HMAS Sydney (IV)

HMAS Sydney (IV) was the third of 6 Adelaide class guided missile frigates (FFG) to commission into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It was built at the Todd Pacific Shipyards in Seattle, Washington, USA and commissioned there on 29 January 1983 under the command of Commander Paul Kable RAN. 

Origins and early service of HMAS Sydney (VI)

The Adelaide class was based upon the US-designed Oliver Hazard Perry Class FFG, the concept for which began in 1971 when the United States Navy (USN) initiated a program to build 50 patrol frigates. These were later redesignated guided missile frigates designed for long-range escort with roles including air defence, anti-submarine warfare, surveillance, interdiction and reconnaissance. They were capable of countering simultaneous threats from the air, surface and subsurface. These ships were the first RAN ships to be powered by gas turbine for the main propulsion and could be underway from cold in less than 30 minutes. Two forward mounted, retractable auxiliary propulsion units provided a secondary means of propulsion plus excellent manoeuvrability in confined waters.

The decision to purchase the FFGs from the USA, and the consequent training program required of their crews, led to the establishment of the RAN FFG Ashore Support Office to provide administrative support to the ships’ personnel and their dependents. The FFG Ashore Support Office began operations at the US Naval Station, Long Beach, California on 1 February 1980 and moved to Bellevue, Washington on 15 September 1982. The office performed a range of support tasks including salary and allowance payments, travel and accommodation arrangements, removals assistance and other personal services. 

HMAS Sydney’s commissioning crew were in Seattle by 4 January 1983 and conducted intensive training and storing of the ship. The crew moved on board on 20 January and began preparations for the commissioning ceremony on 29 January. During the ceremony, the Guest of Honour, the Lord Mayor of Sydney, the Right Honourable, Alderman Douglas Sutherland, AM, JP, reaffirmed Sydney’s right of Freedom of Entry to the City of Sydney.

The commissioning crews also received training and other practical support from the USN’s Fleet Introduction Team in Seattle. The team was embedded as a ‘nucleus crew’ for FFGs under construction at the Todd Pacific Shipyards and integrated with the commissioning crew to provide training and ensure continuity through the construction and trials process. Sydney was the eighth FGG to receive support from the Fleet Introduction Team.

The next few weeks were occupied conducting training, trials, exercises and examinations, both of the crew and the ship, off the west coast of the United States in company with both USN and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) units. It put to sea for the first time on 14 March to conduct trials in the exercise area off the coast of Washington State. It set course for Southern Californian waters to continue training on 12 April. Following a 3-month training cruise which saw its visit San Diego, Los Angeles, Port Hueneme and San Francisco, Sydney returned to Seattle at the end of June where it completed final contractor trials and began a Post Shakedown Availability (PSA), a period allowing for significant defect rectification, modifications and general maintenance conducted by the shipbuilder. An industrial dispute delayed the start of the PSA for 2 months allowing the ship to briefly visit Vancouver in August before the PSA commenced on 1 October and was completed on 22 December.

Sydney completed 2 more months of training and exercises off the American west coast, as well as undertaking a few more minor modifications, before departing Seattle for Australian waters on 24 February 1984. It arrived in Sydney on 27 March, via Pearl Harbor, Suva, Auckland (where it participated in Exercise AUCKEX 84 as well as providing assistance to the fishing boat, Green Pastures) and Jervis Bay. The crew marched from Circular Quay to Martin Place where they exercised their Freedom of Entry to the City of Sydney.

Sydney put to sea again on 28 May 1984 for shakedown exercises and departed Sydney on 6 August as part of Task Group 627.2, comprised of HMA Ships Stalwart (II), Yarra (III), Vampire (II) and Canberra (II), for its first deployment to Southeast Asia. The TG was later joined by HMAS Stuart (II) in Darwin on 15 August.

The TG visited Ujung Pandang, Indonesia, on 21-24 August before conducting an air defence exercise with USN A-7 Corsair aircraft upon arriving in Subic Bay on 28 August. Unfortunately another air defence exercise on their departure on 1 September was cancelled due to the proximity of Typhoon Ike which later in the week wreaked havoc across the central Philippines claiming nearly 1500 lives.

Sydney continued on to Kure and Nagoya in Japan, and experienced earth tremors in the latter, the largest measuring 6.5 on the Richter Scale but caused no damage to the ship and little disruption in the city itself. Its deployment continued on to Hong Kong, Singapore where the TG conducted exercises with Singaporean Navy and Air Force units on 28 and 29 September, and Jakarta. The TG departed Jakarta on 11 October and commenced the multinational Exercise SANDGROPER 84, along with naval units from New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, in the Indian Ocean the next day. Sydney berthed at Fremantle on 25 October upon the conclusion of the exercises. It arrived home in Sydney on 22 November.

Sydney participated in the Fleet Concentration Period in February 1985 and Exercise FLYING FISH the following month along with other RAN and USN units. FLYING FISH proceeded north along the east coast from Jervis Bay to Brisbane, where the ships arrived on 14 March.

Sydney returned to the Indian Ocean with Adelaide, in May 1985. It arrived in its first overseas port of the deployment, Singapore, on 9 May and then on to Goa, India, on 21 May. The 2 ships began exercises with the US Carrier Battle Group Delta (USS Constellation with F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter aircraft embarked for the first time) on 30 May en route to Diego Garcia before the Battle Group was re-tasked to the North Arabian Sea on 1 June. Sydney and Adelaide continued to exercise independently before visiting the Seychelles on 11 June. There they undertook civic aid projects, painting and cleaning an orphanage and hospital.

They visited Mombasa, Kenya, on 18 June for a seven-day visit undertaking self-maintenance and also conducting maintenance at the Port Reitz Polio Clinic. Sydney was the first RAN vessel to visit the Federal Islamic Republic of the Comores Islands, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between Mozambique and Madagascar, on 27 June. 

The crew undertook numerous civil aid projects including maintenance and repairs at the airport and hospital in the nation’s capital, Moroni and also donated sporting equipment and children’s books. 

It visited Port Louis, Mauritius, on 4 July where a Soviet Kashin Class destroyer arrived 3 days later to much mutual curiosity. Sydney departed on 8 July highlighted by a lengthy exchange of salutes with the Soviet vessel whose musical tribute lasted for about 3 minutes. It later rendezvoused with Adelaide and the US Carrier Battle Group Delta en route to Fremantle and conducted exercises, arriving at Fremantle on 18 July.

