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Royal Australian Navy LHD Canberra Completes Sea Trials as Crew Tests Landing Craft

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Naval Forces News - Australia
 
 
 
Royal Australian Navy LHD Canberra Completes Sea Trials as Crew Tests Landing Craft
 
NUSHIP Canberra, the first of two Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships being built for the Australian Defence Force, returned from her final contractor sea trials before delivery to the Australian Government. The ship returned to BAE Systems Williamstown today after being away on sea trials for two weeks.
     
NUSHIP Canberra, the first of two Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships being built for the Australian Defence Force, has sailed on her final contractor sea trials before delivery to the Australian Government. The ship departed Williamstown shipyard on 12 August as planned with the trials taking place in both Port Phillip Bay and off the southern coast of New South Wales before returning to Williamstown around the end of August.
Nuship Canberra returned to BAE Systems Williamstown today after being away on sea trials for two weeks. Trials including testing of combat and communication systems plus some platform trials. These are her final trials before delivery to the Commonwealth later this year.
Picture: Royal Australian Navy
     
Final contractor trials involve testing of the combat and communication systems along with some platform systems trials.

Aboard NUSHIP Canberra for the final contractor trials were BAE Systems and DMO project personnel along with a number of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) officers and sailors who will crew the ship once delivered, as well as BAE Systems subcontractors Navantia, Saab, L3 and Teekay.
     
NUSHIP Canberra, the first of two Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) ships being built for the Australian Defence Force, has sailed on her final contractor sea trials before delivery to the Australian Government. The ship departed Williamstown shipyard on 12 August as planned with the trials taking place in both Port Phillip Bay and off the southern coast of New South Wales before returning to Williamstown around the end of August.
Commander Surface Force, Commodore Jonathan Mead, AM, RAN visited a Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Landing Craft to witness first hand its capability. This contractor provided training is being delivered to NUSHIP Canberra personnel ahead of the Landing Craft being handed over to Defence in the coming months.
Picture: Royal Australian Navy
     
In the meantime, Canberras' new Landing Craft were tested by RAN personnel on Sydney Harbour and local waterways.

The LHD Landing Craft (LLC) are scheduled to be handed over to Canberra in the coming months. In the mean time, the Canberra teams who will be driving, crewing and maintaining the vessels are undertaking further contractor training based at HMAS Waterhen.

Designed and built by Navantia, the LCM-1E landing crafts are the same type used by the Spanish Navy. With a length of 23.3 meters and a breadth of 6.4 meters they can reach 20 knots and have a range of 190 miles. They are fitted with two water jet propulsion units giving the LLCs a longer range, outstanding manoeuvrability, increase speed and more power compared to current in-service ADF landing craft.