HMPNGS Lakekamu
Template:Short description Template:Other ships Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates
Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship characteristicsHMPNGS Lakekamu is Template:Sclass landing craft heavy (LCH) operated by the Maritime Operations Element of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF). The vessel was one of eight built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the 1970s, and was commissioned into the RAN as HMAS Labuan (L 128) in March 1973. Labuan was decommissioned in November 2014. She was transferred to the PNGDF for use as a training ship and was commissioned as HMPNGS Lakekamu in December 2014.
Design and constructionEdit
{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The eight-vessel Balikpapan class was ordered as a locally manufactured replacement for the Australian Army's LSM-1-class landing ship medium and ALC 50 landing craft.<ref>Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, pp. 79, 125</ref> They are Template:Convert long, with a beam of Template:Convert, and a draught of Template:Convert.<ref name=Wertheim26>Wertheim (ed.), The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, p. 26</ref> The landing craft have a standard displacement of 316 tons, with a full load displacement of 503 tons.<ref name=Wertheim26/> They are propelled by two G.M. Detroit 6–71 diesel motors, providing 675 brake horsepower to the two propeller shafts, allowing the vessels to reach Template:Convert.<ref name=Wertheim26/> The standard ship's company is 13-strong.<ref name=Wertheim26/> The Balikpapans are equipped with a Decca RM 916 navigational radar, and fitted with two Template:Convert machine guns for self-defence.<ref name=Wertheim26/>
The LCHs have a maximum payload of 180 tons; equivalent to 3 Leopard 1 tanks, 13 M113 armoured personnel carriers 23 quarter-tonne trucks, or four LARC-V amphibious cargo vehicles.<ref name=Wertheim26/><ref name=Gillett79>Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 79</ref> As a troop transport, a Balikpapan-class vessel can transport up to 400 soldiers between a larger amphibious ship and the shore, or embark 60 soldiers in six-berth caravans for longer voyages.<ref name=Gillett79/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The vessel's payload affects the range: at 175 tons of cargo, each vessel has a range of Template:Convert, which increases to Template:Convert with a 150-ton payload, and Template:Convert when unladen.<ref name=Wertheim26/> The flat, box-like keel causes the ships to roll considerably in other-than-calm conditions, limiting their ability to make long voyages.<ref name=Gillett79/>
The vessel was laid down by Walkers Limited, at Maryborough, Queensland on 1 November 1971, and launched on 29 December 1971.<ref name=RAN>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She was commissioned into the RAN as HMAS Labuan (pennant number L 128) on 9 March 1973.<ref name=RAN/> Labuan is named after the World War II amphibious landings at the Borneo island of Labuan.Template:Citation needed On entering service, she was homeported at Template:HMAS in Brisbane.<ref name=RAN/>
Operational historyEdit
After completing working-up exercises, in May 1973, Labuan transported Clearance Diving Team One (CDT1) to Moreton Island to destroy a World War II era torpedo.<ref name=RAN/> In August, CDT1 was embarked again aboard Labuan, this time for a two-month deployment to Papua New Guinea.<ref name=RAN/> Between 15 August and 12 October, the landing craft visited communities around Papua New Guinea, with the clearance divers clearing reef passages and disposing of unexploded ordnance from World War II.<ref name=RAN/> After CDT1 flew back to Australia on 12 October, Labuan surveyed the Fly River, reaching Template:Convert.<ref name=RAN/> On 19 October, the vessel left Papua New Guinea and sailed to Cairns with sister ship Template:HMAS.<ref name=RAN/> In November, Labuan was used for the Army exercise Temple Tower.<ref name=RAN/> On 21 November, Labuan and two fishing boats towed the rafts of the Las Balsas Expedition into the mouth of the Richmond River, after the rafts drifted off course on the final leg of their trans-Pacific voyage.<ref name=White>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Between March and May 1974, the landing craft was based in Singapore, and was used to transport military materiel and stores to and from Belawan, Indonesia.<ref name=RAN/>Template:Clarify Several major exercises were participated in during the rest of 1974: Kangaroo One in June, and Kentia Palm in September.<ref name=RAN/> During October and November, Labuan was stationed on the Great Barrier Reef with clearance divers embarked, as part of a project tracking the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish.