstown, Victoria.

Two-hundred out of the 380 strong Canberra team will move from Sydney to Williamstown on a RAAF KC-30 in the coming weeks, as momentum builds for the ship to be handed over to Navy.

Canberra’s Commanding Officer, Captain Jonathan Sadleir, said that the next three months will mark an end and a beginning.

“The coming three months mark the completion of a significant project milestone in terms of delivering the first Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) into Navy, but will also mark the beginning of a new platform in our fleet that will shift and grow the Australian Defence Force’s capability to a completely new level,” Captain Sadleir said.

“I sense a huge shift in the ship's company this month as we make final preparations to go to Williamstown and embark in the ship.

“I think the team is really starting to absorb what it means to be a part the ship’s company that is bringing one of the largest and most complex acquisitions ever bought by the Australian Defence Force into our Navy,” he said.

There’s already more than 100 Canberra personnel down at the ship, involved in a range of work including compartment and systems inspections.

“With over 1100 compartments in the ship, the handing over of compartments has to be a graduated process over time and this is well underway to meet the ship’s handover schedule,” Captain Sadleir said.

The ship is berthed at BAE Systems dockyard at Williamstown alongside sister ship Adelaide. Canberra has just completed two weeks at sea conducting her final contractor sea trials off the east Australian coast and in Jervis Bay.

One focus for Canberra is certifying Duty Watch teams so that they can be responsible for the ship in harbour. This is the first step in a series of milestones for the ship’s company to achieve as they bring Canberra into the Fleet.

“Duty Watch certification will see us starting to bring the rest of the Fleet with us on the learning journey the ship’s company has been travelling for the last 18 months,” Captain Sadleir said.

“We look forward to working with Fleet and moving forward together as we stand the first LHD Duty Watch teams up.

“Apart from Duty Watch certification, we will also be storing the ship – this is a huge evolution that requires careful planning and a team focus,” he said.



Members of NUSHIP Canberra's ship's company apply vertical shoring during damage control training at the School of Survivability and Ship Safety.

Members of NUSHIP Canberra's ship's company apply vertical shoring during damage control training at the School of Survivability and Ship Safety.


Canberra will also conduct a period of ‘fast cruising’ before leaving Williamstown. This process tests the ship’s watch and station bill. The ship’s company will be onboard and will carry out scenarios as if at sea – including evolutions like leaving harbour, a man overboard, or a mechanical breakdown - all done while being berthed alongside the wharf.

Until this point, the ship’s company has been predominately based out of Sydney, where the ship will soon be home-ported. The ship is scheduled to move from Williamstown to Fleet Base East in Sydney in November where the Commissioning will take place on 28 November.

“I’m already so proud of what has been achieved to this point. The next few months until Christmas hold the biggest challenges yet and the work done by the ship's company so far provides me great confidence as we embark on this period in history,” Captain Sadleir said.

Canberra’s Leading Seaman Combat Systems Operator, Aumau Falepau, said she is excited about what is about to unfold.

“I’m very excited. The whole process of being part of bringing the first Landing Helicopter Dock into the Fleet has made people feel really valued. No matter what rank or what job you have everyone is learning, and the contribution of everyone is so important,” Leading Seaman Felapau said.

“There is a huge sense of anticipation amongst the ship’s company - people are just so keen to get on with the workload ahead.

“People are already imagining how they will set up their mess decks and work stations.

“The periods I’ve spent onboard so far have been very valuable – it’s definitely going to be a leg work out every day!” she said.

Canberra will be able to conduct amphibious operations and land a force of over 1,000 personnel by helicopter and water craft, along with all their weapons, ammunition, vehicles and stores. The LHDs will also be capable of conducting large-scale humanitarian and disaster relief missions.

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LONG BEACH >> As far as the Navy is concerned, the USS Ranger has run out of chances to be saved from the breaker’s yard.

Still, the city of Long Beach is launching a last-ditch effort to preserve the supercarrier featured in the movie “Top Gun.”

The City Council voted 9-0 Tuesday to direct City Manager Pat West to investigate the feasibility of bringing the ship to the waterfront as a floating museum.

The measure by Councilman Dee Andrews also asks the City Attorney’s Office to prepare a resolution stating Long Beach’s interest in the aircraft carrier.

Local interest in the Ranger is being led by resident Robert Harmon, a former sailor who served on the ship during the Gulf War. Commissioned in 1957, the Ranger earned 13 battle stars in the Vietnam War and operated primarily in the Pacific before it was taken out of service in 1993. The carrier is now in the Navy’s Ready Reserve fleet in Bremerton, Wash., and being prepared for scrapping.

Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C., has made it clear that the Ranger is no longer available for donation, though the agency is aware of the proposal.

“The Navy made the ship available for donation for eight years, and while there are many veterans with strong desires that the Navy not scrap the ship they served on, there were no states, municipalities or nonprofit organizations that had a viable plan to save the ship while it was available,” spokesman Chris Johnson told the Press-Telegram.

There are no plans to return the ship to donation hold and the Navy is continuing to review proposals from ship recycling companies, with a deal expected to be made by the end of the year or in early 2015, according to Johnson.

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