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.
During the deployment, HMAS Melbourne successfully responded to 14 distress calls in relation to suspected piracy attacks, contributing to security in the maritime environment, while promoting regional stability and global prosperity. These operations complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists’ use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.
HMAS Melbourne’s return to Sydney marks the end of the twenty-fourth rotation of RAN ships to the Middle East since September 2001; this was HMAS Melbourne’s third deployment to the Gulf.
( navy )
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Source: navy, February 17, 2011;