HMAS Manoora ( L 52 ) HMAS " Manoora " ( L 52 ) is a ship operated by the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) . Originally built for the United States Navy ( USN ) as the , the ship was decommissioned in 1994 and sold to the RAN . Although commissioned into Australian service in that year , the vessel was heavily modified from her original design , and did not begin operations until the end of the decade . During her Australian career , " Manoora " saw wartime service during the War in Afghanistan , and non - combat service in the Solomon Islands and East Timor . In 2001 , the ship was involved in the " Tampa " affair , a diplomatic incident involving a Norwegian cargo ship and a group of asylum seekers . In late 2010 , " Manoora " and sister ship were placed in an ' operational pause ' after several problems were identified with the ships . In early 2011 , it was announced that repairing " Manoora " was cost - prohibitive , and she was decommissioned on 27 May 2011 . The ship was sold for breaking in 2013 . Construction . The ship was constructed for the USN as a by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company at San Diego in California . Transfer and conversion . In the early 1990s , the RAN initiated a procurement project to replace with a dedicated training and helicopter support ship . Meeting the vague specifications of the project required a purpose - built vessel at an approximate cost of A $ 500 million . The high cost of the project led to its cancellation by the Minister for Defence in 1993 , with the instructions to find a cheaper alternative . At around the same time , the USN began plans to decommission fifteen of their twenty " Newport " - class tank landing ships , including " Fairfax County " , and offering them for purchase by various countries . In 1994 , the RAN elected to purchase two " Newport " s : " Fairfax County " and for the combined price of A $ 61 million ( US $ 40 million ) , with the intention of converting each into a combined pocket helicopter carrier and amphibious warfare transport . " Fairfax County " was to travel to Australia with a USN crew before decommissioning and recommissioning as HMAS " Manoora " . On 28 June 1994 , when " Saginaw " was due to decommmission and recommission as , it was announced that the United States Congress had decided not to release any of the fifteen " Newport " s into foreign service as the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services was attempting to pressure US President Bill Clinton on the perceived running - down of the USN ' s amphibious warfare capability , while an unrelated Senator had expressed concern over human rights in Morocco ( one of the other eight nations slated to acquire a ship ) . The sale to Australia was not approved until the start of August , with " Fairfax County " handed over on 27 September 1994 . She was commissioned into the RAN on 25 November 1994 . After arriving in Australia and transferring into the RAN , " Kanimbla " and " Manoora " spent two years docked at Fleet Base East before they were moved to Forgacs Dockyard at Newcastle , New South Wales in June 1996 , where they underwent conversion from tank landing ships to amphibious warfare transports . The conversion required the main features of the " Newport " class , the bow doors , derrick , and tank ramp , to be removed . A hangar for three Sea King or four Blackhawk helicopters was added , while the aft helicopter deck was reinforced . Chinook helicopters are able to land and take off from the aft deck , but cannot be carried for prolonged periods . The deck forward of the superstructure was converted to carry two LCM - 8 landing craft , which are launched and recovered by a single 70 - ton crane . When the LCM - 8s are deployed , the area functions as a third helicopter landing spot . Accommodation was provided for up to 450 soldiers , while improved medical facilities and an upgraded galley were also installed . The refit was planned to last from 1995 to 1996 , with " Manoora " upgraded first . However , extensive corrosion was discovered in both ships . The refit cost for the two ships increased A $ 400 million , with half of the funding taken from repair and refit allocations for other ships . Operational history . In April 1999 , while the modification was being completed , personnel from " Manoora " , " Kanimbla " , and Sydney bases assisted the New South Wales Department of Agriculture in containing an outbreak of Newcastle disease in Mangrove Mountain poultry farms . " Manoora " entered service in January 2000 . " Manoora " and were deployed to the Solomon Islands in June 2000 , to rescue civilians following a coup d ' état . During September and October , " Manoora " was involved in security operations for the 2000 Summer Olympics . In November , she returned to the Solomon Islands to support the International Peace Monitoring Team following the signing of the Townsville Peace Agreement , remained in the region until late December , then returned for a second deployment between March and June 2001 . In late August 2001 , " Manoora " became involved in the ' Tampa Affair ' , a political incident caused when the Australian government forbade the Norwegian cargo ship MV " Tampa " , carrying asylum seekers rescued from a damaged vessel in the Timor Sea , from entering Australian waters . The 438 asylum seekers were transferred from " Tampa " to " Manoora " , which then delivered them to detention centres on Nauru . From late February to late June 2002 , the ship operated in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Slipper , the Australian involvement in the War in Afghanistan . The ship returned to the Gulf in May 2003 under Operation Falconer , the Australian commitment to the invasion of Iraq , and spent a month in the region before sailing home with Australian personnel and equipment embarked . During the return voyage , the ship rescued eight Iraqi fishermen from the middle of the Gulf . During late June , " Manoora " provided medical assistance to the fishing vessel " Golden Sun " . In July 2003 , " Manoora " sailed to the Solomon Islands with 300 personnel from 2nd Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment ; the start of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands . The ship remained in the region until late October , serving as a logistic and medical support base , and as a venue for meetings . In September , " Manoora " was used to recover an Iroquois helicopter of the Royal New Zealand Air Force downed off Guadalcanal . " Manoora " undertook an extensive refit during 2004 , allowing the vessel to carry the heavier M1 Abrams tank . During 2006 , the ship was deployed to East Timor . On the morning of 13 March 2009 , " Manoora " was one of seventeen warships involved in a ceremonial fleet entry and fleet review in Sydney Harbour , the largest collection of RAN ships since the Australian Bicentenary in 1988 . " Manoora " was one of the thirteen ships involved in the ceremonial entry through Sydney Heads , and anchored in the harbour for the review . Following a review of the RAN battle honour s system , completed in March 2010 , " Manoora " was retroactively awarded the honour " Persian Gulf 2002 " , in addition to the six honours inherited from the previous ship of the name . Decommissioning and fate . In late September 2010 , " Manoora " and sister ship " Kanimbla " were brought to Fleet Base East for an ' operational pause ' after several problems were identified with the ships . These included large quantities of corrosion , faults with the deck crane and alarm system , overhauls of the propulsion , power generators , and air - conditioning , and upgrades to the communication suite . The ships were to be confined to base until after the ships complete a dry - docking initially valued at A $ 17 million : as of October 2010 , tenders for the work were yet to be released . The problems have been attributed to the ship ' s high operational tempo , delays in maintenance , and the age of the ships . On 1 February 2011 , the Minister for Defence announced that repairing " Manoora " would not be cost effective given that this would cost A $ 20 million , and not be complete until mid - 2012 . As the ship was scheduled to retire at the end of 2012 , it was instead decided to decommission her during 2011 without returning her to service . " Manoora " was decommissioned at Fleet Base East on 27 May 2011 . Personnel from " Manoora " are expected to transfer to the former British Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship when she arrives in Australia in late 2011 , and the " Canberra " - class amphibious assault ships when they enter service from 2014 . In June 2012 , the federal government offered " Manoora " and " Kanimbla " to the Queensland state government for scuttling as dive wreck s off the Queensland coast . However , the government chose not to go ahead with this , as it would cost $ 4 million each to prepare them for scuttling , and could provoke similar reactions to the contested sinking of the frigate . Instead , " Manoora " is to be broken up , with an estimated scrap metal value of $ 2 . 5 million . Because the two vessels were originally owned by the United States of America and were sold to Australia , their disposal had to receive US government approval and comply with International Traffic in Arms Regulations . Tendering for the disposal of the vessels began in June 2012 , with the contract awarded to Southern Recycling LLC on 20 May 2013 .