During the deployment, Sydney’s crew conducted a fundraising drive in support of the ship’s nominated charity, the Ashfield Infants’ Home (later the Sydney Infants’ Home). Sydney’s association with Infants’ Home began in 1965 when the crew of HMAS Sydney (III) adopted the home in memory of the 82 sailors who lost their lives in HMAS Voyager (II) following the Melbourne/Voyager disaster in 1964. Voyager had supported the home prior to the collision. On 26 August 1985, Sydney’s commanding officer, Commander Russ Lamb, RAN, presented the home with a cheque and toys amounting to $700.

Following a refit which saw the ship alongside in Sydney for 4 months, it put to sea again 26 November for trials, shakedown and workup exercises.

Sydney participated in the RAN 75th Anniversary fleet entry into Sydney Harbour on 24 January 1986 while 70 members of the ship’s company participated in a march through the streets of Sydney later in the morning. It anchored off Bennelong Point on 27 January to act as flagship for the 150th Royal Sydney Anniversary Regatta, now known as the Australia Day Regatta, the oldest continuously conducted annual sailing regatta in the world. It recommenced its exercise program at the completion of its ceremonial commitments later that evening.

It participated in the Fleet Concentration Period 86-1 in February, Exercise TASMAN SEA in March and participated in the RAN Freedom of Entry parade in Melbourne on 10 March.

Operations, exercises and humanitarian missions

Sydney and ship of the same class, HMAS Darwin, departed Sydney on 30 April for a Pacific Ocean deployment, which included transporting medical stores to Suva, Fiji. They conducted exercises with the USS Carl Vinson Battle Group on 14 May before arriving in Hawaii on 16 May to participate in the major multinational USN-led Exercise RIMPAC along with more than 50 other ships, 250 aircraft and 50 000 sailors, airmen and marines. Sydney departed Pearl Harbor on 24 May following a successful RIMPAC and went on to visit Nuku’alofa, Tonga and Wellington, New Zealand, before arriving back in Sydney on 18 July.

On 8 August, Sydney’s crew hosted the ship’s major contribution to the RAN’s 75th Anniversary celebrations at the Sydney Town Hall. Almost 1000 guests attended the event entitled ‘HMAS Sydney on Parade’ which raised some $14 000 for the Autistic Association of New South Wales.

It participated in the Fleet Concentration Period 86-2 in September and, on 20 September, a contingent from the ship’s company participated in a march through the streets of Brisbane as part of the RAN’s 75th Anniversary celebrations. On 29 September, Sydney was one of 40 ships from 7 nations which entered Sydney Harbour in formation for the RAN 75th Anniversary Naval review. A contingent from the ship’s crew once again participated in a march, this time through the streets of Sydney, on 2 October. It came to anchor off Fort Denison on 4 October, with the then leader of the opposition, Mr John Howard MP and Mrs Howard, embarked to witness the review by His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, embarked in HMAS Cook.

Upon completion of its Naval Review responsibilities, Sydney departed Sydney on 7 October for Melbourne and Geelong to participate in the multinational Exercise CROWEATER. The exercise concluded on 21 October and the next day Sydney arrived at Port Lincoln, South Australia, where a team of 10 cyclists from the crew set out for Sydney to raise money for the Ashfield Children’s Home. Their efforts raised over $1000.

On 5 February 1987, Sydney was presented with the Duke of Gloucester’s Cup as the RAN unit displaying the highest level of overall proficiency through the previous year. The cup was presented by His Excellency the Governor-General The Right Honourable Sir Ninian Stephen AK GCMG GCVO KBE KStJ on the ship’s flight deck.

It participated in Fleet Concentration Period 87-1 later in the month, which concluded on 5 March. On 15 April it embarked 20 tonnes of relief aid stores, including tinned food, gas cylinders, medical supplies, building materials and bedding, bound for Tonga and the Solomon Islands. The bulk of the stores were to support a team of Australian cardiac surgeons who were due to visit the islands in June. It departed Sydney on 21 April and arrived in Port Vila, Vanuatu, where it transported food and medical supplies from the capital to areas still recovering from the damage caused by Cyclone Uma in February. The last of the stores were delivered on 28 April following which Sydney participated in Exercise PACIFIC GRANDEUR with ships from both Australia and New Zealand participating.

Sydney arrived in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, on 4 May and began unloading the stores embarked in Sydney. Members of the ship’s company undertook community assistance work at the Mata’aho kindergarten performing a variety of maintenance and minor construction tasks. The ship went on visit Niue and Vavau Island before arriving in Suva, Fiji at 09:35 on 14 May. At 11:00 that morning, local radio announced that soldiers wearing gas masks had entered the Fijian parliament building and arrested the Prime Minister, Dr Timoci Bavadra and his Cabinet. The leader of the military coup, Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, claimed that he had acted to prevent bloodshed between rival ethnic factions following Fiji’s recent general elections.

Sydney was brought to one hour’s notice for sea and leave curtailed while the situation ashore was assessed. The ship maintained contact with the Australian High Commission and acted as a communications link with Australia over the ensuing days. As the situation ashore remained tense, and with no desire for Sydney’s ongoing presence in Suva to further exacerbate those tensions, the ship put to sea in the early hours of 20 May. Later that morning Sydney was joined by HMA Ships Stalwart (II), Adelaide (II), Wollongong (II) and Cessnock (II) outside Fijian territorial waters signifying the beginning of Operation MORRIS DANCE, the contingency plan for the evacuation of Australians from Fiji should the need arise. Sydney remained in the area on patrol and on 29 May transferred 6 tonnes of relief aid stores bound for Honiara to HMAS Parramatta (III). Sydney was released from MORRIS DANCE on 2 June and proceeded to Sydney, in company with HMAS Success (II), where it arrived on 7 June.

Sydney recommenced a normal exercise program on 15 June conducting exercises with the US Carrier Battle Group Alpha (USS Midway). In July it began preparations for a major refit including extensive modifications to the flight deck and hangar to accommodate the RAN’s new Seahawk S70-B helicopters. The refit officially began on 10 August 1987 and ended some 18 months later on 2 February 1989. During that time, the crew underwent shore-based training and performed public relations and civic assistance tasks such as conducting maintenance work at the Ashfield Infants’ Home. It returned to sea on 6 February for trials and shakedown exercises including a visit to Melbourne, and a re-dedication ceremony was held in Sydney on 17 February.

