Success was decommissioned at Fleet Base East on 29 June 2019, after 33 years of service, and towed to Port Pirie for scrapping in August 2019.
Construction
Seeing a need to replace the ageing oiler HMAS Supply (AO 195), the RAN placed an order in 1971 for a combat support ship-a replenishment vessel capable of supplying ammunition and stores in addition to fuel-to be named HMAS Protector.[2] However, concerns about the cost of construction prompted the order's cancellation in 1974.[2] Instead, the Directions Techniques Des Constructions Navales was approached about constructing a Durance-class replenishment oiler for the RAN, and a design contract was awarded to the Government of France in 1977.[2] The $68.4 million (in 1978 prices) construction contract was awarded to Vickers Cockatoo Dockyard in October 1979, with ship delivery by 31 July 1983.[3]
Fuel lines being transferred from Success's port replenishment points to the aircraft carrier USSKitty Hawk, during a replenishment at sea in 2005. The cruiser USSCowpens has just completed replenishment on the starboard side, and is pulling away.
The modified Durance-class oiler is 157.2 metres (516ft) in length, with a beam of 21.2 metres (70ft), and a draught of 8.6 metres (28ft), with a full load displacement of 18,221 tonnes.[4] Propulsion machinery consists of two SEMT-Pielstick 16 PC2.5 V 400 diesel motors, which supply 20,800 horsepower (15,500kW) to the ship's two propeller shafts.[5] Top speed is 20 knots (37km/h; 23mph), and the ship has a range of 8,616 nautical miles (15,957km; 9,915mi) at 15 knots (28km/h; 17mph).[5]Success has a total capacity of 10,200 tonnes of cargo: 8,707 tonnes of diesel fuel, 975 tonnes of aviation fuel, 250 tonnes of munitions (including guided missiles and torpedoes), 116 tonnes of water, 95 tonnes of components and naval stores, and 57 tonnes of food and other consumables.[5] Fuel and liquid stores can be transferred from four points (two on each side), allowing Success to replenish two ships simultaneously, while solid cargo can be moved via vertical replenishment (with a hangar and helipad for a single Sea King, Seahawk, or Squirrel helicopter), or by boat (the RAN LCVPT 7 is carried on a starboard FWD davit).[4] The ship is armed with seven 12.7mm machine guns, and is fitted for but not with a Mark 15 Phalanx CIWS.[5] The sensor suite includes two Kelvin Hughes Type 100G navigation radars.[5] Ship's company is made up of 25 officers and 212 sailors.[5]
Success was laid down by Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Company at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney on 9 August 1980. She was launched on 3 March 1984, and commissioned into the RAN on 23 April 1986.[4]Success is the largest ship to ever be built in Australia for the RAN, and is the largest ship to be built in Port Jackson (the port of Sydney).[6] She was also the last major vessel to be constructed at Cockatoo Island Dockyard.[7] In June 1983 the contract were renegotiated while construction was underway, with the acceptance date being extended by three years and the project cost increased to $187.3 million. The cost and time overruns were primarily due to protracted dispute between the Commonwealth and the builder over the drawings and specifications received from France, with evidence that the Department of Defence underestimated the extent of the differences between the original Australian building specifications and those supplied.[3] Additional factors in the time and cost increases were a lack of tradesmen skilled in naval construction, overly bureaucratic management, and low labour productivity.[2] The final project cost was estimated at $197.41 million; the dramatic increase in cost prevented the construction of a planned second ship.[2][3]
Operational history
In 1986, Success was part of the multi-national fleet that entered Sydney Harbour to mark the 75th anniversary of the RAN.[1] Prior to the ceremonial entry, Success and two other replenishment ships (one United States Navy, one Royal Navy) were tasked with replenishing the assembled fleet: a competition between the three ships saw Success replenish more vessels than the other two.[1]
Port quarter view of Success, showing the ship's helicopter hangar and an embarked Sea King helicopter
Success formed part of the Australian contribution to the 1991 Gulf War.[8] The ship was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce from 19 September to 28 October 1999.[9] Although not recognised at the time, an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system, completed in March 2010, saw Success granted the honours "Kuwait 1991" and "East Timor 1999" for these deployments.[10][11]
In 2005, Success was one of several Australian warships to participate in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2005, a series of joint RAN-USN war games.[12][13]
During 2006, Success was deployed to East Timor as part of the Australian response to the 2006 East Timorese crisis.[14] In late November 2006, Success was one of three Australian warships sent to Fiji during the leadup to the 2006 coup d'état by Fijian military forces against Prime MinisterLaisenia Qarase. Success joined HMA Ships Newcastle and Kanimbla; the other two ships having sailed in the first week of November. The three vessels were to be used in the event of an evacuation of Australian citizens and nationals, but not as a military force.[15] The task group was stood down in late December 2006, with all three ships returning to port.
