A spokesman for the Navy said the HMAS Kanimbla was ‘doing normal sea training exercises as the Navy does every day’.

The Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol reported that the ship was sighted off the Narooma headland at about 4pm on Friday sailing north, after which it turned back south.

HMAS Kanimbla is one of two ‘Landing Platform Amphibious’ (LPA) transport ships used by the Royal Australian Navy.

They’re used to transport equipment like helicopters, trucks, armoured vehicles and personnel. They can also act as mobile command bases and hospitals.

The HMAS Kanimbla has featured often in the news serving off East Timor, in the Arabian Gulf and coming to the rescue of Indonesian tsunami victims.

But has also been the site of tragedy with the Sea-King helicopter crash on Nias Island in 2005 and then again last year when a Blackhawk helicopter crashed onto its deck off Fiji.

For more information on the ship check out:

http://www.navy.gov.au/ships/kanimbla/default.html

Welcome Aboard

HMAS Kanimbla was built for the United States Navy as USS Saginaw and was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy in August 1994. She has under-gone extensive modifications for her new role as a helicopter capable amphibious transport ship.

Kanimbla’s primary role is to transport, land and support a force of up to 450 personnel, their vehicles, equipment and is fitted with a helicopter hangar capable of supporting up to four Army Black Hawk or three Navy Sea King helicopters. Army landing craft can also be carried on the forward flight deck to provide ship-to-shore transport. Accessed through a stern door, storage space is available on the vehicle deck for Army vehicles and other large items of equipment.

The ship has operations and planning rooms and a comprehensive array of communications equipment to support joint operations. Kanimbla is fitted with the largest and most comprehensive medical facilities in the fleet, with a 40-bed hospital incorporating full surgical and recovery facilities.