HMAS Canberra (lll)

HMAS Canberra is an amphibious assault ship designated Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD). Following her commissioning at Fleet Base East, Sydney she the flagship of the Royal Australian Navy. Built by the Spanish owned Navantia and BAE Systems Australia, the LHDs are the largest ships ever constructed for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The ships provide the Australian Defence Force with one of the most capable and sophisticated air-land-sea amphibious deployment systems in the world.

The ship's roles are to:

• embark, transport and deploy an embarked force (Army in the case of the ADF but could equally be an allied Army or Marines), along with their equipment and aviation units
• carry out/support humanitarian missions.