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...

 has deployed ships to the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

 over 35 times since 1990. These ships have participated in the 1991 Gulf War

Australian contribution to the 1991 Gulf War

Australia was a member of the international coalition which contributed military forces to the 1991 Gulf War, also known as Operation Desert Storm. While the Australian forces did not see combat, they did play a significant role in enforcing the sanctions put in place against Iraq following the...

, enforced sanctions against Iraq

Iraq sanctions

The Iraq sanctions were a near-total financial and trade embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council on the nation of Iraq. They began August 6, 1990, four days after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, stayed largely in force until May 2003 , and certain portions including reparations to Kuwait...

, taken part in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq

Australian contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq

The Howard Government supported the disarmament of Iraq during the Iraq disarmament crisis. Australia later provided one of the four most substantial combat force contingents during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, under the operational codename Operation Falconer. Part of its contingent were among the...

 and provided security for Iraq's oil exports.

The dates provided are the dates the ship arrived and departed from the Middle East Area of Operations. Please see the Database of Royal Australian Navy Operations 1990-2005 for the dates the ships arrived and departed from Australia.

Except where otherwise noted, all ships mainly operated in the Persian Gulf

Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...

.

Deployments

Ship	Operation(s)	Arrived	Departed	Notes
Adelaide HMAS Adelaide (FFG 01) HMAS Adelaide was the lead ship of the Adelaide class of guided missile frigates built for the Royal Australian Navy, based on the United States Navy's Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates...	Damask I	3 September 1990	3 December 1990	Gulf of Oman Gulf of Oman The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman is a strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. It is generally included as a branch of the Persian Gulf, not as an arm of the Arabian Sea. On the north coast is Pakistan and Iran...
Darwin HMAS Darwin (FFG 04) HMAS Darwin , named for the capital city of the Northern Territory, is an Adelaide class guided-missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy . One of four ships ordered from the United States, Darwin entered service in 1984. During her career, she has operated in the Persian Gulf, as part of the...	Damask I	3 September 1990	3 December 1990	Gulf of Oman
Success	Damask I/II	3 September 1990	25 January 1990
Sydney HMAS Sydney (FFG 03) HMAS Sydney is an Adelaide class guided missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy . The frigate one of six modified s ordered from 1977 onwards, and the third of four to be constructed in the United States of America...	Damask II	3 December 1990	26 March 1991
Brisbane	Damask II	3 December 1990	26 March 1991
Westralia HMAS Westralia (O 195) HMAS Westralia was a modified Leaf class replenishment oiler which served with the Royal Australian Navy from 1989 to 2006. Formerly RFA Appleleaf , she served in with the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 1975 to 1989. The ship was initially leased to the RAN, then purchased outright in 1994...	Damask II/III	25 January 1991	June 1991
Darwin	Damask III	13 June 1991	4 September 1991
Sydney	Damask IV	25 September 1991	31 January 1992	Red Sea Red Sea The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
Darwin	Damask V	11 March 1992	16 July 1992	Red Sea
Canberra HMAS Canberra (FFG 02) HMAS Canberra was an Adelaide class guided missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy . Based on the Oliver Hazard Perry class design, Canberra was one of four Adelaide class ships constructed in the United States of America, and one of six to serve in the RAN.The frigate entered service in 1981...	Damask VI	13 November 1992	12 March 1993	Red Sea
Sydney	Damask VII	30 July 1993	9 November 1993	Red Sea
Melbourne HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) HMAS Melbourne is an Adelaide class guided-missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy . Originally ordered as HMAS Torrens, the ship was renamed during construction, and entered service in 1992. Melbourne has been deployed to the Persian Gulf on several occasions, and served as part of the...	Damask VIII	7 May 1996	15 August 1996
