WARSHIP TO BE SUNK OFF NEW SOUTH WALES CENTRAL COAST

I am pleased to announce I have selected New South Wales to be gifted the Royal Australian Navy Guided Missile Frigate HMAS Adelaide for sinking as a dive wreck.

The New South Wales Government has indicated that the preferred location for HMAS Adelaide is off the New South Wales Central Coast, near Terrigal.

I thank my colleagues, Mr Jim Lloyd MP and Mr Ken Ticehurst MP, who have been strong and persistent advocates for the Central Coast community. Their continued support has undoubtedly assisted the NSW Government in its efforts to secure the ship, such that I am now able to gift HMAS Adelaide to NSW.

HMAS Adelaide will decommission late in 2007 at her home port in Rockingham, Western Australia with handover to the New South Wales Government expected in early to mid 2008.

In addition to the warship, the Howard Government will contribute up to $3 million in funding toward the costs of preparing the ship for sinking.

HMAS Adelaide was built in the United States and commissioned in the Royal Australian Navy on 15 November 1980 and is the second ship to carry this name. The first was a light cruiser that served from 1922 to 1945. HMAS Adelaide was the first guided missile frigate to be home ported in Western Australia.

HMAS Adelaide participated in the 1990/91 Gulf War as part of Operation DAMASK, Australia’s participation in the international coalition against Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. More recently, the ship was deployed for peacekeeping operations in East Timor in 1999 and to the Persian Gulf as part of the International Coalition against Terrorism in 2001 and 2004. HMAS Adelaide is 138 metres long, displaces 4100 tonnes and has a crew of 184 as well as helicopter aircrew and maintainers.

Tourism projects which have previously used former RAN warships to establish dive wrecks have reportedly accrued annual revenues ranging from $2.4 million to $23 million to the significant benefit of local communities.

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