HMAS Adelaide Home After India, Asia Deployment

HMAS Adelaide Home After Successful India And South Asia Deployment

Marking the end of her last overseas deployment as a commissioned warship, the Royal Australian Navy's (RAN) longest serving guided missile frigate HMAS Adelaide, arrived back in her home port of HMAS Stirling, Rockingham, today to a warm welcome from families and friends.

Adelaide's homecoming follows a successful six-week deployment that included the multinational naval exercise Malabar 07-2 in the Bay of Bengal (with the US, Indian, Singapore and Japanese navies), a three-day joint passage exercise with the Indian Navy and associated port visits to the Indian cities of Visakhapatnam and Chennai. Visits to Thailand and Singapore completed the deployment.

Adelaide's high profile participation in Exercise Malabar and her visit to the Indian Eastern Fleet Command at Visakhapatnam were firsts for the RAN, with the success of both heralded as major steps forward in strengthening defence relationships between the two nations.

Adelaide's Commanding Officer, Commander Rob Slaven, RAN, paid tribute to his Ship's Company and said "their effort during Exercise Malabar and subsequent port visits has shown the RAN is one of the world's highly professional navies and has successfully set the groundwork for future visits."

During her India sojourn, Adelaide also made a goodwill port visit to the city of Chennai where crew members spent a fun afternoon with residents of the Australian sponsored MITHRA (Madras Institute to Habilitate Retarded Afflicted) Centre.

The MITHRA Centre was founded by an Australian Missionary, Sister Mary Theodore, OAM, in 1977, as a residential and rehabilitation centre for intellectually and physically handicapped children and adults from impoverished backgrounds.

Adelaide will take part in two further local naval exercises before undertaking farewell visits to the cities of Adelaide and Fremantle prior to her decommissioning on Saturday 19 January 2008 at HMAS Stirling.

After her decommissioning Adelaide will be gifted to the NSW Government and sunk off the NSW Central Coast at Terrigal as an artificial reef and dive attraction.

ENDS

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