Adelaide class frigate

The "Adelaide" class is a ship class of six guided missile frigates constructed in Australia and the United States of America for service in the Royal Australian Navy. The class is based on the United States Navy's "Oliver Hazard Perry" class frigates, but later modified for Australian requirements.

Of the six ships in the class, four are still in service. "Canberra" was decommissioned in 2005, and "Adelaide" in 2008, to offset the cost of an AU$1 billion weapons and equipment upgrade to the remaining four ships.

Construction and acquisition

Three units of the "Oliver Hazard Perry" class were ordered by the Australian government under Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser.cite book |last=Frame |first=Tom |authorlink=Tom Frame (bishop) |title=Pacific Partners: a history of Australian-American naval relations |year=1992 |publisher=Hodder & Stoughton |location=Rydalmere, NSW |page=pg 162 |isbn= 034056685X |oclc=27433673 ] This decision was based on plans and projections, as lead ship USS "Oliver Hazard Perry" would not be completed until 1977, but the success of the USN's "Charles F. Adams" class destroyer (of which the RAN operated three ships as the "Perth" class) when compared to the equivalent British ships the RAN would have purchased, made the risk acceptable. [Frame, Tom (1992). "Pacific Partners", pgs 102, 162] This order was later expanded with the order of a fourth unit.cite book |last=MacDougall |first=Anthony K. |title=Australians at war: a pictorial history |origyear=1991 |edition=2nd (revised and expanded) |year=2002 |publisher=The Five Mile Press |location=Noble Park, Vic |isbn=1-86503-865-2 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=pg 344] These four ships were built by Todd Pacific Shipyards of Seattle, Washington, as part of the USN's shipbuilding program, and received the USN hull numbers FFG-17, -18, -35, and -44 before they were transferred to the RAN. In 1980, two more ships were ordered; these were to be built at in Australia by AMECON of Williamstown, Victoria.

The first ship, "Adelaide", entered service in 1980. Originally, the six ships were to be named "Adelaide", "Canberra", "Sydney", "Darwin", "Newcastle", and "Torrens". "Torrens" was later replaced with "Melbourne", as the aircraft carrier of the same name was still commissioned when the "Adelaide" class was ordered, but left service in 1982.

Armament

Since the withdrawal of the "Perth" class destroyers, these ships are the RAN's primary air defence vessels, armed with the SM-1 missile. They also have significant surface capability thanks to a 76 mm Mk 75 gun and the Harpoon ASM, and a pair of triple torpedo tubes for ASW. In addition, a pair of S-70B Seahawk helicopters are carried.

Upgrades

There have been two major upgrades distinguishing the "Adelaide" class from the American "Oliver Hazard Perry" class frigates.

Lengthening

The first three ships were constructed to the "Perry" class' 'short' hull or Flight I design, with an identical length for both the main deck and the keel. Ships from FFG-36 onwards (including "Darwin") were built with an increase in overall length—achieved by angling the transom (the section between the fantail and the keel) to increase the area of the flight deck and allow the operation of Seahawk helicopters. "Adelaide", "Canberra", and "Sydney" were later refitted to match the slightly larger ships.

FFG Upgrade

In the mid 1990s, the Australian government commenced SEA 1390, also known as the FFG Upgrade Project.cite web |url=http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/austra...-upgrade-04586/ |title=Australia's Hazard(ous) Frigate Upgrade |accessdate=2008-04-21 |author= |last= |first= |date=2008-01-14 |work=Defense Industry Daily |publisher=Watershed Publishing ] Originally costing AU$1 billion, which has expanded to AU$1.46 billion, the project includes improvements to the combat and fire control system, the sonar suite, and the air defence missiles. The upgrade was for four ships and intended to expand their service life to approximately 2020. The project cost was partly offset by the decommissioning of the two oldest units:Fact|date=April 2008 "Canberra" paying off in 2005 and "Adelaide" in 2008. Modification of each ship is taking place at Garden Island Dockyard, with Australian Defence Industries (ADI, now Thales Australia) selected as project leader for the upgrade phase of the project.

After the refit, the ship will be capable of firing SM-2MR and RGM-84 Harpoon missiles from the Mk13 launcher. An 8 cell Mk 41 VLS for Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile is also installed. The Phalanx CIWS is upgraded to Block 1B, and the torpedoes, missiles, and other ship-mounted weapons are upgraded to the latest versions.

As of January 2008, the FFG Upgrade Project is running at least four years behind schedule.cite news |first=Alexandra |last=Kirk |coauthors=(and staff) |title=Dud frigates an inherited nightmare |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/02/2130610.htm |work=ABC News |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |date=2008-01-02 |accessdate=2008-04-22 ] The frigates' anti-missile and anti-torpedo detection and defence systems cannot be integrated as intended, leaving the ships vulnerable to attack. The first ship refitted, HMAS "Sydney", was initially not accepted back into service by the RAN because of the problems, which have also prevented any refitted ship from serving in a combat zone. Defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon, elected to the position following a change in government at the 2007 Australian federal election, claimed that problems with the "Adelaide"s were amongst several defence problems inherited by the Rudd Labor Government after the election, and stated that "In the case of the Adelaide class, they [the previous government] were trying to make a 21st century warship out of vessels built in the early 1970s, which were only ever designed to operate between 20 and 25 years." Australian Defence Association executives and serving navy personnel have blamed both political parties for the problems: while the Howard Liberal government was responsible for the project, the preceding Labor government chose to maintain the frigates instead replacing them with the more expensive but more capable "Kidd" class destroyers in the early 1990s.cite news |first=Ian |last=McPhedran |title=Frigates 'can't go to war' despite $1.4bn upgrade |url=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22996234-2,00.html |work=The Advertiser |publisher=News Limited |date=2008-01-02 |accessdate=2008-04-21]

The upgraded "Adelaide" class frigates will be joined by the new "Hobart class air defence destroyers, equipped with the Aegis combat system, starting around 2013.

Fates

"Canberra" and "Adelaide" were decommissioned to offset the cost of upgrading the remaining four ships, with "Canberra" decommissioned in 2005 and "Adelaide" on 19 January 2008.Fact|date=February 2008 Both ships are to be sunk as dive wrecks and artificial reefs.Fact|date=February 2008cite press release |title=HMAS "Adelaide" Decommissions |publisher=Australian Department of Defence |date=2008-01-20 |url=http://www.defence.gov.au/media/DepartmentalTpl.cfm?CurrentId=7389 |format= |language= |accessdate=2008-01-20 |quote= ]

External links

* [http://www.navy.gov.au/fleet/ffgupgrade.html FFG Ship Upgrade Project] Dead link|date=August 2008
* [http://www.navy.gov.au/w/index.php/Adelaide_Class RAN homepage for the Adelaide class]
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/us_navy_pages/frigates/pages/oliver_hazard_perry_class_overview.htm MaritimeQuest Oliver Hazard Perry Class Overview]

References