<ref name=RAN/> Labuan was the only RAN Balikpapan-class ship not involved in Operation Navy Help Darwin (the RAN response following Cyclone Tracy's destruction of Darwin in December 1974), as she was undergoing refit at the time.<ref name=Swinden22>Swinden, Heavy Lifting for Four Decades, p. 22</ref> In late February 1975, Labuan collided with a lighter during Exercise Wagon Train II.<ref name=RAN/> The damage was limited to patching a hole above the waterline.<ref name=RAN/> During April and May, the landing craft operated in southern Australian waters in support of Army training exercises.<ref name=RAN/> Labuan returned to Sydney, and during 12 and 13 May transported the RAN's first two Sea King helicopters to Jervis Bay.<ref name=RAN/> The rest of 1975 and most of 1976 was spent on training exercises.<ref name=RAN/>
During September and October 1977, Labuan visited ports throughout South East Asia, cumulating in Biak on 6 October, where materiel used for Operation Cenderawasih – mapping and charting of Irian Jaya – was loaded aboard.<ref name=RAN/> The ship returned to Townsville on 25 October.<ref name=RAN/> During June and July 1978, Labuan was deployed on Operation Beachcomber – surveying of northern Queensland beaches.<ref name=RAN/> The rest of 1978 was spent on exercises.<ref name=RAN/> On 12 February 1979, Labuan began a refit.<ref name=RAN/> After the refit's conclusion, the vessel was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy Reserve (RANR) on 15 June 1979 to serve as the training vessel for the Port Brisbane Division.<ref name=RAN/><ref>Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, pp. 79–80</ref> In RNVR service, Labuan was used to provide training and seagoing experience to Reserve personnel, generally on two-week deployments.<ref name=RAN/> Despite being operated by the RANR, Labuan maintained a heavy schedule of exercise deployments and operations in support of the Army and RAN.<ref name=RAN/> During September and October 1980, clearance divers were embarked aboard Labuan for three weeks of shipping channel clearing around the Solomon Islands.<ref name=RAN/>
On 9 April 1987, Labuan rescued the 11 crew of the yacht Madame de Farge, which had run aground during the Sydney to Mooloolaba Yacht Race.<ref name=RAN/> During January 1988, the vessel was in Ballina, New South Wales for Bicentenary celebrations.<ref name=RAN/> In September, Labuan was in Sydney for the Bicentennial Naval Salute.<ref name=RAN/> Labuan was granted the right of Freedom of Entry to Ballina in 1988.<ref name=White/>Template:Clarify At the start of 1992, the final RANR training cruise occurred, after which the vessel was docked in Cairns for a refit.<ref name=RAN/> On 17 August, Labuan was reassigned to the Permanent Naval Force, but because she was still undergoing refit, no permanent command team was assigned, and the post-refit trials were conducted under frequently-changing commanding officers.<ref name=RAN/>
From March until May 1993, Labuan was at Forgacs' Newcastle shipyard for removal of asbestos.<ref name=RAN/> In August, the ship's home base was relocated to Template:HMAS in Cairns, Queensland.<ref name=RAN/> On 31 December, the ship was forced to sail to avoid Tropical Cyclone Rewa.<ref name=RAN/> During 1995, Labuan provided logistical support to NORFORCE.<ref name=RAN/> On 14 May 1996, while returning from Exercise Thunder Bay 96, the landing craft ran aground on a reef off South Harrison Island. She was refloated on the next high tide, and returned to Cairns for repairs.<ref name=RAN/> In March 1997, the ship was placed on standby to evacuate Australian citizens from political unrest in Papua New Guinea; this need did not eventuate, and Labuan resumed normal operations in early April.<ref name=RAN/> During November, Labuan and Tarakan delivered humanitarian supplies to drought-stricken areas in northern Papua New Guinea.<ref name=Swinden23>Swinden, Heavy Lifting for Four Decades, p. 23</ref> From December 1997 to February 1998, the vessel was berthed in Cairns for communications upgrades.<ref name=RAN/>
