HMAS Westralia (O 195)
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HMAS ''Westralia'' (O 195) was a modified
replenishment oiler A replenishment oiler or replenishment tanker is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds which can supply both fuel and dry stores during underway replenishment (UNREP) at sea. Many countries have used replenishment oilers. The ...
which served with 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) from 1989 to 2006. Formerly RFA ''Appleleaf'' (A79), she served in with the British
Royal Fleet Auxiliary The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) is a naval auxiliary fleet owned by the UK's Ministry of Defence. It provides logistical and operational support to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. The RFA ensures the Royal Navy is supplied and supported by ...
(RFA) from 1975 to 1989. The ship was initially leased to the RAN, then purchased outright in 1994. In 1998, a fire onboard resulted in the deaths of four sailors. ''Westralia'' was decommissioned in 2006, and the ship was sold into civilian service for use as a
Floating Production Storage and Offloading A floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit is a floating vessel used by the offshore oil and gas industry for the production and processing of hydrocarbons, and for the storage of oil. An FPSO vessel is designed to receive h ...
vessel, under the name ''Shiraz''. However, the ship was laid up in Indonesia until late 2009, when she was sold to a Turkish
ship breaking Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of parts, which can be sold for re-use, or for the extraction ...
company. Arriving in January 2010, the vessel was scrapped.


Design and construction

The vessel had a full load displacement of 40,870 tons, a length of , a
beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of , and a maximum draught of .Sharpe (ed.), ''Jane's Fighting Ships 1998-99'', p. 32Royal Australian Navy, ''HMAS Westralia (II)'' Propulsion machinery consists of two
SEMT Pielstick SEMT Pielstick was a French company that designed and built large diesel engines. Its full name was (Company of Thermal Machines Studies). Founded in 1948, SEMT was bought by MAN Diesel in 2006 During its existence as an independent compa ...
14 PC2-2 V400 diesel engines, supplying the single, controllable-pitch propeller with . Maximum speed was . The ship's company consisted of up to 96 personnel. The ship was configured to replenish two ships abeam (one on either side), or one following astern. Up to 25,000 tonnes of fuel were carried, including aviation fuel. The vessel was originally built by
Cammell Laird Cammell Laird is a British shipbuilding company. It was formed from the merger of Laird Brothers of Birkenhead and Johnson Cammell & Co of Sheffield at the turn of the twentieth century. The company also built railway rolling stock until 1929, ...
as ''Hudson Cavalier'', one of four STaT 32-class oil tankers ordered by John Hudson Fuel and Shipping.White & Robinson, ''RFA Appleleaf 3'' She was
laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...
at the Birkenhead shipyard on 5 November 1973. After construction had started on three of the four ships, John Hudson found it could not afford to pay for them. Cammell Laird completed the three vessels, with ''Hudson Cavalier'' launching on 24 July 1975, and after
sea trial A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft (including boats, ships, and submarines). It is also referred to as a " shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and ...
s were completed, all three were laid up in port while the shipbuilder sought to
charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
or sell them. On 27 October 1978, the
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
expressed interest in chartering two of the tankers, and after conversion for use as an
underway replenishment Replenishment at sea (RAS) (North Atlantic Treaty Organization/Commonwealth of Nations) or underway replenishment (UNREP) (U.S. Navy) is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way. First develope ...
vessel, ''Hudson Cavalier'' entered service with the RFA on 8 June 1979 as RFA ''Appleleaf''. The ship was acquired under a ten-year
bareboat charter A bareboat charter or demise charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible f ...
.


Operational history


''Appleleaf''

During the
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
in 1982, ''Appleleaf'' was one of the Leaf-class ships that were involved in supplying the Task Force sent south to retake the islands. The vessel later received the
battle honour A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags ("colours"), uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible. In European military t ...
"Falkland Islands 1982" for her involvement in the conflict. In December 1983, while visiting New Zealand, a member of the ship's company was charged with killing a woman and injuring three others in an alcohol-fuelled incident. Between November 1986 and October 1988, ''Appleleaf'' was deployed to the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
with the Armilla Patrol. On 5 July 1989, the ship completed her last
replenishment at sea Replenishment at sea (RAS) (North Atlantic Treaty Organization/Commonwealth of Nations) or underway replenishment (UNREP) (U.S. Navy) is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way. First develope ...
as part of the RFA. Her ten-year charter concluded on 24 September 1989.


''Westralia''

