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 (RAN).

Design and construction

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

LSM-1-class landing ship medium Landing Ship Medium (LSM) were amphibious assault ships of the United States Navy in World War II. Of a size between that of Landing Ships Tank (LST) and Landing Craft Infantry (LCI), 558 LSMs were built for the USN between 1944 and 1945. The ...

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 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 at

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 Darwin may refer to: Common meanings * Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection * Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...

by Cyclone Tracy 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 Cannibalization of machine parts, in the maintenance of mechanical or electronic systems with interchangeable parts, refers to the practice of removing parts or subsystems necessary for repair from another similar device, rather than from inventor ...

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