Decommissioning of HMA Ships Paluma and Mermaid
Channel: Royal Australian Navy
Date: 2021-09-21

After 32 years of service the Royal Australian Navy's oldest ships, HMA Ships, Paluma and Mermaid sailed into HMAS Cairns for the final time. The Class Survey Motor Launches were later dually farewelled at a decommissioning ceremony. The older of the two, HMAS Paluma held the title of 'First Lady of the Fleet' with the trophy then passed over to HMAS Shepparton during the ceremony.

The ships and their crews have provided a key enabling capability for maritime trade-reliant Australia through the provision of hydrographic data for military and commercial vessels. Their decommissioning is part of the staged introduction which will see up to eight specialist vessels utilising robotic, autonomous, and artificial intelligence systems, commissioned.