RAN's third and final Hobart-class destroyer is ready for operational duty

The Royal Australian Navy's (RAN's) third and final Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) returned to Garden Island in Sydney on 30 July following a four-and-a-half month-long deployment to the United States and Canada in which it qualified for operational duty.

The Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra said in a news release that, while away, HMAS Sydney (pennant number 42) and its 174-strong crew conducted combat system sea qualification trials, including weapons firings off the western coast of the United States and integrated sonar suite trials, sailing from Nanoose Bay in Canada.

“ Sydney passed the tests and now joins her sister ships Hobart and Brisbane as being ready for operational deployment,” said the DoD.

HMAS Sydney returned to Garden Island on 30 July following a four-and-a-half month-long deployment to the United States and Canada in which it qualified for operational duty. (Commonwealth of Australia)

The ship's commanding officer, Commander Andrew Hough, was quoted as saying the deployment marked “the culmination of more than a decade of work by the navy in partnership with the Australian shipbuilding industry”, adding, “It was an honour to lead such a dedicated crew and to return to our home port, knowing we have been part of the final check off for such a critical capability.”

HMAS Sydney , which was launched in May 2018, formally entered RAN service two years later. Home-ported at Fleet Base East on Garden Island, the vessel had left Australia around mid-March to carry out ‘combat system ship qualification trials' (CSSQTs).