A TRIP TO REMEMBER

Army April 25, 2013 NEWS
www.defence.gov.au/news/armynews 7
Ready to
set sail
Troops prepare for amphibious exercises
Michael Brooke
THE Ship’s Army Detachment
(SAD) of HMAS Choules and soldiers
of 2RAR will hit the waves for
two major amphibious exercises next
month.
Block II amphibious force generation
training, formerly known as Ex
Sea Lion, will mark a baptism of fire
for Choules’ SAD personnel, many of
whom have posted in since the ship’s
period of defect rectification.
The amphibious warfare exercises
will be conducted in Far North
Queensland in May followed by Ex
Talisman Sabre in June.
SAD 2IC Capt Nicholas Thompson
said the 22 soldiers posted to the
amphibious ship were ready for the
challenge of Block II after helping the
vessel pass unit readiness assessment
in mid-April.
“There has been a significant
change out of SAD personnel since
HMAS Choules has come back online,
but the individual and collective
training that we have achieved in a
short space of time means we are ready
for the amphibious exercises,” he said.
CO HMAS Choules Cmdr Ashley
Papp said the SAD personnel played an
important role helping the ship return
to operational status.
“Choules’ return to sea is a tribute
to the professionalism and dedication
of her ship’s company, which includes
the 22-member SAD,” he said.
HMAS Choules was declared unit
ready on April 12 after 10 days at sea,
during which the soldiers and sailors
conducted extensive damage-control
exercises, watercraft and cargo operations,
sea assurance testing and a mock
evacuation of noncombatants from a
fictional country.
Capt Thompson said the achievements
of the crew during the ship’s
work up had the SAD primed for the
coming exercises, which would also
involve embarked elements of 3 Bde.
Capt Thompson said the exercises
would improve the SAD and the
embarked forces’ understanding of
the procedures and tasks necessary to
embark and marshal a landing force on
board and project it ashore.
He said a major feature of amphibious
force integration training would be
the transfer of soldiers, vehicles and
equipment to landing craft or rotarywing
aircraft for the movement of
troops and materiel.
“Our biggest challenge is acquaint-
Sea lift: Cargo specialist LCpl Jade Batten and Pte Scott Jones guide crane operations on and off HMAS
Choules with support from Cpl Brent Widders (left), Tpr Cameron Samuels and Ship’s Army Detachment 2IC
Capt Nicholas Thompson. Photo by AB Chantell Bianchi
ing ourselves with new equipment and
capabilities while still using old doctrine
that was developed for Manoora
and Kanimbla,” he said.
“So at this stage our doctrine and
SOPs are still evolving, which makes
our involvement all the more purposeful
and interesting.”
The fundamental roles remain the
same with the SAD personnel loading
and unloading stores, vehicles, equip-
ment and embarked forces, using a
variety of methods and integral assets
ranging from material handling equipment,
air transport and watercraft.
SAD personnel also gained valuable
experience during the work up by
rehearsing baseline amphibious procedures
including craning operations
by loading and unloading trucks and
other light vehicles from the Sydneybased
5CSSB.
Cargo Specialist LCpl Jade Batten
said she had settled into the Navy
environment easily and relished the
opportunity to help with craning
operations.
“It has been an interesting and busy
posting so far. While drawing on our
Army experience, we have worked
well in integrating the Navy way of
doing business to achieve a solid middle
ground,” she said.