After a brief period of defect rectification, Sydney recommenced its normal exercise program on 17 April conducting extensive workup exercises with HMAS Brisbane (II) and HMAS Onslow. It departed Sydney on 20 July 1989 to participate in Exercise KANGAROO 89 off Darwin and commence a Southeast Asian deployment afterwards. 

On 28 July it was one of 16 RAN ships which, along with 2 USN ships, formed the biggest naval fleet to visit Darwin since the Second World War. The exercise commenced on 1 August and was completed in the evening of 20 August. Sydney immediately began passage to Singapore in company with US Ships Oldendorf and Robert E Peary, and was joined by HMAS Success (II) on 22 August. They arrived in Singapore on 28 August.

Over the course of the next 2 months, Sydney visited Manila, Subic Bay, a second stop in Singapore, Muara, Phuket and Penang and conducted exercises with Navy and Air Force units from the USA, the Philippines, the UK, Malaysia and Singapore as well as Australia in various parts of the Malacca Straits and the South China Sea. 

On 23 September, while en route from Subic Bay to Singapore, Sydney and Success discovered the wreckage of what appeared to be a fishing or possibly a refugee vessel. Success remained in the area overnight conducting recovery operations while Sydney continued on to Singapore to participate in the Major Integrated Air Defence Exercise 89-4. On 18 October, the commanding officers of both Sydney and Success, Commander Russ Shalders, RAN and Captain Graham Sloper, RAN, respectively, met His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on the wharf in Phuket while on his official tour of Thailand. Sydney arrived back in its home port of Sydney, via Fremantle and Adelaide, on 17 November 1989. Sydney saw out the year in a leave and maintenance period.

It was back at sea on 22 January 1990 conducting shakedown exercises and on 26 January departed Sydney for Cairns under the auspices of Operation DEFERENCE, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) contingency plan to evacuate Australians from Bougainville should political tensions there continue to rise. It arrived in Cairns on 28 January but was released from Operation DEFERENCE on 31 January and departed Cairns for New Zealand the following day.

It participated in the Fleet Concentration Period 1/90 in February which was conducted in New Zealand waters in the Bay of Plenty area and included Navy and Air Force units from Australia, New Zealand and Canada. More than 4500 personnel participated over the 10 days of the exercise, which was not without incident for Sydney. On 10 February during a towing exercise with HMAS Swan (III), the towing hawser failed and fouled Sydney’s propeller requiring its to return to Auckland at slow speed for repairs. It retuned to the exercise on 11 February but the following day, it suffered a power failure while conducting a replenishment with Success necessitating an emergency breakaway. Sydney arrived back in Sydney on 18 February where it began preparations for a deployment that would see it circumnavigate the globe visiting 14 countries.

It departed Sydney on 5 March in company with HMAS Tobruk (II), which would accompany it as far as Turkey for Anzac Day commemorations. It was forced to make an emergency stop at Esperance, however, as a senior sailor had suffered a suspected heart attack as ship crossed the Great Australian Bight. The sailor made a full recovery but was unable to re-join the ship for the deployment.

After a visit to Fremantle and a brief period exercising off the Western Australian coast, Sydney departed Australian waters on 16 March. Its first overseas port of call was the capital of the Seychelles, Port Victoria, on 28 March where members of both Sydney and Tobruk’s ships’ companies conducted civil aid projects at Victoria Hospital, an aged care home and a children’s playground.

They passed through the Suez Canal on 11 April and visited Alexandria, Egypt, before continuing on to Turkey. They anchored in Anzac Cove on 18 April before arriving in Istanbul the following day. They visited Canakkale on 23 April conducting a memorial service over the wreck of HMAS AE2 en route. They anchored in Anzac Cove on 24 April in preparation for the 75th anniversary of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli. 

Members of both ships’ companies participated in commemorative services ashore on Anzac Day and Sydney joined Turkish, French and British ships for a sailpast and gun salute off the Turkish Memorial at Cape Helles. At the completion of the commemorative activities, Tobruk detached for return to Australia while Sydney remained in the Mediterranean for exercises with HM Ships Argonaut and Broadsword. It also conducted a memorial service off Cape Spada where HMAS Sydney (II) sunk the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni in 1941.

Sydney conducted exercises with FNS Dupleix in the Mediterranean, participated in the NATO Exercise OPEN GATE 90 in the approaches of the Strait of Gibraltar, 2 multinational exercises off Portland and the Firth of Forth, and conducted exercises with Royal Air Force and RCN aircraft while crossing the North Atlantic Ocean to Halifax, Canada. On 18 May while at Portsmouth, His Royal Highness Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, toured the ship and celebrated the 21st birthday of Able Seaman Chris Gittens with the rest of crew.

Sydney arrived in Halifax, its first North American port of call for the deployment, on 21 July for a 3-day visit before visiting Norfolk, Virginia, USA, from 26 July to 1 August. It conducted exercises with USN units and contributed surveillance support to the US counternarcotics program as it transited south towards Panama. It passed through the Panama Canal on 7 August and conducted exercises with USN and RN units en route to San Diego, California. On 14 August Sydney received a signal instructing it to expedite its return to Australia to prepare for a possible deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation DAMASK. It visited San Diego on 15-19 August, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 25-26 August and Pago Pago, American Samoa, on 1 September. It arrived back in Sydney on 8 September where it commenced a leave and maintenance period.

Service during the 1991 Gulf War

Sydney returned to sea on 15 October and began an intensive workup program in preparation for its deployment to the Persian Gulf. It also underwent a number of capability enhancements including new satellite communications equipment, surveillance systems, electronic warfare equipment, new radar absorbent material panels, and improved firefighting and damage control equipment. Its sea boats were also replaced with more robust rigid hull inflatable boats. It departed Sydney on 12 November, in company with Brisbane, having embarked Prime Minister Bob Hawke for a farewell address that morning.

On 30 November, just before entering the Middle East Area of Operations (MEAO), the ships were advised that the United Nations Security Council had adopted Resolution 678 authorising the use of force against Iraq unless it withdrew from Kuwait by 15 January 1991. On 3 December, Prime Minister Hawke announced that Australian units were allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz and enter the Arabian Gulf. Sydney and Brisbane were to form part of the largest grouping of warships seen since the end of the Second World War. The multinational Coalition included some 90 warships, more than 100 logistic, amphibious and smaller craft and 800 aircraft from 15 nations.

Sydney and Brisbane arrived in the MEAO, via Fremantle and Diego Garcia, on 3 December 1990. They rendezvoused with HMA Ships Success, Darwin and Adelaide that morning and conducted a thorough handover after which they commenced Maritime Interception Force duties. They sailed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the Arabian Gulf for the first time on 16 December.

