HMAS Anzac decommissioned
The Royal Australian Navy’s First Lady of the Fleet, HMAS Anzac (III), has been farewelled after 28 years of service during a decommissioning ceremony at her home port of HMAS Stirling in Perth.
CAPTION: HMAS Anzac prepares to berth alongside HMAS Stirling, the ship’s home port, for the final time before decommissioning, on 18 May 2024. Photo by Rikki-Lea Phillips.
HMAS Anzac – the longest-serving commissioned vessel in the Navy – was farewelled by many crew who have called her home over 28 years of service.
The decommissioning recognises the stories of bravery, service and sacrifice of the ship and her company.
Commissioned on 18 May 1996, HMAS Anzac is the third Royal Australian Navy ship to carry the name of the Australian legend.
Anzac was granted freedom of entry to the City of Albany, Western Australia, the departure port for the original ANZAC contingent, and has also forged a close association with the City of Rockingham over many years.
The ship participated in many deployments and operations during her service, most famously when she was deployed to the Gulf region in October 2002, and was part of what is now known as ‘Five Inch Friday’, the first time that the Royal Australian Navy had engaged in combat naval gunfire support since the Vietnam War.
Chief of Navy Vice Admiral Mark Hammond said HMAS Anzac’s motto was ‘united we stand’ and he was very proud to say that the personnel and veterans who served on board had stood united to protect Australia’s maritime interests within the region.
“An Australian warship is a strategic capability, but it is also a home, a sanctuary for those in peril on the sea – and a floating embassy representing Australia abroad,” Vice Admiral Hammond said.
“Thousands of men and women have called this ship home since it was commissioned in 1996 and, for some, HMAS Anzac represents key milestones in their lives and I thank each and every one of them, and their families for their support.”
Vice Admiral Hammond said decommissioning HMAS Anzac would pave the way for the long-term investment in enlarging and enhancing the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet, in response to the recommendations made by the Independent Analysis of Navy’s Surface Combatant Fleet.
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