Although the RAN had originally intended to acquire two replenishment oilers, problems and cost overruns during construction of the first, , over the course of the mid-1980s meant that the option for a second was never taken up. The RAN needed a second replenishment vessel to operate in the Indian Ocean as part of the Two-Ocean Policy, and plans were made to instead acquire a less capable vessel. As ''Appleleaf'' was coming to the end of her RFA charter, the decision was made to lease the vessel to the RAN on 27 September 1989, and after a brief refit, she commissioned as HMAS ''Westralia'' on 9 October.Jones, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 252 Part of the A$30 million, five-year lease was covered by the decommissioning and sale of fleet tender in 1990. ''Westralia'' arrived at Fremantle on 20 December 1989. In March 1990, ''Westralia'' sailed from Fremantle on her first overseas deployment. During this, the ship called into at least seven South-east Asian ports, participated in 55th anniversary celebrations for the
Royal Malaysian Navy The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN, ms, Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia; TLDM; Jawi: ) is the naval arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces. RMN is the main agency responsible for the country's maritime surveillance and defense operations. RMN's area of o ...
, and was part of several training exercises. In late June, ''Westralia'' docked at Singapore, where she underwent a four-month refit. During this, she was fitted to carry an
RBS 70 RBS 70 (Robotsystem 70) is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) designed for anti-aircraft warfare in all climate zones and with little to no support from other forces. Originally designed and manufactured by the Swedish defence firm of ...
missile system and two .50 calibre machine guns as defensive armament, and was fitted with a flight deck on the aft superstructure to facilitate
vertical replenishment Vertical replenishment, or VERTREP, is a method of supply of seaborne vessels by helicopter. The United States Department of Defense defines VERTREP as: ...the transfer of cargo between ships using helicopters. VERTREP is often used to supplement ...
. The ship had returned to her home port of by late October. On 26 January 1991, ''Westralia'' relieved ''Success'' as part of Combined Task Group 627.4, the Australian naval contribution to forces involved in the
Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
. Five female sailors and two female officers were included in ''Westralia''s ship's company: the first time Australian women had been deployed to a combat zone.Jones, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 265 The ship remained in the Gulf until June, when she was replaced by . ''Westralia''s service was later recognised with the battle honour "Kuwait 1991". On 26 August, ''Westralia'' and sailed for
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
in the Philippines, to provide humanitarian aid following the eruption of
Mount Pinatubo Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano in the Zambales Mountains, located on the tripoint boundary of the Philippine provinces of Zambales, Tarlac and Pampanga, all in Central Luzon on the northern island of Luzon. Its eruptive history w ...
. In 1994, the five-year lease of the ship concluded, and the Australian government purchased the ship from the British.Frame, ''No Pleasure Cruise'', p. 286 On 5 May 1998, a flexible fuel hose in the ship's engine room burst.Spurling, in Stevens, ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 285 The spraying fuel ignited when it came into contact with hot machinery, and the first-response extinguishers were unable to cope with the fire's intensity. It took two hours for the fire to be extinguished, and four sailors died from
carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...
poisoning. A Board of Inquiry reported in December that a different type of hose inappropriate for an engine-room environment was fitted, the civilian contractors that fitted the hose had not passed the configuration changes to the
Lloyd's Register Lloyd's Register Group Limited (LR) is a technical and professional services organisation and a maritime classification society, wholly owned by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation, a UK charity dedicated to research and education in science and ...
classification society as required, and that personnel aboard ''Westralia'' did not have the training and qualifications required for their responsibilities. Repairs and modifications were made to the ship, and she returned to operational service during 2000. During January 2002, ''Westralia'' and the frigate were deployed to the
Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...
to capture illegal fishing vessels reported in the area. Two vessels were captured, with six people arrested for
poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...
A$2.5 million worth of fish, and 37 others deported.


Decommissioning and fate

In 2003, the Australian Defence Capability Review indicated the need to replace ''Westralia'' with a new,
double hull A double hull is a ship hull design and construction method where the bottom and sides of the ship have two complete layers of watertight hull surface: one outer layer forming the normal hull of the ship, and a second inner hull which is some dis ...
ed vessel, which was slated to be purchased in 2005 for entry into service during 2006. ''Westralia'' was decommissioned on 16 September 2006 at HMAS ''Stirling'', with about half of ''Westralia''s personnel transferring to her replacement, , when she commissioned on the same day. After being decommissioned, ''Westralia'' was sold to the AGR Group and
Helix Energy Solutions Group Helix Energy Solutions Inc., known as Cal Dive International prior to 2006, is an American oil and gas services company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company is a global provider of offshore services in well intervention and ROV operatio ...
for conversion to a
Floating Production Storage and Offloading A floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit is a floating vessel used by the offshore oil and gas industry for the production and processing of hydrocarbons, and for the storage of oil. An FPSO vessel is designed to receive h ...
(FPSO) vessel.''AGR Group, Helix Energy Solutions undertake FPSO conversion'', in ''Offshore'' The ship was renamed ''Shiraz'', and was marketed to help South-east Asian companies assess the long-term potential of their oil fields. After leaving ''Stirling'' in February 2007, ''Shiraz'' was transported to Indonesia, where from May 2007 she was laid-up in
Great Karimun Great Karimun ( id, Karimun Besar), also known as Nuwi Island, is one of the islands in the Riau Islands province of Indonesia, administratively part of Karimun Regency. It lies about 37 km southwest of Singapore, 54 km west of Batam, 24 ...
and advertised for sale. In December 2009, the vessel was sold to a Turkish
ship breaking Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of parts, which can be sold for re-use, or for the extraction ...
yard, and was towed to
Aliağa Aliağa is a town and a district of Izmir Province in the Aegean Region of Turkey. The town is situated at about north of Izmir. Aliağa has a large port, mainly for oil and bulk cargo. Its economic activity is based on tourism, shipbreaking, ...
, Turkey, where she arrived on 16 January 2010.FEMCO, ''Towage of Tanker "Shiraz" (Owner FPSO Shiraz Pty Ltd) with AHTS "Neftegaz-61" was completed'' ''Shiraz'' was broken up by Leyal Ship Recycling Ltd.


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Westralia Board of InquiryFPSO ''Shiraz'' beached at the ship breakers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Westralia, HMAS Leaf-class tankers of the Royal Australian Navy Falklands War naval ships of the United Kingdom Ships built on the River Mersey 1975 ships Tankers of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary