The Fleet's In

On Friday the 13th March, Sydney Harbour was honored by a visit of the Australian Fleet together with ships from the New Zealand Navy, the largest influx of warships since the celebrations of the Bi-Centenary in 1988, and together with many people from across Sydney and further afield, I was on the Harbour to see them sail to their anchorage points close to Garden Island and the Opera House. As usual, click on the photograph to see a larger version.

I had booked a place on one of the cruising ferries so after getting up at some unearthly hour I caught the 5.36 am train from my local station to the nearest station to the ferry wharf on Darling Harbour where I joined up with others to spend the morning on the water. While it was still dark when I got there, the clouds soon started to turn pink and the Harbour Bridge emerged from the darkness, so as we had been shown to a table in the restaurant on the lower deck, it wasn't long before we all moved up to the top deck to get a much better view of the ships when they appeared.




The Star Casino on the other side of Darling Harbour was all lit up - I understand that it never closes !




Once under the Harbour Bridge, the deserted water showed only the silhouette of Fort Denison beneath an overcast sky but it seemed only a few minutes before a multitude of spectator crafts and the regular ferries, together with maritime, sea rescue and police launches, took up their positions as several media helicopters hovered overhead.



HMAS Parramatta 154, an ANZAC class frigate, was aready in the Harbour moored alongside the wharf at Garden Island.





Looking at the sky, the clouds seemed to be constantly changing from bland to tempestuous and I really thought a few times that we were in for the thunderstorm forecast by the Weather Bureau but fortunately it held off.


Some ships, like the submarine HMAS Farncomb, had already entered the harbour ahead of the main Fleet.


Before we realised it, HMAS Sydney 03 glided past us and we then saw that HMAS Darwin 04 and HMAS Newcastle 06 were close behind.


The Huon Class frigates, named after Australian rivers, came next with HMAS Hawkesbury 83 followed by HMAS Norman 84, HMAS Gascoyne 085, HMAS Diamantina 86 and HMAS Yarra 87.






Following on from the Huon Class frigates, came the Anzac class - HMAS Anzac 150, HMAS Stuart 153 and HMAS Ballarat 155 - the HMAS Parramatta 154, a sister ship, we had seen earlier at Garden Island.





HMAS Sirius 266, named after a ship in the First Fleet, is a large size replenishment ship carrying fuel and other supplies for the Fleet at sea, as is HMAS Success 304, another First Fleet namesake.




Some needed more help mooring than others.



The New Zealand multi role ship HMNZS Canterbury L421 entered with the Australian Fleet.


..... and constantly, throughout the morning, various aircraft flew overhead .....


Three of the Navy sailboats were all over the place - whichever way you looked at least one of them seemed to be in view !


Once all the ships were anchored and in position, the crews started getting ready for an Inspection.





..... and here comes the Inspecting Officer.


HMAS Newcastle under review.


HMAS Sydney waiting for her turn - there was supposed to be an area of exclusion round each of the ships !


Police Helicopter keeping an eye on things.


A 21 gun Salute from HMAS Sydney.


Rear Admiral Nigel Coates and the Honorary Commodore, State Governor Marie Bashir make a ceremonial inspection of the Fleet in the Admiral's Barge .....


..... and are cheered by the ship's companies as they pass.


While overhead a helicopter shows the flag.


Our cruise was coming to an end but as we passed under the Harbour Bridge, the flag was still in view .....


..... and the promised Fleet Air Arm Flypast suddenly appeared.


Returning to the wharf in Darling Harbour, we spotted the Barque, The James Craig, which was built in Sunderland and launched under the name of Clan Macleod. After a varied career, including rounding Cape Horn 23 times, she was abandoned and beached during a storm in Tasmania during 1932 and remained there until 1972 when volunteers from the Sydney Heritage Fleet re-floated her and in 1973 had her towed to Sydney where restoration work began in 1981. She was relaunched in 1997 and is now availalble for charter at sea under sail or in the Harbour under power.


Berthed only short distance away from the James Craig is The Young Endeavour, the gift from the United Kingdom to Australia for the celebration of our Bicentenary in 1988.


..... and back we came to the Captain Cook base in Darling Harbour at the end of a great morning.


MV Sydney 2000.