The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) HMAS Canberra is set to under an extended maintenance period.
The ship arrived at the Captain Cook Graving Dock at Garden Island, Sydney.
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Amphibious Combat and Sealift Systems Program Office asset manager lieutenant Keshav Shrestha said: “Canberra is conducting an important five-yearly docking and it is the first time this deep level of maintenance will be undertaken since the vessel commissioned in 2014.
“Tasks to be undertaken include preventative maintenance, (the) ship’s class and navy certifications, rectifying defects, completing engineering changes and improving the material state of the ship.”
Work to be done is based on the dry dock and needs the ship to be available for an extended period to be able to carry out the necessary changes.
Amphibious Combat and Sealift Systems Program Office sustainment manager commander Dane Wilson said: “The extended maintenance period will enable the Royal Australian Navy to remain fully capable and fulfill humanitarian aid and disaster relief commitments for the Australian Government as well as other numerous operational tasks planned for Canberra.”
HMAS Canberra was deployed to the South Pacific and carried out training exercises off the Australian east coast.
After the extended maintenance period, it will return to the fleet for work-up training to prepare for future deployments.
In 2018, HMAS Canberra conducted the first flight trial with Eurocopter Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopters (ARHs).
