Royal Australian Navy retires last locally built Adelaide frigate

July 2, 2019, by navaltoday

HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06), the Royal Australian Navy’s last locally built Adelaide class guided missile frigate, has been decommissioned in Sydney.

The decomissioning ceremony for the ship was held at Fleet Base East on June 30, 2019, the navy said.

The event was a celebration of Newcastle’s dedicated service to the navy and the nation over nearly 26 years.

Commissioned back in 1993, HMAS Newcastle was the first Royal Australian Navy vessel to bear the name of Australia’s fifth largest city.

Over the course of her service as a commissioned warship, HMAS Newcastle traveled more than 900,000 nautical miles, visited more than 30 countries, conducted six maritime security operations and earned battle honors in East Timor, the Persian Gulf and the Middle East.

Newcastle also operated with regional navies, contributed to local and international maritime exercises and provided support to disaster relief and community assistance missions.

The 138.1-meter-long ship had conducted a multitude of ship borne activities, including replenishments, weapons firings, boarding operations, flying operations, and search and rescue missions.

Newcastle had recently completed a four-month deployment and had contributed to INDO-PACIFIC ENDEAVOUR 2019, in which she exercised with regional navies and visited countries across South East Asia.

Newcastle’s final port of call before returning to Fleet Base East was to the City of Newcastle to pay tribute to her namesake port.

HMAS Newcastle is being decommissioned to make way for the Hobart class guided missile destroyers, which will provide Australia with an improved war fighting capability.