On 24 December, Sydney was instructed to join 5 other coalition warships to assist in the interception of the Libyan sponsored ‘Peace Ship’ Ibn Khaldoon. In an attempt to embarrass the multinational force, Ibn Khaldoon had departed Aden in Yemen with 240 women, children and journalists embarked, along with the Iraqi crew of 40, with the intent of breaking the UN-imposed embargo. Sydney joined 6 other Coalition vessels and was tasked as the lead intercept and challenge unit. They intercepted Ibn Khaldoon on 26 December and, after receiving no response from the vessel after warnings to stop, boarding parties, including one from Sydney, were inserted and took control. The ship was later found to be carrying cargo prohibited by the UN embargo. Sydney was involved in the interception of a second vessel, Ain Zalah, on 30 December, but this vessel was carrying no prohibited cargo and allowed to proceed to Basrah.

The UN deadline of 15 January 1991 passed without incident, but at 02:30 on 17 January Operation DESERT STORM began. Sydney and Brisbane formed part of the air defence screen around Battle Force Zulu which included up to 3 USN aircraft carriers. These duties continued for the duration of the war with Sydney operating primarily in the North and Central Arabian Gulf. Additional duties during the course of the war included search and rescue, aircraft control and escort of detached units.

US President George Bush announced a cease fire on 28 February 1991 though Sydney’s responsibilities in the Battle Force Zulu screen remained largely unchanged. Sydney and Brisbane proceeded out of the Arabian Gulf for the last time on 22 March and exited the MEAO on 26 March. They arrived back in Sydney, via Singapore, Darwin and Brisbane, on 22 April where they began a well-earned leave and maintenance period.

Sydney returned to sea on 27 June and recommenced a normal training program, which included a visit to Geelong, and began preparing for a planned Sea East Asian deployment. On 5 August, Sydney’s Gulf War veterans participated in the Gulf Forces Welcome Home March in Sydney.

Operation DAMASK IV

On 14 August Sydney was informed that its Southeast Asian deployment had been cancelled in lieu of a second deployment to the MEAO in support of Operation DAMASK IV. It departed Sydney on 2 September and arrived in the MEAO, via Darwin and Singapore, on 25 September.

On this occasion, Sydney did not proceed into the Arabian Gulf as it did previously but instead set course for the North Red Sea. Its task was to enforce UN Security Council sanctions against Iraq by inspecting all merchant shipping bound for the Jordanian port of Aqaba, which provided access to the land border between Iraq and Jordan. Over the ensuing 4 months, Sydney conducted anywhere between 3 and 8 boardings per day and conducted 219 boardings over the course of the deployment. Seventeen ships were found to be in breach of UN Security Council sanctions and diverted to approved ports.

Sydney twice visited the Egyptian port of Hurghada in October, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Safaga in Egypt in November, spent Christmas in Piraeus, Greece, and returned to the North Red Sea on New Year’s Day 1992. It again visited Jeddah and Hurghada in January before conducting its last boarding on 27 January and departing the MEAO on 31 January.

It arrived back in Sydney, via Diego Garcia, Singapore, Fremantle and Westernport, on 28 February and once began a post-deployment leave and maintenance period before entering refit in early May.

On 22 June, Sydney became the first major surface combatant to embark females as permanent members of the crew. It returned to sea on 14 August 1992 and began post-refit trials, workup and exercises. On 13 November, the crew exercised the Navy’s privilege of Freedom of Entry to the City of Sydney with a march through the city streets as part of Navy Week and visited Hobart later in the month to participate in Tasmania Day celebrations.

It participated in the Fleet Concentration Period 93-1, off the coast of New South Wales, and Exercise TASMANEX in New Zealand waters in February 1993, after which Sydney visited Wellington before setting course back to Australia on 28 February. Both exercises included naval units from the RNZN.

On 31 May, Sydney received confirmation that it was to deploy to the MEAO for the third time in support of Operation DAMASK and immediately began workup in preparation. The deployment carried particular significance being the first operational deployment of a mixed-gender crew with females fully integrated into boarding party operations. Sydney departed Sydney on 22 June and arrived in the MEAO, via Darwin, Penang and Kochi, on 20 July and proceeded into the North Red Sea, arriving on station 4 days later. 

Over the course of the deployment, it made port visits to Hurghada, twice to Aqaba in Jordan, Port Suez in Egypt and Jeddah, and visited Iraklion in Crete for a self-maintenance period in September. On 22 October Sydney’s Seahawk helicopter helped locate the sinking merchant vessel Ever Obtain for USS Hayler to provide assistance, and 4 days later the ship’s medical officer was flown to Hurghada to provide assistance to 5 tourists, including 2 Australians, who had been injured in a bus crash. Sydney made a final visit to Hurghada in early November, departing on 5 November to return to Sydney, via Karachi, Singapore, Darwin and Brisbane. It arrived home on 15 December having completed 353 interrogations, 179 boardings and 113 visual identifications during the deployment.

Regional deployments and exercises

The ship underwent a leave and maintenance period before returning to sea on 28 February 1994. Shortly after midnight on 15 March, Sydney rescued 2 sailors from the yacht Pacific Breeze which had foundered some 280 nautical miles from Jervis Bay and returned them safely to Sydney, after which it began exercises off the Tasmanian and New South Wales coasts in preparation for deployment to Exercise RIMPAC.

Sydney departed Australian waters for Hawaii, via Suva, Fiji, on 23 April in company with HMA Ships Darwin, Hobart and Success. It arrived at Pearl Harbor on 9 May and began preparations for RIMPAC which began on 23 May. Around 25 000 service personnel from Australia, the USA, South Korea, Japan and Canada took part. It departed Hawaii on 23 June and arrived back in Sydney, via Vila, Vanuatu, on 9 July.

It participated in Exercise SANDGROPER 94 off the coast of Western Australia in October and November 1994 before returning to eastern Australian waters to continue exercises through to the end of the year.

Sydney began 1995 undergoing regular maintenance before returning to sea on 14 February. It participated in Exercise KAKADU II in the Timor Sea off Darwin in March, which involved naval forces from Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as observers from the Philippines.

