The Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

 and Australian Army

Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

 have operated 24 amphibious warfare ship

Amphibious warfare ship

Amphibious warfare ship, often shortened to amphibs or phibs and popularly known as gator freighters, denotes a range of classes of warship employed to land and support ground forces, such as marines, on enemy territory during an amphibious assault...

s. These ships have been used to transport Army units and supplies during exercises and operational deployments.

World War II and Cold War ships

The Australian military's first amphibious warfare ships were the three Landing Ships Infantry (LSI): HMAS Kanimbla

HMAS Kanimbla (1936)

HMAS Kanimbla was a passenger ship converted for use as an armed merchant cruiser and landing ship infantry during World War II. Built during the mid-1930s as the passenger liner MV Kanimbla for McIlwraith McEachern Limited, the ship operated in Australian waters until 1939, when she was...

, HMAS Manoora

HMAS Manoora (1935)

HMAS Manoora was a motor vessel laid down for the Adelaide Steamship Company by Alex Stephen and Son at Govan in Scotland in July 1934, launched on 25 October 1935 and completed in 1935....

, and HMAS Westralia

HMAS Westralia (1939)

HMAS Westralia was an auxiliary cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy .-Construction and acquisition:Westralia was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Glasgow for the Huddart Parker company as a twin screw motor vessel, being completed in 1929. Westralia was requisitioned for war service by...

. These three ships had been built as civilian motor vessels and were converted to armed merchant cruisers

Armed merchantmen

Armed merchantman is a term that has come to mean a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in long distance and high value...

 at the outbreak of war in 1939. They were converted again to LSIs in 1943 and took part in United States and Australian amphibious assaults in the South West Pacific Area

South West Pacific theatre of World War II

The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....

. The ships had a capacity of about 1,200 troops, which were landed from boats carried by the LSIs. Following the war, the three LSIs remained in service as transports until 1949 when they were returned to their owners.

The RAN borrowed six Landing Ships Tank (LSTs) from the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 between 1946 and 1955. The LSTs were used as general purpose vessels and did not specialise in amphibious operations.

After the LSTs were disposed of Australia was left without any amphibious warfare ships. To rectify this situation the Army purchased four LSM-1 class Landing Ship Medium

LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium

The LSM-1 Class Landing Ship Medium were a class of landing ships built for the United States Navy during World War II.The class commenced with the construction of LSM-1 on 5 May 1944 and continued on through the construction and commissioning of LSM-500 on 17 May 1945.This class was replaced,...

 from the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 in 1959. These ships were operated by the 32nd Small Ship Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers

32nd Small Ship Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers

The 32nd Small Ship Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers was an amphibious unit of the Royal Australian Engineers. They were formed in 1959 to operate the four LSM-1 class Landing Ship Medium purchased from the United States Navy...

 and supported Army exercises and operations. All four of the ships saw active service during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

 where they carried supplies between Australia and South Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...

 and between South Vietnamese ports. All four ships were decommissioned in September 1971 when the 32nd Small Ship Squadron was disbanded.

Current ships

The LSMs were replaced by eight Balikpapan class landing craft heavy which began to enter service in 1971. The first ship in the class, HMAS Balikpapan was briefly operated by the Army's Water Transport force but was later transferred to the Navy and all subsequent ships in the class were transferred to the Navy while they were under construction. Two ships, HMAS Buna and HMAS Salamaua, were transferred to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force in 1974. These ships have proven to be very successful and have supported Australian Army exercises and operations throughout South East Asia.

The Australian Defence Force

Australian Defence Force

The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...

's (ADF's) amphibious warfare capabilities were significantly expanded in 1982 when the landing ship heavy HMAS Tobruk was commissioned. This ship was the first amphibious vessel purpose built for the RAN and was based on the British Round Table class landing ship logistics

Round Table class landing ship logistics

The Round Table class is a ship class of Landing Ship Logistics , also known as the "Sir" class, are designed for amphibious warfare missions, in support of the major amphibious ships. They have both bow and stern doors leading onto the main vehicle deck, making them roll-on/roll-off, combined with...

 design. She has supported ADF operations around the world.

