Australian oiler stops in New Zealand on deployment’s final port call

Royal Australian Navy replenishment oiler HMAS Success and over 200 of her crew stopped in Wellington, New Zealand, recently for the final port call of their deployment.

After spending weeks away at sea taking part in exercise Talisman Sabre 17, and participating in the 75th-anniversary events commemorating the Battles of Guadalcanal and Savo Island in Honiara, Success ship’s company visit their neighbors for a couple of days rest and recuperation.

While in Wellington, Success hosted a tour for personnel from the New Zealand Defence Force. The visit provided the opportunity to discuss maritime replenishment capability and improve relationships between the two countries.

Success recently completed operation Solania, an Australian Defence Force contribution to maritime surveillance within the Pacific Region.

The visit to Wellington was the ship’s final port visit before returning to her home port of Sydney, at Fleet Base East.

HMAS Success celebrated 30 years of service last year and is the last warship built at the Naval dockyard. Success, along with the RAN tanker HMAS Sirius, will be replaced by Navantia-built replenishment ships that are expected to enter service in early 2020s.