It deployed for Southeast Asia directly from Darwin, in company with HMA Ships Hobart, Success and Canberra, on 3 April. It conducted port visits to Surabaya in Indonesia, Singapore and Pattaya in Thailand that month while participating in Exercises AUSINA 1/95, IADS 95-2 and AUSTHAI 95. It went on to visit Manila in the Philippines and Hong Kong in May and exercised with naval units from the USA and the Philippines, before conducting a historic goodwill visit to the Russian port of Vladivostok, the home port of the Russian Pacific Fleet. It arrived on 21 May in heavy fog which reduced visibility to less than 80 metres. It departed on 25 May, after a successful five-day visit, in conditions that were not much better than those on its arrival. It visited Nagoya, Japan, at the end of the month, and Guam in June, exercising with Japanese naval units en route, before returning to Sydney, via Gladstone, on 23 June. It formally went into refit on 10 July.

Sydney returned to sea on 13 November 1995 for post-refit trials and commenced work up exercises in February 1996 while also participating in the Fleet Concentration Period. Sydney returned to Hawaii in May and June to participate in Exercise RIMPAC 96, along with HMA Ships Perth, Newcastle and Success, having visited Lautoka, Fiji, en route. Sydney spent 24 days at sea during the exercise. It participated in Exercise NEW HORIZON VIII in the Java Sea in July before arriving home in Sydney on 2 August, having visited Guam, Surabaya, Townsville and Brisbane since the end of RIMPAC. Upon its return, it recommenced a routine program of training and maintenance off the Australian east coast, including visits to Hobart later that month and Brisbane in September.

It once again participated in the Fleet Concentration Period in February 1997, and the inaugural Exercise TANDEM THRUST in March, the biggest joint exercise between Australia and the USA since the Second World War. More than 27 000 personnel, 43 ships and 229 aircraft participated.

Sydney was assigned to Operation BARITONE on 23 March, the contingency plan to evacuate Australians from Papua New Guinea in the wake of political and civil unrest in what later became known as the Sandline Affair. On 27 March, while en route to a patrol area off Port Moresby, Sydney was released from Operation BARITONE following the resignation of the Papua New Guinea Prime Minister, Sir Julius Chan, the previous day.

It returned to exercises in northern Australian waters in April before making an emergency rendezvous with HMAS Westralia on 9 April, in combination with HMAS Melbourne, to MEDIVAC a sailor from Westralia to Darwin. It continued on to Pulau Tioman, Malaysia, where it arrived on 13 April to participate in Exercise FLYING FISH involving naval units from Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and the UK. Following FLYING FISH, it visited Kuantan, Malaysia, and conducted further exercises in the South China Sea before setting course for Singapore to participate in Exercise SINGAROO 97 in May. It arrived home in Sydney, via Darwin and Townsville, on 30 May where it recommenced a routine program of training and maintenance. It briefly visited Hobart early in August before entering refit in Sydney later in the month.

Sydney returned to sea on 9 February 1998 for post-refit trials and commenced workup in March. It visited Western Australia in April where the ship’s company participated in Anzac Day commemorations in Perth. On 5 May, Sydney provided a medical team and equipment to HMAS Westralia when a fire broke out in the support ship’s main engine room tragically claiming the lives of 4 members of its crew. Sydney returned to eastern Australian waters later in the month.

Sydney departed Sydney on 17 August in company with HMA Ships Adelaide, Brisbane and Hobart and conducted exercises with the returning RIMPAC Task Group before arriving in Darwin, via Mackay, on 28 August. It participated in the Fleet Concentration Period in September and departed Darwin on 21 September, in company with HMAS Anzac and HMNZ Ships Endeavour and Wellington, for Asian waters. They visited Guam and conducted exercises with HMS Grafton and FNS Surcouf en route to Chinhae, South Korea, where they participated in the Republic of Korea Navy International Fleet Review celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Korea on 13 October. 

Some 31 nations sent representatives for the event and the international fleet sailed from Chinhae to Pusan following the review. Sydney visited Tokyo and Sasebo, conducting exercises with Anzac and ships of the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF), before making a rare visit to Shanghai from 1 to 4 November. It went on to visit Hong Kong, Manila and Surabaya, conducting exercises with Australian, Philippine and Indonesian Navy vessels before arriving back in Sydney, via Darwin and Brisbane, on 10 December.

After undergoing a maintenance period at the beginning of 1999, Sydney departed Sydney on 9 March as part of Task Group 627.5 to participate in Exercise TANDEM THRUST 99, on this occasion conducted in the waters around the Marianas Islands and included Navy, Air Force and Marine units from Australia, the USA, Canada, Singapore and South Korea. Sydney arrived at Guam on 18 March and the exercise commenced 3 days later. Upon the conclusion of TANDEM THRUST on 3 April, and following a visit to Saipan, Sydney proceeded to the South China Sea to participate in an International Air Defence Exercise including Navy and Air Force units from Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore. The exercise was suspended on 18 April and Sydney joined search and rescue operations after a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) F111 bomber crashed on an island. Initial reports suggested that the 2 RAAF officers aboard may have ejected before impact but, tragically, this proved not to be the case. Sydney went on to visit Phuket and Surabaya before returning to Sydney, via Darwin and Cairns, on 27 May where it recommenced a routine program of training and maintenance.

At the end of July, Sydney joined 30 ships and 6000 personnel from 9 different nations in Darwin for Exercise KAKADU, held in northern Australian waters between 2 and 12 August. It had its sonar dome, which had been damaged on passage back to Sydney in August, replaced in September and sailed for Darwin on 25 October prior to deploying to East Timor under the auspices of Operation STABILISE, the ADF’s contribution to the International Force East Timor (INTERFET). It arrived in Dili, in company with HMCS Protecteur, on 4 November and continued on the East Timorese enclave of Oecussi, located on the western side of the island of Timor, the following day.

The naval component of the INTERFET Coalition included units from Australia, the USA, Canada, France, Italy, Portugal, Singapore, New Zealand and Thailand. Sydney’s primary mission was the conduct of presence and surveillance in the Oecussi enclave though it quickly became apparent that it would have a significant role to play in supporting the INTERFET forces ashore as well as providing humanitarian support to the local community. 

It conducted operations off Oecussi for the duration of its deployment provided hotel services to INTERFET personnel, provided meals and other services to INTERFET personnel ashore, conducted 8 aeromedical evacuations to Dili using the ship’s Seahawk helicopter, expended some 3600 hours in humanitarian assistance including the provision of medical assistance daily, and loaned personnel to other INTERFET units both afloat and ashore. It departed the Area of Operations on 17 December and arrived back in Sydney, via Darwin, on Christmas Eve.

