- Author
- A.N. Other
- Subjects
- Ship histories and stories
- Tags
- None noted.
- RAN Ships
- HMAS Tobruk II
- Publication
- September 2015 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
By John W. Wells
HMAS Tobruk was built at Carrington Slipways, Tomago, NSW. She was laid down in 1978, launched in 1980, and commissioned on 23 April 1981. As a one-off build, she was based on the modified British Round Table Class, and more particularly the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Sir Bediverewhich was the second of the class for the UK Fleet. Sir Bedivere had been modified following the RFA’s experience with operating the lead ship, RFA Sir Lancelot.
For the RAN, the second ship to bear the name Tobruk was not a dashing Battle Class Destroyer like her predecessor, but a graceful amphibious ship of almost 5800 tons. Those who know her and have served in her, it is fair to say beauty was in the eye of the beholder.
Her commissioning Commanding Officer, CMDR Ken Doolan (later RADM), once remarked to me at a dinner, that departing Carrington’s construction site at Tomago had its challenging moments. Since that day, Tobruk has met many challenges. Her long and successful career has been characterised by her many operational successes, many nautical miles covered over a large part of the globe and, some difficult moments as most ships do experience. Difficult moments were far outweighed by her outstanding service to the RAN and Australia.
RAN
Prior to taking command of Tobruk, I was able to sea-ride her off the Queensland coast. The Maritime Commander (MC), his Flag Lieutenant and I joined the ship by helicopter which for me was a very special occasion and remains vividly in my memory today, as if it happened yesterday. We sighted the ship on the horizon and in the distance the flight deck was just a spec. As we closed the range, the deck grew to normal size and we were received by an efficient flight deck crew—an exhilarating perspective.
I have always had a very healthy respect for naval aviators since being awarded my limited bridge watch-keeping certificate in HMAS Melbourne—when we were a ‘two-carrier’ Navy! This respect was further crystalized after having served in helicopter capable ships during my exchange duties as a warfare officer as sea with the Royal Navy, where weather and other factors during the mid-80s made for interesting operations, to say the least. During my command period in Tobruk, I enjoyed and valued the experience working with Army aviators.
For the sea-riding, Tobruk had just returned from a Somalia mission and as a consequence, was at her peak operational readiness. It was no surprise the ship was awarded the Duke of Gloucester Cup for proficiency. CMDR Kevin Taylor (later CDRE) and his team clearly did an outstanding job.
An opportunity to meet some of the crew presented itself and on one occasion I was engaged in conversation by a young AB on the bridge wing, who was obviously very proud of his ship. He said to me; “Well Sir, you had better get used to it, because whether we conduct an Exercise or an Operation, Tobruk is normally first in and last out.” His comments stayed with me and upon reflection, he was right.
As a case in point, we had just completed Operation LAGOON in October ‘94, a peace keeping mission to Bougainville, and most units had dispersed for a bit of R&R. However, Tobruk had a final task of delivering a number of Leopard main battle tanks from Darwin to the Port of Melbourne, with a short stopover in Cairns on the way. Although it was a long haul after a difficult mission, it did enable me to have the opportunity to drive a Leopard tank up and down the wharf in Melbourne—under close supervision of the Armoured Corp, of course!
I am indebted to Kevin Taylor for having mastered the complexities of Tobruk’s engine control system and imparting that knowledge to me; and, for highlighting the shortcomings of a most temperamental bow thruster. During the handover period, he demonstrated his prowess by maneuvering the ship in confined waters in close proximity to other ships. He had developed a reliable procedure for operating the gearbox clutching systems that, one might argue, significantly reduced the probability of the Commanding Officer ending up on the front page of most national newspapers—for all the wrong reasons!
We had an excellent ships company during my command and of note, approximately 20% were female. I recall at the time, Navy was still dealing with female integration issues in the Fleet and had adopted a top-down approach to shift the paradigm and remove any hint of cultural dysfunction in ships. My interview with the Chief of Staff to the MC, when receiving my ‘steering orders’, included the inference that ‘the quickest way for a job change was to get the good working relations policy wrong’. However, for me, the issue of women at sea was a non-event having served as XO of the training ship HMAS Jervis Bay which had approximately 10% female crew.
Tobruk had over 34 years serving Australia in her joint operations capacity which included support to communities and disaster relief. For a period in the mid-90s, she was stalked by those who had an apparent case of strategic myopia when they tried to pay her off. Unfortunately, their efforts translated to a starved maintenance budget—mandatory planned maintenance items including bow door pins spring immediately to mind. The irony is not lost on me because the ship outlasted them all. If it were not for the professionalism and dedication of Tobruk’sengineering department throughout the saga, outcomes may have been different.
Tobruk has earned her retirement because the LHDs (HMAS Canberra and new ship Adelaide) are here with Adelaidecommissioning next year—back to a two-carrier Navy again! The LHDs are adding a new dimension and complex equation of skill-sets to the RAN, a scale of operations far beyond those which were required of Tobruk. For those young men and women who now have the opportunity to serve in Australia’s LHDs, we ‘old salts’ are distinctly envious of them!
When my time was up in Tobruk it was right and fitting that I handed over command to Glenn Robinson, who had served with me in HMAS Arden and in Jervis Bay. There are many good memories I hold from my time in Tobruk, as I am sure others who commanded her and served in her would recall from their personal experiences. She had her idiosyncrasies, which at times may have been unforgiving, but I for one, never would have given up the opportunity for the experience.
For my part, I am comfortable in the knowledge that despite the steel moving on to become either razor blades or perhaps a dive wreck, it is the people that make ships what they are—those who go down to sea in ships.
In closing, for those of you who expected a more statistical and chronological account of the life of a great warship, then by this stage, you might be disappointed. However the Navy website should satisfy a pursuit of statistics and highly recommended is Admiral Doolan’s book: HMAS Tobruk: warship for every crisis, Grinkle Press, 2007. We trust that it is not too long before another Tobruk(III) is commissioned—FAITHFUL and STRONG.