On 20 February 2007, Success intercepted a boat carrying 85 Sri Lankan asylum seekers.[16] These were the last asylum seekers to be processed under the Pacific Solution policy before its cancellation.[17]
HMAS Success sailing alongside HMAS Tobruk during RIMPAC 08
Success was deployed as part of Operation Resolute for three months in 2008.[1] While assigned to Resolute, the vessel was deployed with several other RAN vessels to take part in RIMPAC 08, a multi-national naval exercise.[1] During RIMPAC, on the night of 23 July, Success completed her 3,000th replenishment at sea (RAS) during a dual-replenishment of USSChung-Hoon (port side, 2,999th RAS) and Anzac (starboard side, 3,000th RAS).[1]
On the morning of 13 March 2009, Success was one of seventeen warships involved in a ceremonial fleet entry and fleet review in Sydney Harbour, the largest collection of RAN ships since the Australian Bicentenary in 1988.[18] The replenishment ship was one of the thirteen vessels involved in the ceremonial entry through Sydney Heads, and anchored in the harbour for the review.
In May 2009, while Success was on exercise in South-East Asia, the ship's commanding officer was alerted to an alleged sex gambling game aboard, which challenged male sailors to record their sexual activities with female sailors in a 'ledger', and awarded them prize money based on with whom or where they had sex.[19][20] This was one of several incidents during the three-month deployment; two bars in Manila were damaged during shore leave, while at another bar in Qingdao, several sailors were involved in a public sex act.[21] Three male sailors were removed from Success when the ship docked in Singapore, and were sent back to Australia to participate in a formal inquiry; this inquiry was found to be flawed because of bias and the denial of support to the three accused, and a second, independent inquiry was set up under former judge Roger Gyles in February 2010.[20][21][22] The first part of Gyles' inquiry report was released in February 2011, which stated that there was an entrenched culture of sexual harassment, bullying, and predatory sexual behaviour towards female sailors, coupled with alcohol-fuelled misconduct, particularly amongst the male sailors of the ship's marine engineering department.[21] Gyles found that although the harassment and misconduct had been occurring as early as 2004, failures to respond to earlier complaints led to a breakdown in discipline aboard Success.[21] The former judge was unable to prove the existence of the claimed ledger, but found many of the other claims to be correct, including evidence that male sailors had placed bets around having sex with a particular female sailor.[21]
Success entering Sydney Harbour during the 2009 ceremonial fleet entry
At the end of 2009, the Department of Defence released a request for tender for modification of Success into a double hull vessel, allowing her to meet International Maritime Organization standards for oil tankers.[23] The tender was awarded to Singapore-based ST Marine (a subsidiary of ST Engineering), with the conversion to be made during 2011.[23][24] The ship sailed to Singapore in November for a naval exercise, after which she was to enter dock for the 14-week conversion, but problems in the contract delayed the dockyard start date, and Success was ordered back to Sydney, via HMASStirling in Western Australia, so the ship's company could take leave with family while the contract was finalised.[25] Work on the ship started in late December 2010, with the main conversion work completed by the end of April 2011.[26] In May 2011, a civilian contractor working on the ship died after falling overboard.[27]Success left Singapore in late May, and returned to Sydney.[26]
Success underwent a major refit for most of 2013.[5][28] During this time, the Spanish oiler Cantabria was deployed to Australian waters to operate in support of RAN assets, while providing the opportunity to train Australian personnel on systems similar to those in the Spanish-designed Hobart- and Canberra-class ships being acquired.[28] In October 2013, Success participated in the International Fleet Review 2013 in Sydney.[29] In late 2013, the ship was the testbed for flight trials of the MRH 90 helicopter.[5]
In March 2014, Success was deployed to assist in efforts to locate and retrieve possible wreckage from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that had been detected on satellite images of the southern Indian Ocean.[30] In late November 2014, Success deployed to the Middle East for a six-month period to provide logistic support to coalition naval units as part of Operation Manitou, replacing the Australian frigate usually deployed in the region.[31]
In February 2015, Success was awarded the Gloucester Cup for 2014, marking the ship as the most proficient in the RAN for that year.[32]
Fate
Success in Sydney during July 2019 after being decommissioned and having her hull number painted over
The Australian Department of Defence predicted in 2006 that Success would reach the end of her useful operational lifespan sometime between 2015 and 2017.[33] Following her double-hull refit, this was extended to the early 2020s, with the decision on the replacement vessel (acquisition project SEA 1654 Phase 3) to be made between 2016 and 2018, and the new ship in service by 2023.[34] The 2013 Defence White Paper stated that the replacement of Success and HMASSirius would be brought forward.[35] As well as building replacement vessels (either in Australia, overseas, or a combination), leasing existing vessels was also to be considered.[35]
In June 2014, the Minister for Defence announced that two companies had been invited to a restricted tender competition.[36]Navantia from Spain offered the Cantabria design, while Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering from Korea proposed a downsized Aegir variant of the Tide-class tanker.[36][37] The 20,000+ tonne ships will be built overseas, as they will be too large to build in Australian shipyards.[36] In March 2016, the Navantia design was selected.[38]
Success arrived in Port Pirie in early August 2019. The ship was stripped to the hull by local engineering firm McMahon Services[42] and the hull then moved to Whyalla, to a slipway that was once part of the former shipyards, where it was broken up for scrap.[43][44]
1 2 Ing, David (4 July 2012). "Australia and Spain agree to share fleet tanker". Jane's Defence Weekly. Jane's Information Group.