Sydney underwent extensive maintenance during the first quarter of 2000 with a number of outstanding defects being rectified. While alongside, members of the ship’s company participated in the INTERFET Welcome Home Parade in Sydney on 19 April, and in the Anzac Day parade. It returned to sea on 15 May to commence shakedown and workup exercises, and visited Melbourne later in the month. It participated in Exercise DAY TOOTHFISH III in June, which was curtailed due to inclement weather, before departing Sydney on 13 June for South East Asia. It arrived in Singapore, via Cairns and Darwin, on 30 June.

It participated in Exercise FLYING FISH in July involving 32 ships, 89 aircraft and 5000 personnel from Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia. On 7 July, while conducting a personnel transfer with HM Ships Cornwall and Newcastle, Sydney’s sea boat was overturned and 2 sailors fell overboard. Newcastle recovered the pair and they were returned to Sydney uninjured. Upon the conclusion of FLYING FISH on 18 July, Sydney went on to visit Manila and Cebu in the Philippines before returning to Darwin on 5 August where it participated in the Fleet Concentration Period 00-2. It returned to Sydney, via Townsville, on 23 August and participated in Exercise DAY TOOTHFISH IV.

On 8 September Sydney commenced operations in support of Operation GOLD, the ADF support to the Sydney Olympics and Paralympics, acting as Olympic Guardship in Sydney Harbour and conducting presence and surveillance operations off the coast.

It departed Sydney on 7 October for the Solomon Islands in support of Operations ORBIT and DORSAL, the ADF operations supporting the peace negotiation process in the Solomons. It anchored off Honiara on 11 October before proceeding to Munda on New Georgia Island on 16 October to embark the delegates who had participated in peace talks in Townsville and returned them to Guadalcanal. It was released from the operation on 28 October.

It visited Auckland and Nelson in New Zealand, and Hobart before returning to Sydney on 24 November where it began preparations for a refit which officially commenced in January 2001. It returned to sea on 16 July and visited Geelong later in the month before commencing post-refit trials in August which saw its visit Hobart and Brisbane.

Continued service and operations in the 2000s

On 11 October Sydney once again deployed to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation SLIPPER. In the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks in the USA, HMAS Anzac’s deployment to the MEAO, which had been scheduled to end on 16 September, was extended while Sydney worked up to relieve its. Sydney conducted its work up while en route from Sydney to Darwin and departed Darwin for the MEAO on 31 October. It arrived in the MEAO on 9 November when it relieved Anzac, and was joined by HMA Ships Adelaide and Kanimbla on 2 December.

While political tensions in the Middle East escalated as a result of the 11 September terrorist attacks, the practical routine for RAN ships in the Gulf remained much the same as before, albeit with a greater emphasis on force protection. Sydney provided -person boarding parties and, along the boarding parties provided by Adelaide and Kanimbla, was recognised as experts in boarding operations. 

Their operations were so successful that smugglers began using more desperate passive defensive measures to avoid interception such as covering windows and hatches with steel plating, the removal of access ladders and spreading oil on decks. In spite of this, the Multinational Interception Force’s efforts proved to be highly successful and there was a significant decrease in smuggling activity from January 2002. Sydney departed the MEAO on 20 February 2002 and arrived back in Sydney, via Goa, Phuket, the Cocos Islands, Geraldton, HMAS Stirling and Adelaide, on 28 March where it commenced a leave and maintenance period.

Sydney sailed for Darwin on 3 June where it participated in Exercise SINGAROO before conducting Operation RELEX II patrols in the vicinity of Christmas Island in late June and early July. It conducted exercises in northern Australian waters before returning to Sydney on 9 August. It departed for Asian waters in September visiting Manila in the Philippines, Qingdao in China and Nagasaki in Japan before participating in the JMSDF 50th Anniversary Celebrations in Yokosuka and an International Fleet Review in Tokyo on 13 October. It conducted a multinational search and rescue exercise en route to Guam on 15 October and, following a visit to Brisbane and a brief period of exercises off Jervis Bay, arrived back in Sydney on 7 November. It began an extensive maintenance period on 12 November.

It returned to sea on 4 February 2003 and participated in Exercise TASMANEX later in the month. It departed Sydney on 8 April and arrived in the MEAO, via Fremantle and Diego Garcia, on 29 April just in time for the final phase of Operation FALCONER, the Second Gulf War. Just 2 days later, on 1 May, US President George W Bush announced that major combat operations in Iraq had ceased. Sydney conducted patrols in the North Arabian Gulf and acted as Guard Ship for the Khawr Abd Allah and Shatt Al Arab involved in surveillance and, when required, interdiction of merchant traffic. It conducted 82 boardings in 82 days and conducted port visits to Bahrain, Mina Jebel Ali in the UAE and Kuwait City. It was relieved in the MEAO by HMAS Newcastle on 2 August and arrived at HMAS Stirling, via Colombo, on 16 August where it began preparations for the FFG Upgrade Program. It continued on to Sydney 2 days later and arrived on 28 August after visiting Albany, Port Arthur and Hobart en route.

Sydney’s FFG Upgrade Program officially commenced on 22 September. The program involved the extensive upgrade of 4 of the RAN’s Adelaide Class frigates which, in Sydney and Darwin’s cases, included an extension of their expected service lives.

On 16 August 2004, with the ship alongside Garden Island’s East Wall in Sydney, crew members crewed the ship’s rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) to offer assistance to HMNZS Endeavour when its lifeboat, fully laden with 22 sailors, plunged 10 metres into the water and capsized. Sydney’s RHIB recovered 8 personnel from the water and medical staff provided initial medical treatment to the injured. Fifteen of Endeavour’s crew were injured in the incident.

Sydney returned to sea on 9 December and commenced initial sea trials of its new systems the following day. The FFG Upgrade Program continued over the ensuing months as the ship continued to install, integrate and trial new systems. It returned to dry dock in the Captain Cook Graving Dock in April 2005 to rectify hull defects and perform other maintenance. It returned to the water on 31 August and recommenced Upgrade Program trials.

Sydney participated in Exercises OCEAN PROTECTOR 06 and TASMANEX 06 in February 2006 while conducting sea acceptance trials marking the first time that the FFG Upgrade Program capability had been integrated into a force environment. It also conducted a port visit to Hobart for the Royal Hobart Regatta that month, visited Albany and Fremantle while continuing trials in Western Australian waters, and returned to Sydney in time for Easter.

