KD Mahawangsa
Encyclopedia
KD Mahawangsa is a Royal Malaysian Navy
Royal Malaysian Navy
The Royal Malaysian Navy is the naval arm of Malaysian Armed Forces. All commissioned ships of the RMN have the prefix KD , which means Royal Ship.-Straits Settlement Naval Volunteer Reserve:...
's 4,300 ton multi-role support ship based at Lumut
Lumut
Lumut is a coastal town in the state of Perak, Malaysia, situated about 84 km from Ipoh, 12 km from the town of Sitiawan and it is the gateway to Pangkor Island. It is a quaint little town famous for its beautiful seashell and coral handicrafts...
Naval Base in Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
, Malaysia. It was named in honor of Merong Mahawangsa
Merong Mahawangsa
Merong Mahawangsa is a legendary warrior and a ruler who is said to be the first king of Langkasuka and later became the modern day, Kedah. The tale of Merong Mahawangsa is mentioned in the Kedah Annals...
, the founder of the Old Kedah
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
. KD stands for Kapal DiRaja which means His Majesty's Ship in the Malay language
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
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Service history
The ship has been dispatched to aid victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
, rushed humanitarian aid the Afghan refugees in 2001 and delivered armoured infantry vehicles from 4th Infantry Brigade (Mech) as part of peacekeeper forces for Operation Astute
Operation Astute
Operation Astute is an Australian-led military deployment to East Timor to quell unrest and return stability in the 2006 East Timor crisis. It is currently headed by Brigadier Bill Sowry, and commenced on 25 May 2006 under the command of Brigadier Michael Slater...
during the 2006 East Timor crisis
2006 East Timor crisis
The 2006 East Timorese crisis began as a conflict between elements of the military of East Timor over discrimination within the military, and expanded to a coup attempt and general violence throughout the country, centred in the capital Dili...
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In her roles as a command ship, KD Mahawangsa has been involved in several joint exercises with foreign navies, such as the joint Malaysia-Thailand Naval exercises called THALAY LAUT, the Starfish exercises under the Five Power Defence Arrangement and the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training
Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training
The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training is a series of annual bilateral military exercises conducted by United States Pacific Fleet with several member nations of ASEAN in Southeast Asia. Currently, the navies of Bangledesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,...
(CARAT) series of exercises held with the U.S. 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...
. The closing ceremony for CARAT Malaysia 2004 was held aboard the KD Mahawangsa, anchored off the island of Tioman.
In September 2008 the KD Mahawangsa was sent to the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
after the hijacking of two MISC
MISC Berhad
MISC Berhad was incorporated in 1968 as Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad and is the leading international shipping line of Malaysia. In September 2005 Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad adopted its present corporate identity and changed its name to MISC Berhad...
oil tankers by Somali pirates
Piracy in Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
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