Goodbye Darwin – thanks for everything.

3rd November 2017

HMAS Darwin, currently the Royal Australian Navy’s oldest frigate dropped anchor in her northern home port yesterday for the last time.

Due to be decommissioned in December HMAS Darwin has traveled around the world more than 50 times, sailing over 1 million nautical miles during her 33-year career.

Since being laid down in July 1981, and commissioned into the RAN three years later, some 5000 people have called the ship home, a few for up to nine months at a stretch.

Darwin has been deployed 61 times, including to the Middle East, East Timor and the Solomon Islands, but despite having fired more than 9000 rounds of large caliber ammunition, 37 missiles and 56 torpedoes has never once fired a shot in anger.

HMAS Darwin Commanding Officer Phillip Henry said;

"This ship's seen a lot of action. Most of her operations have been in the Indian Ocean, Asia and the Pacific region”

“She’s done disaster relief, even in this last year in New Zealand after the Kaikoura earthquake”

Over recent years Darwin’s crew have been generous in support of local community organisations. In May and then again in September of last year Darwin’s crew raised over $50,000. It was as part of a drive to support local charities, including for Mission Australia’s Triple Care Farm and Assistance Dogs Australia, an organisation to help people suffering crippling physical and mental afflictions, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

Captain Henry said he was proud of her crew;

“The enterprising effort of a few sailors has resulted in a substantial contribution towards some very worthy organisations from a relatively small pool of people,”

“We are a family”

HMAS Darwin is one of six Adelaide class frigates that are being replaced by three new Hobart class air warfare destroyers. Darwin is based on an US Perry class Flight III design modified for Australian requirements. She’s longer than the standard US ship of the same class and was once described as being part of the "most lethal frigate fleet on earth"

The first of Australia’s new air warfare destroyers has already been commissioned into the RAN. HMAS Hobart began her service life in September.

Throughout her life HMAS Darwin and her crew have proudly represented Australia across the world anchoring in the ports of over 50 countries, all the time serving with distinction. She has earned 3 battle honours, East Timor, Iraq and the Middle East, to which she was deployed 7 times.

Her fate after decommissioning is undecided. If she follows the fortune of her sister ship HMAS Sydney she is likely to be sold for nothing more than scrap.

But here at The Australian Tribune we are grateful for her service.

Goodbye Darwin. Thanks for everything.