On 28 April 2006, Sydney was formally ‘handed back’ to the RAN by the FFG Upgrade Program contractor, ADI Ltd, in a ceremony conducted in Sydney and continued to undertake extensive trials for the remainder of the year before being formally provisionally accepted on 15 December. Provisional acceptance meant that the RAN could commence operational testing and evaluation of Sydney’s new capabilities.

Sydney visited Brisbane in June and Melbourne in July before deploying to New Zealand, via Hobart, in August and September where it conducted exercises with RNZN and RNZAF units. It returned to the Captain Cook Graving Dock both to progress rectification of defects related to the Upgrade Program, and to conduct extensive maintenance unrelated to the program. It returned to sea on 13 March 2007.

It conducted exercises and training in Western Australian waters in early April before returning to Sydney on the 17th. It received further software upgrades through June and July and, on 20 August, achieved an important milestone in the FFG Upgrade Program when it conducted a world-first firing of an Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile from an FFG. The missile scored a direct hit against a Kalkara unmanned airborne target.

On 14 September, Sydney hosted the Sydney Infants’ Home annual fundraising cocktail party ahead of deploying for the Pacific and North America on 17 September. It arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, via Apia, Samoa, on 1 October and on 14 October successfully fired 4 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles in the Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range Facility demonstrating the integration of the ship’s new combat system software and vertical launch system. It departed Hawaii for Vancouver, Canada, later that day and arrived 5 days later having avoided a string of severe storms emanating from the Bering Sea. Sydney spent much of October and November in the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental Test Range in Nanoose Bay conducting trials of underwater systems, and conducted a two-day visit to its birthplace, Seattle, Washington, on 27 to 29 October. It went on to visit San Francisco, where Australian astrophysicist, Dr Helen Quinn, PhD, was presented with its Order of Australia award on board, and Victoria, Canada, where a detachment of the ship’s company participated in the city’s Remembrance Day march, before setting course for home via San Diego, Pearl Harbor and Samoa and arrived back in Sydney on 20 December 2007 where it commenced a normal program of training, exercises and maintenance.

Sydney visited Adelaide in May 2008 and in November it was in Western Australian waters to conduct a memorial over the wreck of HMAS Sydney (II), lost with all hands 67 earlier in an encounter with the German raider, SMS Kormoran.

It participated in the Fleet Concentration Period in February and March 2009 at the conclusion of which it led 16 other vessels into Sydney Harbour on 13 March for a ceremonial Fleet Review. The following day, the ship’s company participated in a Freedom of Entry march through the City of Sydney.

On 23 April, delayed by 3 days due to a defect in a gas turbine, Sydney departed Sydney for Northern Trident 2009, a six-month, round-the-world voyage supporting international maritime security and conducting exercises with foreign navies. It visited Eden on the New South Wales south coast, Cairns and Darwin where it rendezvoused with HMAS Ballarat, before the 2 ships set course for Kochi, India on 30 April.

Following a successful three-day visit to Kochi, Sydney and Ballarat set course for the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. On 17 May, while crossing the Gulf of Aden, the ships received a distress call from MV Dubai Princess, some 20nm ahead of Sydney and Ballarat, which reported that it was under attack from pirates. The 2 ships arrived on the scene to find Dubai Princess being harassed by 2 pirate skiffs, which broke off their attack when the Australian warships arrived. However, soon afterwards a second vessel, MV Stellar, 6nm astern, reported that it too was under attack by pirates. Ballarat detached to assist Stellar while Sydney remained with Dubai Princess to affect a handover to USS New Orleans later in the day. With New Orleans assuming responsibility for the situation, Sydney resumed passage towards the Suez Canal and rendezvoused with Ballarat the following day.

The 2 ships transited the canal on 22 May with all of Sydney’s seaman officers taking a turn at the con during the passage. Sydney went on to visit Toulon in France and Ferrol in Spain, and conducted exercises with French and Spanish naval units before both ships joined multinational exercises off Plymouth on the English south coast in June. They went on to visit London and Portsmouth in the UK before crossing the North Atlantic Ocean, with a dedicated iceberg watch in place, to St John’s in Canada. 

Both ships conducted exercises with Canadian and US naval units during the North American leg of the deployment in July and August, and conducted port visits to Halifax, New York, Baltimore, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Nassau and, after passing through the Panama Canal, San Diego. Sydney also contributed to the Joint Inter-Agency Task Force - South, a multiagency counter-narcotics organisation, off the US east coast. Both ships departed San Diego on 24 August and visited Pearl Harbor where they parted company; Ballarat bound for Japan while Sydney continued on to Apia, Samoa. It arrived back in Sydney, via Eden and Jervis Bay, on 19 September having travelled 32,943nm and visited 21 ports in 10 countries during Northern Trident 09. It began preparations for a refit upon its return. 

Sydney returned to sea on 27 April and commenced a series of trials and exercises which saw its visit Melbourne in July and Port Kembla in September. Also in September, it had the rare opportunity to conduct manoeuvres with vessels from the People’s Republic of China; the People’s Liberation Army-Navy ships Mianyang and Zheng He. It underwent routine maintenance in October, however, hull corrosion required its to enter dry dock once again that December. It undocked on 21 January 2011 and returned to sea on 4 February.

In the evening of 11 March, in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami off the east coast of Japan, Sydney began preparations to provide humanitarian assistance in the South Pacific should the need arise. However, over the next 24 hours, it became apparent that the tsunami had caused very little damage in the islands of the South Pacific and Sydney was cleared to resume its normal program on 13 March.

On 21 May, Sydney departed Sydney, with HMAS Perth, for Hawaii where it arrived, via Pago Pago, American Samoa, on 6 June. They spent the next 2 and a half weeks in Hawaiian waters before arriving in Brisbane, once again via Pago Pago, on 9 July and began preparations to participate in Exercises TALISMAN SABRE and WINGARO later in the month. It returned to Sydney on 30 July.

It participated in Exercise TRITON WARRIOR in northern Australian waters in November and December before undergoing a refit in the new year. It returned to sea on 27 July 2012 and once again commenced a series of port-refit trials and exercises. It departed Sydney on 26 September for Asian waters and arrived at Yokosuka in Japan, via Guam, on 6 October. Sydney sailed on 14 October for Sagami Bay to participate in the triennial JMSDF International Fleet Review, one of just 3 international ships to participate alongside some 35 Japanese vessels. A 14 person detachment from Sydney’s crew also took the opportunity to travel to the Fukashima Prefecture to lend support to victims of Japan’s 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant disaster. The Sydney sailors provided gifts to children displaced by the disasters and also assisted students during English language lessons.

