CHENNAI: Australian Navy ships HMAS Success and HMAS Parramatta docked at the Chennai Port on Thursday, as part of Indo-Pacific Endeavour 19 (IPE 19), a major Australian Defence Force activity to deepen Australia’s engagement and partnerships with regional security forces.
AUSINDEX 2019, which is considered to be the cornerstone of a wider Indo-Pacific endeavour, will focus on anti-submarine warfare, says Bates.
During the stay, the Australian defence forces will be playing a T20 match in either Officers Training Academy or in the Navy campus on Friday. Legendary fast bowler Glenn McGrath is likely to take part. It is learnt that there will also be a rugby match with children from Government Corporation School. There will also be a Direct Aid programme, a Australian spokeswoman said.
Interestingly, this time around, there has been a sizeable number of Australian women participating in the exercise.“For many of the women, it is for the first time, they will be visiting India and many are excited about it,” said Warrant Officer Angela Miranda.
HMAS Success, Royal Australian Navy’s 32-year-old tanker, and HMAS Parramatta (FFH 154), an Anzac-class frigate, will be in the city till April 1 before departing for Vishakhapatnam to take part in the third instalment of Joint Naval Exercise of India and Australia. AUSINDEX will be held off Vishakhapatnam coast from April 2 to 16.
This is the first time over 1,200 Australian defence personnel, the largest ever Australian Defence Joint Task force comprising Navy, Army and Air force Assets, will be visiting India and taking part in the exercise, says Simon Bateman, Captain, Royal Australian Navy, Australian Defence Adviser to India.
Captain Darren Grogan, commanding officer of HMAS Success and Commander Troy Van Tienhoven, commanding officer HMAS Parambatta, were received by Indian Navy Lt Commander Deepak Loganathan.
Both the warships will be joined by HMAS Canberra, the lead ship of the CANBERRA-class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) and largest ship ever constructed for the Royal Australian Navy which provides the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with one of the most capable and sophisticated air-land-sea amphibious deployment systems in the world, and HMAS Newcastle, one of the four ADELAIDE-class Guided Missile Frigates in the Royal Australian Navy which is capable of air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction. They will be joining the fleet on April 2.
The major attraction will be HMAS Collins (SSG 73), the lead vessel of the six-submarine Collins class operated by the Royal Australian Navy. HMAS Collins was the first of the six Collins class submarines to enter service in the Royal Australian Navy.