HMAS

Success (II) - Part 3

• HMAS Success (II) - Part 2

1994

With Success alongside throughout January 1994, a number of the ship’s company volunteered to help fight bushfires which were widespread along the eastern seaboard of New South Wales and threatened large areas of Sydney in January. They were among 400 RAN personnel which comprised part of a joint Australian Defence Force Emergency Standby Force (ESF). The main task of the ESF was to assist in firefighting support tasks such as preparing firebreaks, backburning and mopping up operations allowing trained firefighters to re-deploy to other areas.

The ship returned to sea in February when she participated in the first Fleet Concentration Period of the year. She visited Melbourne in support of the Moomba Festival in March before departing Australian waters in April to participate in Exercise RIMPAC 94. She arrived in Pearl Harbor, via Lautoka, Fiji, on 12 May. Most of the next two months was occupied preparing for, and participating in RIMPAC 94 which included naval forces from Australia, the USA, Canada, Japan and South Korea. She arrived back in Australia, via Port Vila, Vanuatu, on 9 July.

Sailors man one of Success’ three 40/60mm Bofor guns during Excercise RIMPAC 1994. These were later removed from the ship.

Success commenced an extended six-week maintenance period in August, however, it was curtailed when a Warning Order was received on 16 September instructing Success and Tobruk to prepare to participate in Operation LAGOON, the Australian commitment to a South Pacific Peace Keeping Force (SPPKF) being established to provide a secure environment for the Bougainville Peace Conference planned for mid-October.

On 23 September Success’ Commanding Officer, Captain Jim O’Hara, RAN, relinquished command of the tanker to the ship’s Executive Officer, Commander Martin Campbell, RAN, in order to fulfill the role as Commander Task Group 627.5 aboard HMAS Tobruk which was to serve as Commander 3 Brigade’s (Brigadier Peter Abigail) afloat headquarters. Two Lieutenant Commanders assisted O’Hara to exercise command as Brigadier Abigail’s maritime advisor. The Joint Force Commander and Australia's Land Commander, Major General Peter Arnison, in a first for the ADF, was given operational control of the navy vessels. Other nations committing armed forces to the SPPKF included New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Success departed Sydney on 26 September calling at Townsville on 1 October to embark a 24-member detachment of the Special Air Service Regiment as well as stores, supplies and equipment. There, operational control chopped from the Maritime Commander Australia to Land Commander Australia. She departed Townsville on the 4th and arrived in the Area of Operations (AO) three days later. The ship’s Sea King helicopter commenced flying operations that morning to establish a forward operating base at Buka Airfield.

South Pacific Peace Keeping Force Commanders onboard HMAS Success, from left: CMDR John Wells (CO HMAS Tobruk); COL Seule Takal (Vanuatu); CAPT Jim O'Hara (Naval Component Commander); BRIG Peter Abigail (CMDR SPPKF); COL Savanaca Draunidalo (Fiji); MAJ Paul King (NZ Army); CMDR Martin Campbell (CO HMAS Success); LCDR HRH Prince Lukalala Lavkaata (CO Tongan Patrol Boat VEOA PANGAM, obscured); COL Fetu’utolo Tupou (Tonga); circa 1993. (JS O'Hara collection)

SPPKF Naval Contingent Commander CAPT Jim O'Hara leads a joint Australian Army and HMAS Success contingent onto parade, Buka, PNG, circa 1993. (JS O'Hara collection)

As well as conducting replenishment operations, Success also provided logistic support to SPPKF forces ashore and conducted regular patrols along the east coast of Bougainville Island. The situation was not benign and on one occasion the ship’s helicopter came under ground-based small-arms fire. While the aircraft was hit several times, thankfully no one was injured. Regrettably by 18 October it became apparent that the Bougainville Republican Army representatives were not going to attend the Conference and the SPPKF was ordered to withdraw. Success departed the AO on the 20th and arrived back in Townsville three days later where operational control was returned to the Maritime Commander Australia. She returned to Sydney on the 28th and Captain O’Hara resumed command on the 31st. She recommenced a routine program of exercises, training and maintenance in November including a visit to Hobart.

Commanding Officer JS O'Hara being given an unconventional farewell after relinquishing command of HMAS Success, 12 December 1994.

CAPT JS O'Hara hands over the Fleet Oiler shield to HMAS Success’ Commanding Officer CAPT JS Moore.

1995

Success remained alongside in Sydney over the Christmas and New Year period during which the final phase of her new radar installation was undertaken. She returned to sea in February 1995 to undertake shakedown and workup exercises in preparation for a South East Asian deployment.

She departed Sydney at the beginning of March for Darwin where she participated in Exercise KAKADU 2, which concluded on the final day of the month. She proceeded to Asian waters on 3 April in company with HMA Ships Hobart, Canberra and Sydney, and went on to visit Bali, Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, Subic Bay, Hong Kong, Inchon, Yokosuka and Guam, and conducted exercises with naval units from South Korea, the USA, Japan and Canada. She arrived back in Sydney, via Gladstone, on 23 June where she resumed a routine program of exercises, training and maintenance through to the end of the year.

