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Royal Australian Navy Commissioning of HMAS TOOWOOMBA

Maker Royal Australian Navy (Australian, founded 1913)

Date08 October 2005

Object number00044387

NameBooklet

MediumInk on paper

DimensionsOverall: 300 x 210 mm, 45 g

ClassificationsCommemorative artefacts

Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from RAN Maritime Headquarters Sydney

Terms

DescriptionThis commissioning booklet refers to HMAS TOOWOOMBA and was given out at the vessel's commissioning ceremony on 8 October 2005. It contains information on the official order of service, the crew, Commanding officer, the ship's heritage and its motto 'Fearless'.HistoryThis booklet was produced for guests attending the commissioning of HMAS TOOWOOMBA. It provides technical information about the frigatel, an Order of Service for the Commissioning Ceremony, along with the history of any naval vessels that have shared the same name, and a biography of the Commanding Officer and the Federal Minister for Defence Robert Hill. The biography of the Commissioning Lady is also listed, - a naval tradition to have a female relative of a crew member participate in the Commissioning ceremony. An excerpt listed below from HMAS TOOWOOMBA's commissioning booklet describes the commissioning process. 'Commissioning marks the introduction into service as a ship of the Royal Australian Navy. In an addition to the Australian White Ensign, a Commissioning Pennant is hoisted in a commissioned RAN ship. Continuously flown from the masthead, the Commissioning pennant bears the Red Cross of St George, the patron saint of mariners on a white fly. At the moment the Commissioning Pennant is broken, the operational preparedness of HMAS TOOWOOMBA becomes the responsibility of the Commanding Officer, Officers and Ship's Company, who share the duty of making and keeping her ready for any service required by our nation in peace and war'. The Anzac class frigate HMAS TOOWOOMBA was built at Williamstown, Victoria by Tenix Defence Systems and completed in May 2003 and commissioned on 8 October 2005. The vessel is named after the largest inland city in Queensland. TOOWOOMBA is a long–range frigate with the capability of air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction. It received its first deployment to the Persian Gulf on 4 January 2007.SignificanceThis booklet is representative of the commissioning ceremony for HMAS TOOWOOMBA on 8 October 2005.