Melbourne	Damask IX	30 May 1999	13 August 1999
Anzac HMAS Anzac (FFH 150) HMAS Anzac is the lead ship of the Anzac class frigates in use with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy . Entering service in 1996, the frigate operated as part of the INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce in 1999. In 2003, she was involved in the Battle of Al Faw, and became the...	Damask X/Slipper Operation Slipper Operation Slipper is the Australian Defence Force contribution to the war in Afghanistan. The operation commenced in late 2001 and is ongoing...	30 July 2001	November 2001
Sydney	Slipper	9 November 2001	23 February 2002
Adelaide	Slipper	2 December 2001	4 March 2002
Kanimbla	Slipper	2 December 2001	4 March 2002
Canberra	Slipper	14 March 2002	8 July 2002
Manoora	Slipper	28 February 2002	24 June 2002
Newcastle HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06) HMAS Newcastle , named for the city of Newcastle, New South Wales, the largest provincial city in Australia, is an Adelaide class guided-missile frigate of the Royal Australian Navy . The last ship of the class to be constructed, Newcastle entered service in 1993...	Slipper	8 February 2002	24 June 2002
Melbourne	Slipper	24 June 2002	8 November 2002
Arunta HMAS Arunta (FFH 151) HMAS Arunta is an Anzac class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy . The ship, named for the Arrernte people, was laid down in 1995 and commissioned in 1998...	Slipper	8 July 2002	20 November 2002
Anzac	Slipper/Bastille/Falconer	8 November 2002	27 April 2003
Darwin	Slipper/Bastille/Falconer	10 November 2002	26 April 2003
Kanimbla	Bastille/Falconer	13 February 2003	14 June 2003
Sydney	Falconer/Catalyst	29 April 2003	2 August 2003
Manoora	Falconer	3 June 2003	16 June 2003	Returned equipment to Australia
Newcastle	Catalyst	5 August 2003	17 November 2003
Melbourne	Catalyst	27 October 2003	1 April 2004
Stuart HMAS Stuart (FFH 153) HMAS Stuart is an Anzac class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy . She was built at Williamstown in Victoria, and commissioned into the RAN in 2002. The frigate is operational as of 2011.-Design and construction:...	Catalyst	3 April 2004	13 August 2004
Adelaide	Catalyst	13 July 2004	12 January 2005
Darwin	Catalyst	12 January 2005	11 June 2005
Tobruk	Catalyst	May 2005?	16 May 2005	Transported the Al Muthanna Task Group Al Muthanna Task Group The Al Muthanna Task Group was a battlegroup that formed Australia's main ground force contribution to the Multinational force in Iraq. The AMTG was established in April 2005 and ceased to exist in July 2006 when the Australian force was relocated to Dhi Qar Governorate as Overwatch Battle Group... 's vehicles to Kuwait Kuwait The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
Newcastle	Catalyst	14 June 2005	November 2005
Parramatta HMAS Parramatta (FFH 154) HMAS Parramatta is an Anzac class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy .-Design and construction:The Anzac class originated from RAN plans to replace the six River class destroyer escorts with a mid-capability patrol frigate...	Catalyst	November 2005	March 2006
Ballarat HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) HMAS Ballarat is an Anzac class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy . The frigate was laid down in 2000 and commissioned into the RAN in mid-2004...	Catalyst	March 2006	August 2006
Warramunga HMAS Warramunga (FFH 152) HMAS Warramunga is an Anzac class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy .-Design and construction:The Anzac class originated from RAN plans to replace the six River class destroyer escorts with a mid-capability patrol frigate...	Catalyst	July 2006	January 2007?
Tobruk	Catalyst and Slipper	January 2007?	March 2007?	Transported military stores and equipment
Toowoomba HMAS Toowoomba (FFH 156) HMAS Toowoomba is the seventh Anzac class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy . She was laid down in 2002 by Tenix Defence Systems and commissioned in 2005....	Catalyst	January 2007	June 2007
Anzac	Catalyst	June 2007?	December 2007
Arunta	Catalyst	December 2007	April 2008
Stuart	Catalyst	April 2008	August 2008
Parramatta	Catalyst	August 2008	23 January 2009
Warramunga	Slipper	23 January 2009	June 2009	last ship assigned exclusively in the Persian Gulf
Toowoomba	Slipper	June 2009	November 2009	first ship to be assigned to anti-piracy, off Somalia
Stuart	Slipper	November 2009	April 2010	anti-piracy
Parramatta	Slipper	April 2010	October 2010	anti-piracy
Melbourne	Slipper	October 2010	January 2011	anti-piracy
Stuart	Slipper	January 2011	June 2011	anti-piracy