The ADF's amphibious warfare capabilities were further expanded in 1994 when two Newport class tank landing ship

Newport class tank landing ship

Newport-class tank-landing ships are an improved class of American tank-landing ship , intended to provide substantial advantages over their World War II-era predecessors...

s were purchased from the USN. These ships were greatly modified and finally entered service in the late 1990s as the Kanimbla class landing platform amphibious

Kanimbla class landing platform amphibious

The Kanimbla class is a class of amphibious transport ships operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Two ships were purchased by Australia in 1994 and modified...

. They have supported ADF operations in Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

, the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

 and East Timor

East Timor

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

.

In addition to the seagoing ships, the RAN and Army also currently operate a number of smaller amphibious craft which are carried by Tobruk and the Kanimbla class ships. The RAN has four Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel

LCVP (Australia)

Since 1993 the Royal Australian Navy has operated four Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel from the landing ship, heavy and replenishment oiler . These aluminum craft were built by Geraldton Boat Builders and can carry up to 36 personnel or a Land Rover with a half-ton trailer. They are maintained...

 (LCVP) which can carry a Land Rover

Land Rover

Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...

 sized vehicle or 36 personnel. The Army operates a small fleet of LCM-8

LCM-8

The LCM-8 is a river boat and mechanized landing craft used by the United States Navy and Army during the Vietnam War and subsequent operations. They are currently used by governments and private organizations throughout the world. The acronym stands for "Landing Craft Mechanized, Mark 8...

 mechanised landing craft and LARC-V

LARC-V

LARC-V , is an aluminium-hulled amphibious cargo vehicle capable of transporting 5 tons. It was developed in the United States during the 1950s, and is used in a variety of auxiliary roles to this day....

 amphibious cargo vehicles.

Future ships

HMAS Tobruk and one of the LPAs will be replaced by two Canberra class LHDs between 2012 and 2014. These ships will be the largest warships ever operated by the Royal Australian Navy, and will each be able to carry an infantry battalion and up to 24 Army and Navy helicopters. It is planned to replace the other LPA with a sealift ship. Both LPAs were taken out of service in September 2010 due to concerns about their seaworthiness. On 1 February 2011 the Minister for Defence

Minister for Defence (Australia)

The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...

 announced that repairing Manoora would not be cost effective given that the ship was scheduled to retired at the end of 2012 and that she would instead be decommissioned. He also stated that Kanimbla would be repaired but was not expected to return to operational service until mid-2012. In December 2010 a team from the RAN traveled to Britain to inspect the Bay class landing ship dock RFA Largs Bay

RFA Largs Bay (L3006)

RFA Largs Bay is a Bay class landing ship dock that served with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 2006 to 2011. The vessel was built by Swan Hunter in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear. She was named after Largs Bay in Ayrshire, Scotland, and entered service in 2006...

, which is scheduled to be placed in reserve in April 2011, and Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith

Stephen Smith (Australian politician)

Stephen Francis Smith , is the Australian Minister for Defence. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since March 1993, representing the Division of Perth, Western Australia....

 stated in January 2011 that Australia was considering purchasing the ship. On 6 April 2011 Smith announced that Australia would buy Largs Bay and that the ship was expected to enter service with the RAN in 2012. In May 2011 the Australian Government chartered the civilian icebreaker Aurora Australis

Aurora Australis (icebreaker)

Aurora Australis is an Australian icebreaker. Built by Carrington Slipways and launched in 1989, the vessel is owned by P&O Polar, but is regularly chartered by the Australian Antarctic Division for research cruises in Antarctic waters and to support Australian bases in Antarctica.-Design and...

 for two months to provide an amphibious capability while Tobruk was undergoing maintenance. A project is also underway to replace the LCHs and the Army and Navy's small amphibious craft. These new craft will be capable of operating from the well deck

Well deck

A well deck or well dock is a hangar-like deck located at the waterline in the stern of some amphibious warfare ships. By taking on water the ship can lower its stern, flooding the well deck and allowing boats and amphibious landing craft to dock within the ship. This facilitates moving cargo...

s in the Canberra class ships.