A small delegation of Australian Defence Force (ADF) officers led by MAJGEN Rick Burr and CDRE Ian Middleton saw firsthand the future of the Australian amphibious capability last month with a visit aboard the Spanish Helicopter Landing Dock (LHD) VP Juan Carlos I.
The Spanish vessel was commissioned in 2010 and is similar to the two Canberra Class LHDs, the first of which is due in service with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 2014.
CMDR Peter Thompson, from the Joint Amphibious Capability Implementation Team (JACIT), said it was a remarkable experience to be among the first Australian officers to searide in the ship.
It was fascinating. Despite having spent the past two years working on the introduction of LHD, it is very difficult to visualise how big this ship is until you are on board,” CMDR Thompson said.
“When ADF personnel see this ship for the first time they will realise what a game changer this is for the ADF. This capability will change the way the ADF trains and operates for the next four decades.”
Juan Carlos I is similar in size to the US Wasp Class amphibious ships which are regular visitors to Australia.
It is more than 230m long and the flight deck is 27m above the water line. At 28,000 tonnes, it dwarfs the 8,500 tonne LPA and 5,800 tonne LSH.
Crewed by a ship’s company consisting of Navy, Army and Air Force personnel, the LHD can carry up to 1,000 soldiers and its multifunction garage and hangar space on two levels covers 6,000 square metres.
“The ship appears very well designed and built. Mess decks are very comfortable and there are a large number of recreation spaces for the crew and embarked forces to use,” CMDR Thompson said.
“The design is decades advanced on our existing ships and will make life on board very comfortable.”
The Australian visitors had the opportunity to see the ship conducting flight deck and well dock operations employing the Spanish-designed and built LCM-1E landing craft and a range of Spanish marine armoured vehicles.
The tour also included the flight deck, flight control and briefing rooms, light and heavy vehicle decks, engineering spaces and the hospital, which CMDR Thompson said was “a very impressive facility in its own right”.
He said its combination of triage, operating theatres, x-ray facilities and resuscitation capability made it equal a very capable regional hospital.
Spanish company Navantia will complete construction of the ship from keel to flight deck by mid-2012, after which it will be transferred to Williamstown shipyard in Melbourne for completion by BAE Systems Australia.