Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia

RAN Ships - Aircraft Carrier HMAS Melbourne

HMAS Melbourne sailed from Glasgow in 1956, bringing with her 808, 816 and 817 Squadrons (the first with Sea Venoms and the other two with Fairey Gannets). She also carried Bristol Sycamore helicopters. From 1959 through to the late 1960s, Melbourne served in the Far East Strategic Reserve. She took part in exercises and escorted HMAS Sydney (then used to ferry troops and vehicles) to Vietnam.

On 10 February 1964, Melbourne was involved in the collision with the Daring Class destroyer HMAS Voyager off Nowra, New South Wales. In 1967, Melbourne sailed to the United States, taking on board new Douglas Skyhawk and Grumman Tracker aircraft before returning to Australia for a major refit which kept her in dock for most of 1968.

Melbourne left for the Far East in May 1969 equipped with Skyhawks of 805 Squadron., Trackers of 816 Squadron, and the Wessex of 817 Squadron. Melbourne was involved in another disaster when early on June 3, in the course of an exercise in the South China Sea, Melbourne and the USS Frank E. Evans collided, with the loss of 74 crew from the smaller ship.

Melbourne continued to exercise in Far Eastern waters, until a major refit which lasted for most of 1971. She then took on board 805, 816 and 817 Squadrons in September, and participated in joint exercises near Hawaii in November. She took part in a series of exercises over the next few years, underwent a further refit in 1973, and visited California in 1974. When Darwin, Northern Territory, was devastated by Cyclone Tracey on Christmas Day 1974, Melbourne sailed from Sydney the next day to assist with a large cargo of urgently-needed supplies.

When Australia took delivery of the Westland Sea King helicopter in 1975, they were allocated to 817 Squadron aboard Melbourne, as well as being assigned to the land base at Nowra. After another refit in 1975-76, Melbourne was involved in further exercises. Exercise Kangaroo II, in October 1976, saw Melbourne operating with the USS Enterprise.

Early in 1977, Melbourne collected 16 Grumman Trackers from the US, to replace ten of the aircraft lost in a hangar fire at Nowra the previous December. In May 1977, she sailed with the guided missile destroyer HMAS Brisbane, bound for England to take part in the celebration of the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

Later she remained in Australian waters, with two more periods in dock, one including a substantial refit. Melbourne continued to take part in exercises and occasional rescue tasks until 1981, when she put in to Sydney for maintenance. During this period a decision was made to decommission her, and this occurred on 30 June 1982.

By then she had spent 62,036 hours underway and steamed 868,893 nautical miles. She lay at moorings in Sydney Harbour, awaiting disposal, and after sale to a private Australian company in June 1984 fell through, she was finally sold in February 1985, to China United Shipbuilding Company for $1.4 million. She was finally broken up in Dalian, China.

Statistics
Commissioned: 28 October 1955
Displacement: 19,996 tonnes (full load)
Length: 198 metres
Engines: Two sets Parsons single reduction geared turbines, two shafts, 42,000shp
Speed: 24 knots
Range: 12,000nm at 14 knots
Crew: 1,335
Armament: 25 x 40mm Bofors, Sea Venom fighters, Sycamore helicopters, Skyhawk fighter-bombers, Sea King anti-submarine helicopters, Gannet anti-submarine aircraft, Wessex anti-submarine helicopters, Tracker anti-submarine aircraft.

Return to Ships index.