NAVY PEOPLE: MANLY HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE RETURNS HOME AFTER TOUR OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Manly High School seems like a distant memory to Tara Longley as she and her 190 shipmates aboard HMAS Melbourne return to Sydney today.

They are just back from six months pirate patrol off the Horn of Africa. It’s been Tara’s first overseas deployment.

Tara, 25, now works as part of a highly trained team inside the frigate’s operations room, filled with radar screens and electronic warfare equipment.

Using information from this room, the ship’s command team prevented an act of piracy on a British flagged vessel in the beginning of January.

NAVY PEOPLE: BACK FROM PIRATE PATROL

It has been a while since Ben McGregor, 34, padded up and took guard at the crease at Miranda Magpies cricket club.

On 18th February he and his 190 shipmates aboard HMAS Melbourne returned from six months pirate patrol off the Horn of Africa.

Ben is a supervisor in the frigate’s Operations Room with the rank of Petty Officer. His job is to ensure the tactical picture is always up to date, using sensor information from sonar, radar and satellite.

HMAS MELBOURNE WELCOMED HOME FROM MIDDLE EAST DEPLOYMENT

Today the Minister for Defence Materiel, the Hon. Jason Clare MP, joined the Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Steve Gilmore AM CSC RAN and hundreds of family and friends in welcoming the 230 crew of HMAS Melbourne home to Sydney after a six month deployment in the Middle East.

“This has been a demanding deployment where the crew have carried out really important work,” Mr Clare said.

“In January the crew disrupted a pirate attack in progress onboard the British chemical tanker MV CPO China. This was just one of the 14 piracy distress calls the crew of HMAS Melbourne responded to during their deployment.

“This is difficult and dangerous work. Their efforts show Australian Defence Force personnel and equipment at their best.”

PIRATE BUSTER HMAS MELBOURNE COMING HOME

The Royal Australian Navy Adelaide Class frigate, HMAS Melbourne, will return to Garden Island, Sydney, on Friday 18 February following a six-month deployment to the Middle East.

HMAS Melbourne departed Fleet Base East for the Middle East on 16 August 2010, carrying 230 men and women, for a six-month deployment, as part of Operation Slipper: the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the international campaign against terrorism, maritime security in the Middle East and countering piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

HMAS MELBOURNE'S FINAL ANTI-PIRACY ACT

On her final day assigned to operations in the Middle East, Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Melbourne continued her important work of securing vital sea lanes of communication.

HMAS Melbourne

Hours before handing over the maritime security task in the Middle East Area of Operations to HMAS Stuart, HMAS Melbourne was called upon to assist a merchant vessel in distress.

On Tuesday 18 January 2011, MV Tide reported that she was being harassed by a pirate mothership and two skiffs. The merchant vessel requested immediate assistance.

HMAS Melbourne responded and altered her course to steam to the aid of MV Tide, simultaneously sending her Sea Hawk helicopter ahead to investigate the situation.

Fortunately, MV Tide was able to conduct evasive manoeuvres and escape the pirates within about an hour of her initial distress call. The merchant vessel’s actions successfully negated the pirate attack, allowing HMAS Melbourne and her helicopter to return to patrolling duties without further incident for her last few hours serving in support of Operation SLIPPER.

HMAS Melbourne has successfully completed a six-month operational deployment to the Middle East marked by involvement in maritime security and counter-piracy operations, and international engagement with countries such as Yemen, Jordan and Pakistan.

HMAS MELBOURNE DISRUPTS PIRATE ATTACK IN ARABIAN SEA

Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Melbourne has disrupted a pirate attack on a tanker in the Arabian Sea.

HMAS Melbourne steamed to the aid of the UK-flagged chemical tanker MV CPO China, which had been boarded by pirates in the Arabian Sea at approximately 1.45pm Bahrain time on Monday, 3 January.

When initially alerted to the incident HMASMelbourne was approximately 267kms north of the MV CPO China but was able to cover that distance in just over six hours.

While steaming to the aid of the MV CPO China, HMAS Melbourne’s helicopter launched and on arrival in the vicinity of MV CPO China was able to deter the pirates from attempting to take control of the ship. As a result the pirates aborted the attack and left the vessel when HMAS Melbourne arrived on the scene.

The crew of MV CPO China had successfully secured themselves in the ship’s citadel (an anti-pirate stronghold) from where they could maintain satellite communications and control the ship. The engine controls and steering equipment for the tanker are located in the citadel.

“This is a terrific example of how Australia’s maritime contribution to the Middle East Area of Operations provides another layer of security for the region and to the conduct of trade and suppression of criminal activities,” said the Commander of Joint Task Force 633, MAJGEN John Cantwell.“One of our objectives for operations in the Middle East is to assist the efforts of the international community in reducing acts of piracy. Our men and women aboard HMAS Melbourne deserve recognition for their role in providing maritime security and countering piracy in the Arabian Sea. This is one of those occasions where their efforts have become highly visible,” he said.

Imagery of HMAS Melbourne conducting counter-piracy ops is available on the Defence Image Library.Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Melbourne has disrupted a pirate attack on a tanker in the Arabian Sea.