Australian Navy’s Seahawk helicopter crew embarked in HMAS Success operated in support of Operation OCEAN SHIELD, a NATO counter-piracy operation around the Horn of Africa, in early April.
The Seahawk crew and their helicopter ‘Odin’ have been deployed to the Middle East since November 2014 as part of Operation MANITOU.
Seahawk pilot Lieutenant Alister Auld has been operating Odin from Success for almost a year and said the NATO operation combined with broader Operation MANITOU duties had been career highlight.
The ship launched daily surface search sorties looking for any suspicious activity and reporting all gathered information back to NATO through Success.
Success’s assignment to Operation OCEAN SHIELD was completed 5 April 2015 before departing for Lemnos as part of Anzac Day commemorations.
The ship is completing her mission for Operation MANITOU before returning home mid-year after more than six months away from her home port of Garden Island, Sydney.
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Image: Australian Navy