↑ "Participating Warships". International Fleet Review 2013 website. Royal Australian Navy. 2013. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
HMAS Onslow is one of six Oberon-class submarines, previously operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The submarine was named after the town of Onslow, Western Australia, and Sir Alexander Onslow, with the boat's motto and badge derived from Onslow's family heritage. Ordered in 1963, Onslow was laid down at the end of 1967 by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company in Scotland, launched almost a year later, and commissioned into the RAN at the end of 1969.
HMAS Parramatta is an Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). One of ten warships built for the RAN and Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) based on the MEKO 200 design, Parramatta was laid down in 1999, launched in 2003, and commissioned into the RAN in 2003. During her career, the frigate has been deployed to the Middle East on several occasions. In early 2015, Parramatta was docked to undergo the Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) upgrade. She completed these upgrades in April 2016.
HMAS Stuart was one of six River-class destroyer escorts built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The ship was laid down by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in 1959, and commissioned into the RAN in 1963.
The Hobart class is a ship class of three air warfare destroyers (AWDs) built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Planning for ships to replace the Adelaide-class frigates and restore the capability last exhibited by the Perth-class destroyers began by 2000, initially under acquisition project SEA 1400, which was re-designated SEA 4000. Although the designation "Air Warfare Destroyer" is used to describe ships dedicated to the defence of a naval force from aircraft and missile attack, the destroyers are expected to also operate in anti-surface, anti-submarine, and naval gunfire support roles.
The Cockatoo Island Dockyard was a major dockyard in Sydney, Australia, based on Cockatoo Island. The dockyard was established in 1857 to maintain Royal Navy warships. It later built and repaired military and battle ships, and played a key role in sustaining the Royal Australian Navy. The dockyard was closed in 1991, and its remnants are heritage listed as the Cockatoo Island Industrial Conservation Area.
The Royal Australian Navy, although a significant force in the Asia-Pacific region, is nonetheless classed as a medium-sized navy. Its fleet is based around two main types of surface combatant, with limited global deployment and air power capability. However, in 2009, a white paper, Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030, was produced by the Australian government which set out a programme of defence spending that will see significant improvements to the RAN's fleet and capabilities. In recent times, Australia released its Surface Fleet Review in 2024, which analyses the future of the RAN and shows what the Government will procure.
The Canberra class is a ship class of two landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Planning to upgrade the navy's amphibious fleet began in 2000, based on Australian experiences leading the International Force for East Timor peacekeeping operation. With a new climate for growing Australian Navy spending, a desire existed for forward defence capability for landing and supporting troops on Asian territory, that had never existed in Australian history, even with the old Majestic-class light fleet carriers, HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Sydney in the 1970s. In 2004, French company Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) and Spanish company Navantia were invited to tender proposals, with DCN offering the Mistral-class amphibious assault ship and Navantia proposing the "Buque de Proyección Estratégica" design. The Spanish design was selected in 2007, with Navantia responsible for construction of the ships from the keel to the flight deck, and BAE Systems Australia handling the fabrication of the combat and communications systems. Finally, Siemens (Germany) supplied and fitted the azimuth thrusters.
HMAS Westralia was a modified Leaf-class replenishment oiler which served with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1989 to 2006. Formerly RFA Appleleaf (A79), she served in with the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) from 1975 to 1989. The ship was initially leased to the RAN, then purchased outright in 1994. In 1998, a fire onboard resulted in the deaths of four sailors. Westralia was decommissioned in 2006, and the ship was sold into civilian service for use as a Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel, under the name Shiraz. However, the ship was laid up in Indonesia until late 2009, when she was sold to a Turkish ship breaking company. Arriving in January 2010, the vessel was scrapped.
The Huon-class minehunter coastal (MHC) ships are a group of minehunters built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Following problems with the Bay-class minehunters, a request for tender was issued in 1993 for a class of six coastal minehunters under the project designation SEA 1555. The tender was awarded in 1994 to the partnership of Australian Defence Industries (ADI) and Intermarine SpA, which was offering a variant of the Italian Gaeta-class minehunter.
