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You are here: Home / Article topics / Publications / Naval Historical Review / ANZAC Class Frigates – Naming Issues

ANZAC Class Frigates – Naming Issues

A.N. Other · Dec 12, 1992 · Print This Page

Author
A.N. Other and NHSA Webmaster
Subjects
Ship design and development
Tags
Ship names, Anzac Class Frigates
RAN Ships
None noted.
Publication
December 1992 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)

The New Anzac Class Frigates, the first of which will be delivered during 1995, have been named to commemorate previous ships of the Royal Australian Navy, all of which had distinguished careers.

In order of commissioning they will be named ANZAC, ARRERNTE (this is the spelling said to be preferred by the Aboriginal tribe and is pronounced “Ar-rrun-da”, with a rolled “r) WARUMUNGU, (spelling again said to be preferred by the tribe), STUART, PARRAMATTA, BALLARAT, TOOWOOMBA and PERTH.

In all, ten of this class will be built – the second and fourth for the Royal New Zealand Navy.

More then 70% of the work will be performed in Australia and New Zealand, providing an estimated 7,000 jobs into the next century.

The Editor “sounds off”:

There has been considerable and justifiable criticism of the corruption of the spelling of the names of the successors to the two “Tribals”. Historically, a name is carried forward as a tribute to the previous ships and to the men in her who were prepared to put their lives at risk in defence of their country and their people. To subordinate this principle as a sop to the flawed and confused thinking of a few ‘arty crafty’ activists, seems to me to be offensive to the dedicated people who sailed in these ships.

And, by what abstruse logic can it be established that a tribe which has no written language believe that the sound “Ar-rrunda” should be spelled, in English, “ARRERNTE”? There is obviously no relationship with either the tribal or the English language.

Surely this decision should be reviewed. So long as there is a ship bearing that name there will be endless pronunciation, identity and communication problems.

Nevertheless, corvette men are delighted that the names and traditions of ‘Ballarat’ and ‘Toowoomba’ will be carried into the next century by ANZAC-class frigates.

Naval Historical Review, Ship design and development Ship names, Anzac Class Frigates

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