Page 9 - newcastle decommissioning booklet

on 11 December and was employed as the OecussiEnclave'guard-ship'until24January 2000. She took part in Exercise RIMPAC in mid-2000andwhilereturningtoAustralia visited Port Vila (Vanuatu) to help celebrate Vanuatu's 20th year of independence.
DeploymentstoSoutheastAsia,NorthAsia
and the South Pacificcontinued during the2000s.InSeptember- October2000 she was part of Operation DORSAL in
the Solomon Islands where she was on standbytoactasa neutralplatformforthe continuation of peace talks in the troubled islandnation.DuringFebruary- March 2001 she again served inthe Solomon Islands (Operation TREK) to support the International Peace Monitoring Team and provide an aeromedical evacuation capability.
Later that year Newcastle was part of
the Operation RELEX naval force sent to Christmas Island following the arrival of MVTampawVn433asylumseekerson board. Thefrigateoperatedinnorthern waters patrollingand searchingforpotential irregular entry vessels until late September. NewcastledeployedtotheArabianGulf
in February 2002 (Operation SLIPPER Rotation 2) conducting boardings of suspicious vessels and searching for contrabandbeingsmuggledintoorout ofIraq.Shecompletedherdeployment
in late June and returned to Australia.
During May 2003 she conducted an Operation RELEX II patrol in northern Australian waters, before rescuing the two-man crewoftheoceanrowingboat TransadventureinearlyJuneandreturning themtoFremantle.InJulyshewas
11
farewelled by family and friends as she departed foranotherdeployment tothe Arabian Gulf (Operation SLIPPER Rotation 6).Duringthisdeploymentsheconducted security patrols of the Iraqi oil terminals to prevent terrorist attack, and boarding suspiciousvesselsasrequired.Newcastle returnedtoAustraliainDecember.
ThefrigatetookpartinExerciseRIMPAC04in June- July2004.WhilesailingtoHawaiishe rescuedthecrewofthedamaged yachtTico Tico. RELEX II patrol duties were conducted
in October - November 2004. Newcastle undertook her third deployment to the Middle East (Operation SLIPPER Rotation 11), during May- November2005,whichagainsaw
her conducting security patrols of the Iraqi Oil Terminals. The failed terrorist attacks on the oil terminals in 2004 were uppermost in the minds of her crew during this period. Following maintenance she completed anOperationRESOLUTEpatrolduring September- October2006,focusingmainly on illegalfishingactivitiesinnorthern Australianwaters.HowevereventsinFiji duringthatperiodindicatedthata potential military coup was developing. Newcastle
sailed in early November as part of an RAN Task Group (OperationQUICKSTEP) toconduct,ifrequired,a non-combatant evacuation operationaspartoftheADF response to the military coup in Fiji.
In company with HMA Ships Kanimblaand Success she operated offthe coast of Fiji, outside of Fijian territorial waters, for several weeksandwasalsoonstandbyincaseofa possiblebreakdown oflawandorderinthe Kingdom ofTonga.
ItiscustomaryforHMAShipsnamed after cities or towns to draw the motifs from the crestoftheirnamesakeCity'sCoatofArms.
The HMAS Newcastlebadge designslightly twists this tradition and depicts only the designemblazoned onthebottom portion ofthetheshieldintheCity'sCoatofArms.
Thebluefieldrepresentstheseaforminga portsituatedongreenfertileland.Thegolden chevronsymbolisestheprotectionofa safe habour and also signifiesthe wealth created by the union. A lymphad or galley is located inthe blue bay to representthe key functions of the city of maritime trade and shipping.
The motto "ENTERPRISE" was chosen to link the ship with the city's motto which emphasises the importance ofcommerce, industryand culture to the prosperity of the region.
Badge Description
Inthechief,a lympad orgalleyisshown againsta bluefield.A goldchevroninverted surroundsa greenfieldinthebase.
Official Blazon
Vert (green); on a pile Or (gold), another charged with Lympad the sail furledproperflaggedGules(red).
Official Motto 'ENTERPRISE'
Image:PastCommandingOfficer,
Commander Paul O'Grady CSM RAN with
HMAS Newcastle'sship'sbadge,13October2013.
OfficialApproval
HMAS Newcastle- ChiefofNavyStaff 21 October 1991
ViceAdmiral lan Donald George MacDougall AC AFSM RAN
Badge Designer HMASNewcastle(1991) MrGaryKinkade- ManagerNavyBadges
Badge Design