RAN decommissions HMAS Melbourne
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has decommissioned Adelaide class guided missile frigate, HMAS Melbourne, during a ceremony at Garden Island in Sydney.
The frigate served 27 years for the RAN, travelling more than 900,000 nautical miles and deploying on operations to the Middle East eight times. The vessel earned battle honours for service in East Timor, the Persian Gulf and Middle East.
Melbourne spent most of 2018 and 2019 deployed overseas, including a four-month deployment through north Asia earlier this year where she conducted international maritime surveillance operations to enforce sanctions against North Korea.
The Adelaide class is being taken out of service and replaced by three Hobart class Air Warfare Destroyers.
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