HMAS Sirius was a commercial tanker purchased by the Royal Australian Navy and converted into a fleet replenishment vessel to replace HMAS Westralia. She was named in honour of HMS Sirius of the First Fleet. Launched in South Korea on 2004, and converted in Western Australia, Sirius was commissioned in 2006; three years before a purpose-built vessel would have been built, and at half the cost. The tanker was decommissioned in 2021 and subsequently scrapped.
HMAS Bathurst (J158), named for the city of Bathurst, New South Wales, was the lead ship of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II and one of 20 built for the Admiralty but manned by personnel of and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Constructed during 1940, the ship spent most of her early career operating with the British Eastern Fleet in the Indian Ocean. She returned to Australian waters in late 1944, then was deployed to New Guinea in 1945, but saw little action. Bathurst was paid off in 1946, and sold to a Sydney scrap merchant in 1948.
HMAS Norman, named for the Norman River in Queensland, is the third Huon-class minehunter to serve in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built by a joint partnership between Australian Defence Industries (ADI) and Intermarine SpA, Norman was constructed at ADI's Newcastle shipyard, and entered service in 2000.
HMAS Bundaberg, named after the city of Bundaberg, was an Armidale class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The ship was built in Henderson, Western Australia, and was commissioned into the RAN in March 2007. Based at HMAS Cairns, Bundaberg spent much of her career deployed as part of border protection and fisheries protection patrols as part of Operation Resolute. In addition, the patrol boat was involved in several national and multinational training exercises, visited Vanuatu in 2011, tracked a suspected drug-smuggling vessel that led to a multimillion-dollar seizure, and participated in the International Fleet Review 2013. In August 2014, a large fire broke out on the ship while she was undergoing refit. Extensive damage from the fire led to the ship's decommissioning in December 2014.
HMAS Canberra (L02) is the first ship of the Canberra-class landing helicopter dock in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and is the second largest in the Navy, succeeded by its sister ship HMAS Adelaide (L01). Construction of the ship started in Spain in 2008, with the hull launched by Navantia in 2011. The hull was then transported to Australia in late 2012 for completion by BAE Systems Australia. Canberra was commissioned on 28 November 2014.
HMAS Adelaide (L01) is the second of two Canberra-class landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and is the largest naval vessel ever built for Australia. Construction of the ship started at Navantia's Spanish shipyard, with steel-cutting in February 2010. The ship was laid down in February 2011, and launched on 4 July 2012. Delivery to Australia for fitting out at BAE Systems Australia's facilities in Victoria was scheduled for 2013, but did not occur until early 2014. Despite construction delays and predictions, the ship was commissioned in December 2015.
The Tide-class tanker (formerly the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) project) is a class of four fast fleet tankers that entered service with the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 2017. The 37,000 t ships provide fuel, food, fresh water, ammunition and other supplies to Royal Navy vessels around the world. Norway ordered a similar 26,000 t version with a 48-bed hospital and greater solid stores capacity, but reduced liquid capacity; it was delivered in November 2018 as HNoMS Maud two years after originally planned. The two classes are very similar but are not directly comparable due to large variance in capabilities delivered.
Cantabria (A15) is a replenishment oiler operated by the Spanish Navy. Acquired to provide logistical support for the Spanish fleet, Cantabria was commissioned in 2010. Cantabria is the second-largest naval ship currently operated by the Spanish, behind Juan Carlos I.
The Supply class is a class of replenishment oilers of the Royal Australian Navy, a role that combines the missions of a tanker and stores supply ship. As such they are designated auxiliary oiler replenisher (AOR). They are tasked with providing ammunition, fuel, food and other supplies to Royal Australian Navy vessels around the world. There are two ships in the class, Supply and Stalwart. The project is expected to cost anywhere between $1 and $2 billion. Navantia were selected to build a design based on the Spanish Navy's current replenishment vessel Cantabria, which entered service in 2011.
HMAS Supply (A195), named after the Royal Navy ship HMS Supply, is the lead ship of the Supply-class replenishment oilers built for the Royal Australian Navy by Navantia at their yard in Ferrol, Spain. The Australian Supply-class ships are based on the Spanish Navy's replenishment oiler Cantabria. The vessel was launched on 18 November 2017 and commissioned on 10 April 2021. It was confirmed in Senate estimates on 6 June 2024 that Supply is under repair in Western Australia.
References
Gillett, Ross (2012). Australia's Navy: Today and Tomorrow. Vol.Part 2. Topmill.
Stevens, David, ed. (2001). The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. ISBN0-19-555542-2. OCLC50418095.
Jones, Peter. "Towards Self Reliance". The Royal Australian Navy.
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