1996

Following shakedown and workup exercises in late January and early February, Success took part in the Fleet Concentration Period in February and March 1996. She departed Sydney on 15 April to once again participate in Exercise RIMPAC and arrived in Pearl Harbor, via Suva, Fiji, on 3 May. Most of the following two months were occupied with RIMPAC commitments as Success operated with naval units from the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Chile. She departed Pearl Harbor on 21 June and arrived back in Sydney, via Fiji and Vanuatu, on 12 July where she immediately commenced refit preparations.

HMAS Success underwent a major refit during the second half of 1996 that saw her equipped with the Phalanx close in weapons system (CIWS) on either side of her aircraft hanger.

An extensive refit package included installation of the Close in Weapons System (CIWS), the conversion of the inert gas compartment to a mess deck, overhaul of the main engines and RAS equipment, hull preservation, new switchboards and numerous other upgrades.

Commanding Officers of HMAS Success on the 10th anniversary of her commissioning, from left, CAPT DJ Ramsay; CDRE GV Sloper; CAPT RT Derbridge; CDRE JG Longden; CAPT JS Moore; CMDR MS Campbell; CDRE JS O'Hara; circa 1996. (JS O'Hara collection)

A special cake baked to celebrate the 10th anniversary of HMAS Success' commissioning.

1997

Success returned to sea on 19 May 1997 to commence a series of post-refit trials off the northern New South Wales and south Queensland coasts. She departed Sydney on 14 July for a three-and-a-half month deployment which commenced with participation in Exercise KAKADU III, which included defence force units from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, in the Northern Territory at the end of the month.

Upon the completion of KAKADU Success departed Darwin on 16 August, in company with HMA Ships Perth and Newcastle, for South East Asia. She went on to Subic Bay before the three ships made a historic five-day visit to Qingdao in China. It was the first time that the RAN had visited the People’s Liberation Army - Navy Northern Fleet Base, and was the first RAN visit to China for eleven years.

Among the first Royal Australian Navy personnel to visit China in eleven years were, from left, Commanding Officer HMAS Newcastle HG Furness; Maritime Commander Rear Admiral CA Ritchie; Commanding Officer HMAS Perth BD Robertson; Commanding Officer HMAS Success AW Flint.

Success went on to visit ports in South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, and conducted exercises with naval units from South Korea and Thailand. She also took advantage of the rare opportunity to exercise with four ships of a German Navy Task Group that was visiting Asian waters in September. She returned to Sydney, via Fremantle and Geelong, on 31 October.

The following month the tanker was directed, at short notice, to prepare to deploy to Bougainville in support of Operation BELISI, the Australian Defence Force operation to support the Australian and New Zealand Truce Monitoring Group (TMG) on the island following the signing of the Burnham Truce Agreement. Success departed Sydney on 1 December and arrived in the Area of Operations (AO) five days later. As well as conducting replenishment operations to other deployed RAN and RNZN ships, she also provided logistic support to TMG forces ashore. She departed the AO, after being relieved by HMAS Tobruk, on 8 January 1998 and arrived back in Sydney on the 13th where she commenced a leave and maintenance period.

Left: Success returning to Fleet Base East following her SE/NE Asian deployment in 1997. Right: WOSY DJ Perryman watches on as Tobruk refuels from Success during Operation BELISI in January 1998.

1998

The ship returned to sea on 24 March 1998 and commenced a routine program of exercises, training and maintenance. She visited Hobart at the end of the month before proceeding to Western Australian waters in April.

On 5 May, while conducting replenishment operations in the Western Australian Exercise Area, Success despatched a medical team and equipment by helicopter to HMAS Westralia when a fire broke out in the support ship’s main engine room tragically claiming the lives of four members of her crew. Operations in support of Westralia continued throughout the afternoon until the fire was extinguished, and Success and other units anchored in Cockburn Sound overnight. Success returned to eastern Australian waters later in the month.

On 9 June the tanker departed Sydney and rendezvoused with HMA Ships Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, once again bound for Pearl Harbor and participation in Exercise RIMPAC. On the 17th the Task Group assisted in the search for a missing crewman of a helicopter from the fishing vessel Tifaimoana. The helicopter had crashed into the sea the previous day. Regrettably, the search was unsuccessful. Success arrived in Pearl Harbor on the 24th.

She visited Melbourne and Adelaide in October and November before returning to Sydney for a well-earned leave and maintenance period over Christmas and New Year.

HMAS Success (II) conducts a seven hour consolidation Replenishment At Sea with USS Cimarron during Exercise RIMPAC 1998.

• HMAS Success (II) - Part 4