HMAS Dechaineux returns to Garden Island

Royal Australian Navy’s Collins-class submarine HMAS Dechaineux returned to Fleet Base West after a two-month deployment to Tasmania and New Zealand.

One of the highlights of Dechaineux’s deployment was being the Royal Australian Navy representative unit at the Royal New Zealand Navy’s 75th anniversary activities in Auckland.

Enroute home she participated in exercise Ocean Raider off the Australian east coast.

The crew was then able to spend some time in Sydney before continuing their journey to Garden Island.

This deployment will be the last for the submarine’s Commanding Officer Robin Dainty who has been in command of Dechaineux since November 2014.

Dainty will hand over command of the submarine in January 2017.

”I had mixed feeling during my final return to Fleet Base West. I am sad that shortly I will be leaving the crew, they have supported me exceptionally well. I am glad to be home though but more importantly to get the crew home,” he said.

During his time as Commander, the submarine sailed over 35,000 nautical miles and exercised with American, New Zealand, Canadian and Malaysian units.

The crew of Dechaineux will now spend Christmas with their families before returning to sea in 2017.