During 1998 and 1999, Labuan made four deployments to Bougainville Island as part of Operation Bel Isi: March to April and August to October in 1998, and January to March and July to August in 1999.<ref name=RAN/> In between these deployments, the ship continued on a program of training exercises and logistical support for other defence units.<ref name=RAN/> Labuan sailed to Dili, East Timor on 18 September 1999 as part of INTERFET.<ref name=RAN/> The ship provided logistic support, beach landing capability, and rest facilities for INTERFET forces.<ref name=RAN/> She remained in the area until 14 October, and was redeployed in support of INTERFET during November–December 1999, February–April 2000, June–July 2000, August–September 2000 and November–December 2000.<ref name=RAN/><ref name=StevensStrength>Template:Cite book</ref> These deployments were later recognised with the battle honour "East Timor 1999–2000".<ref name=newhonours>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=honourslist>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On returning to Cairns at the end of 2000, the ship was prepared for a Life of Type Extension refit; the refit itself lasted from late February 2001 to early September 2001.<ref name=RAN/> On 15 October, Labuan sailed on another deployment to Bougainville, under Operation Bel Isi II.<ref name=RAN/>
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During January 2002, Labuan was sent to Dili with a cargo of military vehicles.<ref name=RAN/> From April to July, she was deployed to Bougainville as part of Operation Bel Isi II.<ref name=RAN/> Subsequent deployments as part of the operation were made during September to October 2002, and April to May 2003.<ref name=RAN/> From July until September, the ship was in the Solomon Islands as part of the RAN contribution to the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), with Labuan undertaking logistic support operations, patrols, and assisting in the collection of weapons under the gun amnesty.<ref name=RAN/> A second RAMSI deployment occurred from April until May 2004.<ref name=RAN/> In November 2004, the ship visited Ballina.<ref name=RAN/> In March 2006, Labuan was involved in humanitarian operations following Cyclone Larry (after having ridden out the storm herself in Wahday Creek), moving supplies and equipment from Townsville to Mourilyan.<ref name=RAN/> In June 2006, the ship transported materiel between Darwin and Dili in support of Operation Astute.<ref name=RAN/> During August, Labuan was deployed on border patrol operations under Operation Resolute.<ref name=RAN/> Further Resolute deployments occurred during September and October, and in June 2007.<ref name=RAN/>
During August and September 2008, Labuan hosted scientists from the Defence Science and Technology Organisation, Curtin University, and the Universities of Queensland and Sydney during a research survey of Beaked Whales.<ref name=RAN/> From April until June 2009, Labuan and Tarakan were deployed to the southwest Pacific, visiting Vanuatu, Tonga, and Western Samoa.<ref name=RAN/> In July 2010, the ship was involved in the US Navy's Pacific Partnership humanitarian assistance operation, providing over-the-shore support and acting as a forward base for medical and dental personnel during visits to Indonesia and Timor Leste.<ref name=RAN/> In October 2013, Labuan participated in the International Fleet Review 2013 in Sydney.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Labuan visited Ballina in August 2014, during the ship's final cruise before decommissioning.<ref name=White/> After participating in Exercise Croix Du Sud off New Caledonia, Labuan and Tarakan delivered humanitarian supplies to remote coastal settlements in the Solomon Islands in September 2014 as part of Australian support efforts in the region.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Labuan, along with Brunei and Tarakan, were decommissioned on 20 November 2014.<ref name=Staples>Template:Cite news</ref> The ship's bell and ceremonial life ring are to be put on display at the Ballina Naval & Maritime Museum.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2013, the Australian government had promised to gift one of the Balikpapan-class vessels due to leave RAN service to Papua New Guinea.<ref name="Defence Minister welcomes the commissioning of HMPNGS Lakekamu"/>Template:Clarify To this end, Labuan was sailed to Port Moresby by a combined RAN and PNGDF complement, and was commissioned into the PNGDF Maritime Operations Element on 4 December 2014.<ref name=Staples/><ref name="Defence Minister welcomes the commissioning of HMPNGS Lakekamu">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The ship's new name comes from the Lakekamu River, in Papua New Guinea's Gulf Province.<ref name="Defence Minister welcomes the commissioning of HMPNGS Lakekamu"/><ref name=TheNationalPng2017-12-11/>
HMPGS Lakekamu is used as a training ship.<ref name="Defence Minister welcomes the commissioning of HMPNGS Lakekamu"/> As part of Australia's assistance to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, the Royal Australian Navy provides her commanding officer and a chief of the boat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReferencesEdit
SourcesEdit
- Books
- Journal articles
Template:Balikpapan-class LCH Template:RAN amphibious warfare ships Template:Sister project