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Royal Australian Navy Huon Class mine hunter vessel HMAS Gascoyne (II) has made its final entry into Sydney Harbour as it prepares for decommissioning next month.
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HMAS Gascoyne (II) is scheduled to be retired during a decommissioning ceremony at HMAS Waterhen in Sydney on Thursday, 5 December.
The ship made its final entry into Sydney Harbour on the 6th of November this year, following more than two decades of dedicated service to the Royal Australian Navy.
“HMAS Gascoyne (II) will decommission on Thursday, 5 December 2024, following 23 years of faithful service," according to a Defence spokesperson.
“HMAS Gascoyne (II) made her final entry into Sydney Harbour on the 6th of November 2024.
“As she sailed through the harbour, she was met with a warm farewell, reflecting appreciation for her long-standing role and many completed missions.
“The occasion was a tribute to HMAS Gascoyne’s legacy, marking the end of over two decades of dedicated service.”
HMAS Gascoyne (II) was originally commissioned in June 2001 as the fourth of six Huon Class mine hunter coastal vessels. The ship features a unique hull design, shock resistance and an inherently low magnetic signature to allow operation in hostile mine environments.
HMAS Gascoyne is the second RAN ship to carry the name after HMAS Gascoyne (I), which was Australia’s first River Class anti-submarine frigate that served with distinction during World War II.
For mine countermeasure operations, the Huon Class were fitted with a variable depth sonar capable of detection ranges in excess of 1,000 metres ahead of the ship. When a mine is detected in a water column or on the seabed, the ship will “hover” about 200 metres from the contact. Mine disposal vehicles or clearance divers would then be deployed to investigate and neutralise the mine threat.
Each ship is fitted with a pair of electrically powered Bofors Underwater Systems Double Eagle mine disposal vehicles equipped with a searchlight, closed-circuit low light television camera and an on-board close range identification sonar. Commands are relayed via a fibre optic link inside the vehicle’s tether, which also relays sensor images for display on the ship’s multifunction console in the operations room.
Each Double Eagle vehicle is fitted with either a disposal charge slung beneath or an explosive or mechanical cutter designed to sever the wire rope or chain holding moored mines.
Social media users have expressed disbelief following the announcement of the decommissioning of the ship.
“And another one bites the dust. How many of these have we got left,” user Bruce Francis said.
“Another ship paying off with potentially no replacement,” user Peter Sneddon said.
