- Author
- Swinden, Greg
- Subjects
- Ship histories and stories
- Tags
-
- RAN Ships
- 817 Squadron, HMAS Kanimbla II, HMAS Tobruk II, HMAS Manoora II
- Publication
- March 2012 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
Throughout late 2010 and early 2011 the fate of both ships hung in the balance and finally, following the Rizzo Review, it was announced that Manoora would be decommissioned on 27 May 2011. Kanimbla had previously commenced an Extended Maintenance Availability in late 2010 and this continued on until early May 2011 when all maintenance was ceased. Finally it was announced that Kanimbla was also to be decommissioned and on 25 November 2011 her White Ensign was lowered for the last time and the 17 year era of the LPA’s came to an end.
But the LPA legacy will live on with the introduction of the LHD’s (HMA Ships Canberra and Adelaide). These new ships may well prove to be the ‘swans’ of the Australian fleet but without the previous ‘ugly ducklings’ they would never have existed.