Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Darwin pulled into her namesake city one last time after 33 years of service and more than a million nautical miles underway.
Following a two month deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, the Royal Australian Navy’s most senior warship stopped in Darwin on November 1 before she completes her passage to Sydney for decommissioning at the end of the year.
“Visiting a namesake port is always a great occasion, but to bring Darwin in during her decommissioning year and celebrate her achievements with the people of Darwin is especially memorable for us,” Darwin’s commanding officer, Commander Phillip Henry, said.
“Our ship’s company are honoured to be part of Darwin’s history and we are proud to tell the story of her illustrious career representing Darwin and all of Australia with distinction.
“She is a fine ship and has served Australia well with deployments to Timor-Leste in 1999, the Solomon Islands in 2001 and regular trips to the Middle East, bringing peace and stability to the region.”
Darwin will exercise the ship’s right to Freedom of Entry with a public parade through the streets of Darwin on Saturday, November 4, and will host an open day on Sunday, November 5.