HMAS Stuart

Not to be confused with the River-class destroyer escort or Scott-class Flotilla Leader

## Information

### Fate

Active

**HMAS *Stuart* (FFH 153)** is an *Anzac*-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). She was built at Williamstown in Victoria, and commissioned into the RAN in 2002. The frigate is operational as of 2023.

### Operational History

In April 2003, *Stuart* was used to capture *Pong Su*, a North Korean-owned freighter involved in drug smuggling operations. Several people were arrested ashore as part of an Australian Federal Police operation on 16 April, but *Pong Su* refused police orders to sail to the nearest port. A New South Wales Police launch attempted to detain the ship, off Eden, New South Wales on 18 April, but was unable to do so because of heavy seas. *Stuart* was deployed to board and capture the merchantman after scrounging sailors from other ships to make up for those on leave for the Easter weekend, embarking a Seahawk helicopter, and taking onboard special forces personnel from the Special Air Service Regiment and the Clearance Diving Team. Accompanied by two police launches, *Stuart* intercepted *Pong Su* 90 nautical miles (170 km; 100 mi) off Sydney on 20 April. The special forces successfully boarded the ship, and she was sailed to Sydney by a RAN steaming party.

In 2004, *Stuart* was deployed to the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Catalyst. On 24 April, *Stuart*, the patrol boat USS *Firebolt*, and the cruiser USS *Yorktown* were patrolling around the Al Başrah Oil Terminal (ABOT) and Khor Al Amaya Oil Terminal (KAAOT), with *Stuart*'s commanding officer in tactical control of the two American warships. Around 19:00, a dhow sailed into the KAAOT security zone. *Firebolt* sent a RHIB to board the dhow and order the vessel away, but as the RHIB drew alongside, the dhow exploded. *Stuart*, 4.1 nautical miles (7.6 km; 4.7 mi) away, began sailing to assist, while the Australian ship's S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter, 6 nautical miles (11 km; 6.9 mi) away diverted to the explosion site. The Seahawk and a RHIB from *Stuart* began assisting survivors from *Firebolt*'s boarding party; after experiencing difficulty in handling the injured Americans, the Seahawk's sensor operator dived into the water to assist. Casualties were brought aboard *Firebolt*, then transferred by helicopter and boat to *Stuart*. Meanwhile, two more dhows attempted to attack ABOT—the explosion of the first dhow was the prelude to a coordinated attack on the oil terminal—but were fended off by the facility's Iraqi security team and detonated before reaching their targets. Three of the seven personnel aboard *Firebolt*'s RHIB were killed, and the other four were seriously injured. The Seahawk's sensor operator was later awarded the Medal for Gallantry for his actions during the incident.

In February 2006, fire broke out about HMNZS *Te Mana*, *Stuart*'s sister ship, during an exercise off the coast of Australia. *Te Mana*'s Seasprite helicopter was diverted to *Stuart*, while the fire was put out by the crew.

On the morning of 13 March 2009, *Stuart* 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. The frigate was one of the thirteen ships involved in the ceremonial entry through Sydney Heads, and anchored in the harbour for the review.

On 22 March 2011, while operating off Somalia as part of Combined Task Force 151, *Stuart* machine-gunned an unmanned skiff being towed by MV *Sinar Kudus*, a hijacked cargo carrier operating as a pirate mother ship. The skiff was destroyed. This was the first time an Australian warship had fired in anger at Somali pirates.

On 11 April 2011, *Stuart* interdicted the Yemeni-flagged dhow named *Al Shahar 75*. A boarding party from the frigate rescued three crew members being held hostage, while the fifteen Somali pirates, who had surrendered as *Stuart* approached, were allowed to return to their skiff and sail to shore after their weapons and equipment were disposed of.

In October 2013, *Stuart* participated in the International Fleet Review 2013 in Sydney.

In November 2014, *Stuart* and sister ship *Parramatta* were deployed to shadow a Russian naval force operating in international waters off Australia during the 2014 G-20 Brisbane summit. The Russian deployment was believed to be in response to troubled recent relationships between the two nations.

*Stuart* is the last ship of the *Anzac* class to undergo the Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) upgrade. The upgrade will include the fitting of CEA Technologies' CEAFAR and CEAMOUNT phased array radars on new masts, a Vampir NG Infrared Search and Track system, and Sharpeye Navigational Radar Systems, along with improvements to the operations room equipment and layout. Work commenced in early 2016, and is due to be completed by 2017.

HMAS *Stuart* joined KDB *Darulehsan*, HMAS *Sirius*, USS *Rafael Peralta* and RSS *Supreme* on their way to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in preparation for RIMPAC 2020 on 6 August. RIMPAC 2020 will scheduled to start on 17 August.