She remained alongside in Sydney until February 1969. [77][81], On 10 February 1964, Melbourne was performing trials in Jervis Bay under the command of Captain John Robertson, following the annual refit. [158], Following the decision to replace Melbourne with HMS Invincible, the postponed refit was cancelled outright. Then we want you! Their boat was towed back to Sydney by a police launch. [143] On return in July, the carrier entered a major refit, which continued until 3 August 1979. [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. [49] In October, Melbourne participated in Exercise Kangaroo II, before sailing to her namesake city for the carrier's 21st birthday celebrations, then returning to Sydney on 5 November. [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. [42][43] Both aircraft types entered RAN service in 1968, with the Trackers operated by 816 Squadron RAN and 851 Squadron RAN, and the Skyhawks by 805 Squadron RAN and 724 Squadron RAN. 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. Shift: Monday thru Friday 6:00pm-2:30am. Crew members aboard HMAS Vampire. [69] During the visit to Port Adelaide, on 28 October 1957, Melbourne was slightly damaged when she was struck by MV Straat Lankathe first of several minor collisions the carrier would experience throughout her career. 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She visited New Guinea before proceeding on to Subic Bay where she commenced the SEATO exercise SEA ROVER in March and April, which took the SEATO fleet across the South China Sea to Sattahip in Thailand. 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. On 1 May, the evening before the conclusion of SEA DEVIL, it was discovered that Leading Engineering Mechanic James Gartside was missing from HMAS Vendetta (II) and believed lost overboard. [7], The Majestic experienced delays in its construction due to labour difficulties, late delivery of equipment, additional requirements for Australian operations and the prioritisation of the construction of merchant ships. [146] The carrier was in Sydney from mid-April until mid-August, during which the 25th anniversary of Melbourne's service in the RAN was celebrated on 15 August with a cocktail party aboard the carrier, popularly referred to as 'The Night of the Admirals'. Melbourne departed Pearl Harbor on 25 November and arrived back in Sydney, via Suva, on 10 December. 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. [93][94], Of the 314 personnel aboard Voyager at the time of the collision, 14 officers, 67 sailors, and 1 civilian dockyard worker were killed, including Stevens and all but two of the bridge team. [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. She once again escorted Sydney for three days between 14 and 17 September northwards off the Queensland coast towards New Guinea before detaching for Port Moresby and, later, on to Rabaul. [65] Melbourne spent from September to November in Southeast Asian waters, during which she participated in Exercise Albatross and received an official visit by Philippines president Ramon Magsaysay. Ledgers often include individual crew lists for each vessel. A New Guinean sailor from HMAS Tarangau spends some time on board HMAS Melbourne during one of the flagship's visits to New Guinea. Following an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system completed in 2010, Melbourne was retroactively awarded the honour "Malaysia 196566" for her service during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation.[170][171]. Her forward section passed down Melbournes port side, and the stern section down the starboard side. Corrective action from both ships was required to avoid a collision. Right: The survivors were disembarked from Melbourne when the carrier arrived back in Sydney on 12 February. She participated in the anti-submarine Exercise WINCHESTER off Jervis Bay in September/October, following which she visited her namesake city. [59], Following a working-up period in British waters, Melbourne departed Glasgow on 11 March 1956 on her maiden voyage to Australia via the Suez Canal. Following her return, the carrier spent six months in Australian waters, before a two-month deployment to Southeast Asia. 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. 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. [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. Ledgers often include individual crew lists for each vessel. 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. 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. The Melbourne struck the Evans amidship cutting her in half. Melbourne struck Voyager at the after end of her bridge, heeling her over to an angle of about 50 degrees. [52] After Melbourne was decommissioned, the Fleet Air Arm ceased fixed-wing combat aircraft operation in 1984, with the final Tracker flight saluting the decommissioned carrier. [155] She was towed to the mooring dolphins near Bradley's Head, where she remained until 1985. [149] Melbourne remained in dock at the start of 1982, and did not leave before the decision regarding her replacement was made. Great Price $165 off avg. [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. 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. The fleet was divided into two with Melbourne's group operating out of Manila, the second group operating out of Bangkok. [30][146] On 18 August, Melbourne sailed for Fremantle to participate in Exercise Sandgroper 80. 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. [166] The journey was delayed when the towing line began to part, requiring the carrier and tug to shelter in Queensland's Moreton Bay, on 30 April. She departed for her annual South East Asian deployment on 3 March. However some crew records may be restricted because they contain sensitive personal information. [23] Melbourne was capable of being reactivated as a helicopter-equipped anti-submarine warfare carrier within 26 weeks, but was never required to do so. [67][68] The carrier spent the rest of the year visiting Australian ports for open inspections by the public. [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. At the end of the Second World War, work on the ship was suspended until she was purchased by the RAN in 1947. On 10 April she visited Colombo before crossing the Indian Ocean and arriving in her first Australian port, Fremantle, on 23 April 1956. [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. A Sea Venom on one of Melbourne's flight deck lifts. The Gannet fleet was grounded pending an investigation and was cleared to recommence flying operations on 12 February. [17], Initially, two types of fixed-wing aircraft were operated from Melbourne. She then returned to Singapore for the SEATO exercise OCEAN LINK. Laid down for the RN as HMS Majestic on 15 April 1943 and launched in 1945, the ship was nearing completion when construction was virtually brought to a halt with the cessation of wartime hostilities. [164] Reports have circulated that either a replica of the flight deck, or the deck itself, was used for clandestine training of PLANAF pilots in carrier flight operations. Since both ships had just completed refits, this was the first time they had been involved in close quarters manoeuvring for almost six months. [117] The escorts were again warned about the dangers of operating near the carrier and informed of Stevenson's expectations, while the minimum distance between carrier and escorts was increased from 2,000 to 3,000 yards (1,800 to 2,700m). [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. 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. [60] The carrier was also called on to perform underway replenishments and command and control functions. Country. [11], The completed carrier was commissioned into the RAN as HMAS Majestic on 26 October 1955. 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. Melbourne was back in dock from November 1972 until August 1973, with further work done to her catapult. Melbourne went on to visit New Guinea, the Philippines, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore before returning to the Philippines to participate in the SEATO exercise SEADOG in July. We hold several sources of information on RAN ships. 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