History of Australian naval aviation

Following the decommissioning of Melbourne without replacement in the early 1980s, the Fleet Air Arm was reorganised to focus on helicopter operations from frigate-size ships, although fixed-wing aviation within the RAN continued with land-based aircraft used for patrols, electronic warfare training, transport, and hydrographic survey.

[2] During the hunt for the merchant raider SMS Wolf in 1917, a Sopwith Baby seaplane was transferred from HMS Raven II to the light cruiser HMAS Brisbane.

[7] From March 1918 onwards, the battlecruiser HMAS Australia was used to test a new method of aircraft launch; this time from platforms secured on top of a gun turret and its barrels.

[10][13] In 1924, Stanley Goble and Ivor McIntyre, both RNAS veterans now serving with the RAAF, circumnavigated Australia in one of the amphibians, while another was assigned to HMAS Geranium to assist in hydrographic surveying.

[15] Laid down in 1926, HMAS Albatross was commissioned into the RAN shortly after the Fairey IIID, the aircraft she had been designed to operate with was removed from service.

[16] The Faireys were replaced by the Supermarine Seagull Mark III in 1926, which had been employed on surveys of the Great Barrier Reef while Albatross was completed.

[17] Designed for catapult launches and to survive rougher weather and sea conditions, the Walrus entered service two months after Albatross was reduced to non-seagoing status.

[19] During World War II, Walruses were used to increase the surveillance range of each ship, particularly during hunts for German commerce raiders.

[21][22] The lack of opportunity for naval aviation service in the RAN meant that many interested personnel went overseas to serve with the British Fleet Air Arm, including Victor Smith, or transferred to the RAAF.

[23] The successes of naval aviation during World War II reignited the idea of a RAN-controlled aviation force, with suggestions that Australia provide the personnel to operate a British aircraft carrier and the attached squadrons voiced by the government in 1944 as part of a broader offer to help address the Royal Navy's personnel shortage.

[24][25] The Admiralty deemed a Colossus-class light fleet carrier to be the most appropriate vessel, and Venerable was initially proposed for transfer to the RAN as a gift or on loan.

[27] The ship manning proposal was revisited in mid-1945, but the surrender of Germany in May meant that British shortages were not as problematic; as a counteroffer, the purchase of the Colossus-class carrier Ocean by Australia was suggested.

[37] The Fleet Air Arm operated in a strike, ground support, and escort role during the deployment, which saw three RAN pilots killed and a fourth seriously wounded, while thirteen aircraft were lost.

[38] Meanwhile, Majestic was undergoing major upgrades during construction to operate jet aircraft, including the installation of an angled flight deck, steam catapult, and a mirror landing aid.

[44] By the end of the 1950s, with Sydney decommissioned from service and refitted as a troop transport, it was decided that fixed-wing naval aviation would be replaced by a force of 27 Westland Wessex anti-submarine helicopters, to operate from Melbourne.

[50] Planning for a replacement began in 1981, and after considering American, Italian, and Spanish designs, the Australian government accepted a British offer to sell HMS Invincible, which would be operated with Harriers and helicopters.

[51][52][53] However, the Royal Navy withdrew the offer after the ship's performance in the Falklands War disproved the argument that she was surplus to requirements, and the 1983 election of the Australian Labor Party led to the cancellation of plans to replace Melbourne.

[57] The shift from full, carrier-embarked squadrons to single- or two-helicopter flights operating from frigates forced overhauls of the management and organisational style of the FAA, with squadrons made to act with increasing independence and less experienced junior officers taking greater responsibility for the aviation activities of their assigned ship.

[61] During the 1990s, the FAA ordered several refurbished Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite helicopters to operate from the Anzac-class frigates in the anti-submarine and anti-surface roles.

[63] Since 2000, when the last pair of HS 748s were retired, the Fleet Air Arm has been an entirely rotary-winged force, although the RAN continues to operate a Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft under the control of the Australian Hydrographic Service.