HMAS ''Wewak'' (L 130) was the fifth ship of the of heavy

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...

operated by the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

(RAN).

Design and construction

The eight-vessel ''Balikpapan'' class was ordered as a locally manufactured replacement for the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

's LSM-1-class landing ship medium and

ALC 50 The Australian Landing Craft 50 or ALC 50 was a class of Landing Craft Utility operated by the Australian Army in the 1960s. History The two ALC 50s were built by Phoenix Shipyards in Devonport, Tasmania Devonport ( ; Palawa Kani: ''Tiagarr ...

landing craft. They are long, with a beam of , and a draught of .Wertheim (ed.), ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World'', p. 26 The

have a standard displacement of 316 tons, with a full load displacement of 503 tons. They are propelled by two G.M. Detroit 6-71 diesel motors, providing 675 brake horsepower to the two propeller shafts, allowing the vessels to reach . The standard ship's company is 13-strong. The ''Balikpapan''s are equipped with a Decca RM 916 navigational radar, and fitted with two machine guns for self-defence. The LCHs have a maximum payload of 180 tons; equivalent to 3

Leopard 1 The Leopard 1 (also styled Leopard I, before the Leopard 2 simply known as Leopard) is a main battle tank designed and produced by Porsche in West Germany that first entered service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought ...

tanks, 13 M113 armoured personnel carriers 23 quarter-tonne trucks, or four

LARC-V LARC-V (Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 ton), 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 ...

amphibious cargo vehicles.Gillett, ''Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946'', p. 79 As a troop transport, a ''Balikpapan''-class vessel can transport up to 400 soldiers between a larger amphibious ship and the shore, or embark 60 soldiers in six-berth caravans for longer voyages. The vessel's payload affects the range: at 175 tons of cargo, each vessel has a range of , which increases to with a 150-ton payload, and when unladen. The flat, box-like keel causes the ships to roll considerably in other-than-calm conditions, limiting their ability to make long voyages. ''Wewak'' was laid down by

Walkers Limited Walkers Limited was an Australian engineering company, based in Maryborough, Queensland. It built ships and railway locomotives. The Walkers factory still produces railway locomotives and rolling stock as part of Downer Rail. History In ...

Maryborough, Queensland Maryborough ( ) is a city and a suburb in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Maryborough had a population of 15,287. Geography Maryborough is located on the Mary River in Queensland, Australia, approximate ...

on 21 March 1972, launched on 19 May 1972, and commissioned into the RAN on 10 August 1973.Swinden, ''Heavy Lifting for Four Decades'', p. 20

Operational history

Following the destruction of Darwin by

Cyclone Tracy Cyclone Tracy was a tropical cyclone that devastated the city of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, from 24 to 26 December 1974. The small, developing easterly storm had been observed passing clear of the city initially, but then turned t ...

during the night of 24–25 December 1974, ''Wewak'' was deployed as part of the relief effort;

Operation Navy Help Darwin Operation Navy Help Darwin was a disaster relief operation initiated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) following the destruction of Darwin, Northern Territory by Cyclone Tracy during the night of 24–25 December 1974. 13 ships, 11 aircraft, an ...

.Sea Power Centre, ''Disaster Relief'' ''Wewak'' was the last of the 13 ships to join the operation; sailing from Brisbane on 2 January 1975, and arriving on 13 January. ''Wewak'' was placed in reserve on 16 August 1985; one of three landing craft decommissioned for economic reasons.Swinden, ''Heavy Lifting for Four Decades'', p. 22 She was reactivated in late 2000, but only after lengthy delays, as during the intervening years, she had been used as a parts hulk for the other ''Balikpapan''s.

Decommissioning and Fate

''Wewak'' was decommissioned on 11 December 2012. The Philippine Navy has shown interest in acquiring the ship, after the Australian government donated 2 other sisterships, and in 2015. It was later confirmed that the Philippine Navy is acquiring three more LCH from Australia, including ex-HMAS ''Wewak'', at a token price.

References

Sources

Books * * Journal articles * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wewak Balikpapan-class landing craft heavy 1972 ships