Sydney departed Yokosuka the following day for Manila where it participated in Exercise LUMBUS before making a goodwill visit to Ho Chi Minh City. It departed Ho Chi Minh City on 3 November for Brunei where it participated in Exercise PENGUIN. Brunei was the last international port visit of Sydney’s deployment and upon its return to Australian waters, it was assigned to Operation RESOLUTE on 12 November. It conducted patrols in support of RESOLUTE until 9 December and returned to Sydney, via Darwin, on 19 December.

Sydney acted as flagship for the both the Australia Day and Royal Hobart Regattas in January and February 2013 respectively. On 22 April, it departed Sydney to return to Asian waters. It visited Guam, Yokosuka and Sasebo in Japan, and Busan in the Republic of Korea; was embedded into the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group for training and exercises in July; and conducted exercises with naval units from the USA, Japan and the Republic of Korea including Exercises HAEDORI-WALLABY, PACIFIC BOND and SILENT BANSHEE. It returned to Australian waters to participate in Exercise TALISMAN SABRE off the coast of Queensland from 15 July before partially circumnavigating the country and returned to Sydney on 10 September, via Brisbane, Cairns, Mackay, Fremantle, HMAS Stirling and Jervis Bay, and also participated in Exercise BLUE RAPTOR in August.

On 1 October, Sydney rendezvoused with numerous warships from Australia and overseas in Jervis Bay in preparation for the International Fleet Review commemorating the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first RAN Fleet Unit in 1913, in which Sydney was to have a starring role. The following day, Sydney embarked the Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Timothy Barrett, AM, CSC, RAN, and the Commodore Warfare (and former Sydney CO), Commodore Peter Leavy, RAN, as well as an ABC News team and put to sea with the assembled fleet for a photographic exercise. 

On the morning of 4 October, Sydney embarked the Premier of New South Wales, the Honourable Mr Barry O’Farrell MP and the Sydney Lord Mayor, the Right Honourable Clover Moore, before assuming the role of flagship for the International Fleet Review Fleet Entry. The formation led by Sydney saluted the Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, as it rounded Bradleys Head, with Sydney conducting a 21-gun salute which was then returned by HMAS Kuttabul. Sydney proceeded to berth alongside White Bay on completion of the ceremony. It returned to Port Jackson the following day for the Fleet Review and the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Spectacular.

With its International Fleet Review commitments completed, Sydney departed Sydney on 20 October for Darwin and Operation RESOLUTE tasking. It completed its RESOLUTE tasking on 14 December and returned to Sydney on 19 December.

Final year of operations and decommissioning

Sydney began its last year in commission undergoing maintenance in Sydney with the crew taking the opportunity to participate in Fleet Synthetic Training hosted at HMAS Watson before proceeding to sea on 25 March 2014 to conduct shakedown and work up exercises. It proceeded to northern Australian waters in April to undertake Operation RESOLUTE tasking.

It departed Darwin on 15 May bound for Singapore and participation in the multinational tri-service exercise BERSAMA SHIELD, involving Defence personnel from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK. Sydney visited Lumut in June where members of the ship’s company conducted maintenance work at the Pemulihan Dalam Community Centre which provides support to children and members of the local population with special needs. It returned to Darwin on 18 June where it recommenced Operation RESOLUTE tasking, and visited Singapore twice in July and Darwin in early August for brief refuelling and logistics visits.

Sydney’s last RESOLUTE patrol finished on 14 August when it returned to Darwin and it officially completed RESOLUTE tasking 5 days later. It departed Darwin on 22 August and rendezvoused with JS Hatakaze the following day to escort the Japanese destroyer to Exercise KAKADU. KAKADU began in Darwin Harbour on 25 August and included participating ships or observers from 18 nations including Australia. Sydney returned to Sydney, upon the completion of KAKADU, on 26 September.

In October, Sydney participated in the inaugural Exercise TRITON SIMULATION, a networked, high-end warfare simulation conducted with other RAN ships and shore establishments while alongside. The concept enables crew to develop war fighting skills in a complex training environment using scenarios that may otherwise be practically unavailable.

It visited New Zealand to conduct navigation training later in the month before being redirected to Brisbane in November to contribute to Operations SAVILLE and PARAPET, the ADF’s support to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brisbane. It embarked a 723 Squadron Squirrel helicopter off Moreton Island on 12 November and remained at sea off the Queensland coast until 17 November when it returned to Sydney. It recommenced training and exercises later that month.

Sydney visited Hobart for the last time in February 2015 for the 176th running of the Royal Hobart Regatta. Some 200 000 people flocked to Hobart’s waterfront over the course of the 4 day event, and more than 2,000 took the opportunity to tour Sydney during an open day on 8 February.

Sydney entered Sydney Harbour for the last time on 28 February, with 8 former commanding officers embarked, flying its decommissioning pennant and welcomed at Fleet Base East by former sailors, officers and support staff. It formally commenced duties as a harbour training ship on 9 March when 5 trainee junior sailors commenced training towards the award of a Marine Systems Technician qualification. 

That April it was heavily involved in the virtual training exercise, Fleet Synthetic Training-Joint 15-72, building on the success of TRITON THUNDER the previous year. The exercise involved 2 carrier strike groups, an expeditionary strike group, 6 composite task forces, 13 United States and Australian surface combatants, 3 United States’ Maritime Patrol Aircraft simulators, one submarine simulator and multiple Air Force and Army staffs and units. Apart from Sydney, other participating RAN units were HMA Ships Melbourne, Arunta, Stirling and Watson, with representatives from the Fleet Air Arm and Sea Combat Command, linked with USN units in Hawaii, Okinawa, Washington State, California, New Mexico and Georgia.

Sydney was used as a training platform for Australian Clearance Diving Team One in May and was also used as a training platform by the Tactical Assault Group - East (TAG-E). The exercise saw Sydney’s crew role play as hostile forces while the TAG-E gained control of the ship. Participating in the exercise was His Royal Highness Prince Harry of Wales.

On 4 June Sydney assisted the New South Wales Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command social media campaign. The campaign, Operation STAY ALERT, was in effect over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend where New South Wales Police used imagery of Sydney and members of its crew displaying messages to promote road safety.

The ship’s company continued fundraising events for the Sydney Infants’ Home through the ship’s final year in commission. In excess of $50 000 was raised through working parties, barbeques and other events.

Sydney decommissioned on 7 November 2015 after which it continued to serve as a Harbour Training Ship in Sydney Harbour.