RIMPAC 2008

HMAS SUCCESS

Commander S.T. Brown, RAN

CMDR Brown joined the Royal Australian Navy in Aug 1988 as a Supplementary List Seaman Officer. After completing initial Officer Training at HMAS CRESWELL he proceeded to sea for training in HMA Ships STALWART, CANBERRA and WOLLONGONG and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 1990.

He qualified as a Seaman Officer upon gaining the award of a Bridge Watch-keeping Certificate in HMAS JERVIS BAY in 1991, he consolidated and expanded on his experience as a Seaman Officer in Destroyers, HMA Ships PERTH and HOBART. Between these two postings he qualified as an Air Intercept Controller. His AIC and OOW time in HOBART was followed by a short period ashore in the Tactical Development Cell. He completed warfare training and was awarded his PWO qualification, specialising in Above Water Warfare in 1995. He then served as Gunnery Officer and Operations Officer in HMA Ships TORRENS and DARWIN, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1998.

On completion of his PWO sea time he was posted ashore to the Australian Defence Force Warfare Centre as the Instructor Above Water Warfare, during this posting he was loaned to USNAVCENT in Bahrain as RAN Liaison Officer and DESRON 50 Battle staff for 3 months following 9/11 tragedy. On his return he completed his time at ADFWC and was posted to the Directorate of Naval Officers postings as Desk Officer responsible for managing the careers of Seaman Officers. He was selected to execute the duties as Executive Officer HMAS CANBERRA commencing Apr 2003 and was promoted to the rank of Commander 2005.

In 2005 he attended the Australian Command and Staff College during which time he was also awarded a Masters in Management - Defence Studies. In Nov 2005 he was once again sent to Bahrain where he sent 6 months as the RAN Liaison Officer to US Fifth Fleet and on his return he was posted back to DNOP as the Junior Officer's Poster.

HMAS SUCCESS, based on the French 'Durance' Class Ship was built in Australia by Cockatoo Dockyard Pty Ltd at Sydney, New South Wales. She was launched from their slipway on 03 March 1984 by her launching Lady, Her Excellency Lady Stephen, wife of the then Governor General of Australia and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 23 April 1986. She is the largest ship built in Australia for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and also the largest ever built in the port of Sydney.

Contemporary maritime operations demand that naval combat units be supplied with fuel, ammunition, food and stores whilst underway at sea. HMAS SUCCESS is designed for this task. She is capable of day and night Replenishment at Sea (RAS) to ships alongside and concurrently by her embarked helicopter to other ships in company via Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP). Four main RAS stations are fitted, two of which have dual functions and can be used to transfer either fuel or solid cargo. RAS operations are controlled from the Cargo Control Room amidships. During solid cargo transfer a traveller riding on a tension highline between SUCCESS and a fixed point in the receiving ship supports the load.

During fuel transfers, the highline is used to support a hose which hangs from several travelling saddles and which has a quick connecting probe to mate with the fuel receiving point in the ship being fuelled. The solid cargo transfer stations are designed to handle sizeable loads of up to nearly 2 tonnes. All winches use hydraulic transmissions with electro hydraulic controls. The RAS system is designed to cope with the extreme demands caused by ship motion in rough weather and varying sea states. HMAS SUCCESS thus enables RAN fleet units to operate with a greater degree of flexibility and independence from shore support than has previously been possible from other RAN sources.

The Ship's Company of 220 is required to operate and maintain the propulsion, replenishment, auxiliary machinery and support systems in SUCCESS. Providing underway replenishment support to the fleet is a challenging and continuing task requiring technical proficiency and high seamanship standards. As would be expected in a modern warship, accommodation and recreation areas are spacious and well designed. Meals are provided from one centralised galley that includes a bakery. The medical centre includes an operating theatre, infirmary and dental surgery.

The Westland Sea King helicopter is an USA design but produced by Westland Helicopters in the UK. It is powered by two Rolls Royce Gnome H1400-1 engines, each producing 1600 shaft horsepower. It is crewed by two pilots, one observer (tactical coordinator) and one aircrewman. The primary role of the Sea King is to provide support to the Fleet as a utility aircraft. It is also capable of carrying a weapon load of homing torpedoes and/or depth charges. Other roles include Search and Rescue, logistics support and training. A Sea King can lift 3 tonnes externally and can carry up to 23 armed troops. The versatility and reliability of this aircraft enables the crew to confidently carry out their mission in any weather conditions, day or night, thus making it a valuable asset to the RAN.


The first HMAS Success

The first HMAS SUCCESS (H02) was an S Class DD built by Wm Doxford & Son Ltd., Sunderland UK. She was laid down on the 29 June 1918, launched 27 January 1920 and decommissioned 21 May 1931. She was eventually sold on 04 June 1937. HMAS SUCCESS I was 276ft in length with a beam of 26ft 9ins and a draft of 10ft 10ins. Her displacement was 1075 tons and had a speed of 36kts.