HMAS Canberra ( FFG 02 ) HMAS " Canberra " ( FFG 02 ) was an " Adelaide " class guided missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) . Based on the " Oliver Hazard Perry " class design , " Canberra " was one of four " Adelaide " class ships constructed in the United States of America , and one of six to serve in the RAN . The frigate entered service in 1981 . During her career , " Canberra " was assigned to escort the Royal Yacht " Britannia " during Queen Elizabeth II ' s visit in 1988 , helped enforce the post - Gulf War United Nations ' sanctions against Iraq during 1992 and 1993 , was part of the Australian responses to the 1998 Indonesian riots and the 2000 Solomon Islands Civil War , and returned to the Persian Gulf in 2002 as part of the War in Afghanistan . In 2005 , " Canberra " became the first ship of her class to be decommissioned . The frigate was marked for conversion into a dive wreck and artificial reef off Barwon Heads , Victoria , and was scuttled on 4 October 2009 . Design and construction . Following the cancellation of the DDL project in 1983 , the RAN needed to procure a replacement for the " Daring " class destroyers . Foreign designs were considered , with two designs shortlisted : the " Oliver Hazard Perry " class guided missile frigate , and the Type 42 destroyer , modified to fire RIM - 66 Standard missiles . Although the " Perry " design did not meet the operating conditions set down for the DDL , the impracticality of modifying the Type 42 design prompted the Australian government to approve the acquisition of two " Perry " class ships : HMA Ships and " Canberra " . Four more ships were later ordered . " Canberra " was laid down as the first ship of the " Perry " class ' s Flight II design by Todd Pacific Shipyards at Seattle , Washington on 1 March 1978 , and launched on 1 December 1978 . " Canberra " was commissioned into the RAN on 21 March 1981 . The ship received the United States Navy hull number FFG - 18 during construction . Armament . " Canberra " s main weapon is the Mark 13 missile launcher located on the foredeck : this is used to fire both Harpoon and SM - 2MR Standard missiles . A Mark 75 OTO Melara gun is located on top of the superstructure , in front of the exhaust funnel . A triple - barrelled Mark 32 torpedo tube set is fitted to each side of the superstructure . For close defence , a Mark 16 Mod 2 Phalanx CIWS sits at the aft end of the superstructure , above the frigate ' s two helicopter hangars . The hangars housed two S - 70B Seahawk helicopters . Operational history . " Canberra " was assigned as escort to the Royal Yacht " Britannia " during Queen Elizabeth II ' s visit to Australia during April and May 1988 , as part of the Australian Bicentennary celebrations . On 16 May 1990 , " Canberra " was one of six Australian warships , and one of 64 naval vessels from 21 nations present at the Royal Fleet Review marking the 55th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy . " Canberra " was deployed to the Red Sea from 13 November 1992 to 12 March 1993 following the Gulf War , as part of the enforcement of the United Nations ' sanctions against Iraq . In December 1993 , " Canberra " and the destroyer visited Langkawi , Malaysia , for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition . During this assignment , ship ' s divers from " Canberra " assisted the Royal Malaysian Police in searching for and recovering the body of a merchant sailor who had fallen overboard from MV " Leisureworld " . Following this , the two ships sailed for New Zealand , and were present in the Bay of Islands for Waitangi Day , which commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi there on 6 February 1840 , which brought New Zealand into the British Empire . The frigate ' s home base was changed from Fleet Base East in New South Wales to Fleet Base West in Western Australia in February 1996 . On 17 May 1998 , the frigate was one of four RAN ships placed on standby to help evacuate Australian citizens from Indonesia following riots . " Canberra " made at least one evacuation before the force was instructed to stand down a week later . Following the conclusion of the Solomon Islands Civil War in 2000 , " Canberra " was the last Australian warship sent to the Solomons to support the International Peace Monitoring Team ; arriving on 13 September 2001 , and remaining on station until 24 October . After returning to Australia for Christmas and the New Year , the frigate accompanied the replenishment oiler to Heard Island and McDonald Islands in January 2002 , where the two ships spent a month enforcing Australian sovereign rights and fisheries laws in the islands ' Exclusive Economic Zone . Following this , " Canberra " joined sister ship and the amphibious warfare ship on a three - month deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of the International Coalition Against Terrorism . In July 2003 , while operating in northern Australian waters , " Canberra " intercepted Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel ( SIEV ) 13 , the first SIEV to be intercepted since December 2001 . " Canberra " was decommissioned at Fleet Base West in Western Australia on 12 November 2005 . Dive wreck . In October 2006 , it was announced that the decommissioned frigate will be scuttled off the coast of Barwon Heads , Victoria , to be used as a wreck diving site . In October 2006 , the Federal Government allocated A $ 2 . 8 million to the project , while the Victorian Government allocated A $ 500 , 000 . On 23 July 2007 , the Minister for Defence , Brendan Nelson , announced that in order to ensure the quickest possible schedule for the sinking of the ship , A $ 7 million of federal money would be allocated to the project . The frigate was scheduled to be scuttled in of water , off Ocean Grove , Victoria on 13 September 2009 , but this was postponed until 4 October because of foul weather . Sixteen scuttling charges were detonated at 1400 hours , following a six - hour delay in towing the ship into position . " Canberra " was inspected the next day by civilian clearance divers to ensure it had settled safely . The wreck was opened to the public as a dive site on 5 December , after four mooring pylons for dive boats were installed and safety checks and remedial work were carried out . In early 2011 , Parks Victoria posted a warning that the port side of the hangar had separated from the rest of the superstructure , with frames and plating shifting up to . In mid - 2011 , Parks Victoria closed the dive site due to safety concerns following further degradation of the dumped frigate . After assessment , the site was reopened on 24 October 2011 . As part of an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system , completed in March 2010 , " Canberra " was retroactively awarded the battle honour " Persian Gulf 2002 " for her service during the war in Afghanistan .