HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05)

4200 tons

138 meters

14.3 meters

7.5 meters

184 plus the helicopter crew

1 propeller, 2 gas turbines driven; 41,000 shaft horsepower

30 nodes

1 cannon 76 mm, 2 torpedo launchers, Harpoon anti-ship missiles -, Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles, 2 Sea Hawk helicopter

The HMAS Melbourne ( FFG 05 ) is a frigate of the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN). It belongs to the Adelaide - class based on the American Oliver Hazard Perry class. The ship was involved, among others, the UN mission in East Timor in 1999 /2000.

History

The Melbourne was at the shipyard Australian Marine Engineering Consolidated ( since 2008: Tenix Defence to BAE Systems belonging ) built in Williamstown in the state of Victoria. The keel was laid on 12 July 1985, which launched on May 5, 1989. The ship is from 15 February 1992, in the service. It was named like its sister ships to Australia's major cities, in this case, to Melbourne.

From 20 January to 23 February 2000, Melbourne participated in the UN peacekeeping mission in East Timor, which took place under Australian leadership. She solved in waters off East Timor 's sister ship HMAS Newcastle from.

2002 sent the Australian Navy ship in the Persian Gulf to participate in the UN sanctions against Iraq. A year later, took the Melbourne part in the Iraq war and returned to the Gulf. 2010, the frigate was deployed as part of Operation Slipper into the Arabian Sea. There she took part in patrols against piracy off the Somali coast. In 14 cases, the ship received distress signals from endangered merchant ships, including the British tanker MV CPO China on 3 January 2011. The crew had barricaded themselves inside the ship and waited for help. At the approach of Melbourne taken the pirates to flee. The Melbourne returned to Sydney on 18 February 2011.