Tiger-pie

Here is a rundown of the Anzac Class. Statistics Displacement 3600 tonnes Length 118 metres Beam 14.8 metres Ships Company 164 Propulsion One General Electric LM 2500 Gas Turbine two MTU diesels driving two controllable pitch propellers. Speed 27 knots Weapon Systems One 5 inch Mk 45 Mod 2 automatic rapid fire gun. Sea Sparrow anti-air missile system. Two Mk 32 triple-mounted anti-submarine torpedo tubes. Six 50 calibre machine guns. They were to be fitted with a Super Seasprite helo, but due to configuration problems this project has now been scrapped until an alternative can be found. It was a real balls-up, basically the weapons system couldn't talk to the fire-control system. Of course when the story hit the press it was the Navy that looked bad, not the civilian contractors that stuff it up. Below are some pictures of Parras past, a torpedoe boat (55), a WW2 sloop and a DE (46). We called the "Fighting 46", but in reality she hadn't seen action since Vietnam. The only fighting I saw was ashore!! Below are some pictures of Parras past. The ships crest includes the motto "STRIKE DEEP?. The motto ?Strike Deep? was suggested by one of the stand-by crew of PARRAMATTA III in 1960. The motto was thought to be appropriate in linking the badge design and PARRAMATTA?s naval role, which was primarily ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare). It was officially adopted 13 June 1961.

HMAS Parramatta leaving through Sydney Heads

Cruising up Sydney Harbour.

Hi All; Over the coming weeks I will do a report on the RAN, showing off some of our newer hardware, and some of the older units. To kick it off I will show some photos of our newer generation of warships, the Anzac Class. These first few photos are of HMAS Parramatta. The first ship I served on was Parramatta, an old Destroyer Escort, short on crew comforts I can tell you. The Anzacs are far better in that respect.

G'da Megan; Your daughter would be well impressed with the Australian War Memorial then!! Heaps of VCs there and many other medals. Here is a link to my (as yet unfinished) expose of the AWM. You can see the "medal only" version on the British Medal Forum under Museums. http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=14599 Regards; Johnsy

Very nice example it is too Ed, doesn't appear to have very much wear and tear given its age. Regards; Johnsy

Cheers for the photos Bob. Brings back memories. I have been on her twice. Once when still active on her world shake-down tour when the "Mighty-Mo" visited Hobart, Tasmania. Had a look over her at Pearl Harbour during RIMPAC 2000. Regards; Johnsy

Afghan National Army First Lieutenant Ghulam Rasool thanks Commanding Officer of the RTF Lieutenant Colonel Harry Jarvie for coming to view the new guard tower that Afghan Nation Army Engineers built.

The mundane. Unloading of "Rat Packs", rations resup.

Donkey dodging. Note of the rear vehicle, the right hand mud-flap (only one visible). It is "Lozenge" cam pattern material that the ARA. The wheel cover is the same pattern, but appears heavily faded and covered with dust.

One Troop, 13 Squadron, 3/4 Cavalry Regiment soliders during an operation in Tarin Kowt, southern Afghanistan.

Roll out.

Weapon check.

Mount up.

Pre-checks

Hydration prior to departure.

G'da Ed I was surprised at the amount of people on Anzac Day who were wearing replicas. The main reason being that they didn't want to lose their originals at the post-march celebrations. Seems fair enough, though I have only ever worn my originals on the day. Regards; Johnsy

Australian medals are engraved before issue, I don't know if modern Kiwi ones are. Regards; Johnsy

The New Zealand medal for service in Afghanistan. The medal is in fact a General Service Medal, but the riband is different depending on the area of operations. The ribbon is comprised of stripes of black, red and green. These colours have been used as the basic colours of a variety of traditional Afghanistan flags since 1900, and in 1929 were recognised as the national colours of the country. It is generally accepted that black alludes to the past, red to blood shed for independence, and green to hope. Green also represents the Islamic faith and is regarded as a sacred colour. Regards; Johnsy

We have covered Iraq, but for some reason Afganistan has missed out. I am confident that medals for service there stretch waaaaay back, and from many countries. I will kick it off with the current Australian medal for Afganistan. The medal riband has a central vertical stripe of red, signifying the conflict in Afghanistan. This is flanked by stripes of purple representing the three arms of the Australian Defence Force. Stripes of khaki, white and light blue border the inner stripes. They symbolise the Afghanistan terrain, the snow-peaked mountains and the sky above, respectively. The front of the medal shows the Coat of Arms The reverse of the Afghanistan Medal shows a snow-capped mountain range with a multi-rayed sun rising behind the mountains. The mountains represent the dominant terrain of the country and the rising sun signifies a 'new dawn' for the nation Regards; Johnsy

Err...I have put his service details above, this includes his service number. Aussie medals, as a rule of thumb, are all engraved. His name and number will be on the back of the stars, and on the edge of the medals. His bar would consist of: 1939-45 Star Pacific Star 1939-45 Medal Australian Service Medal 39-45 Regards; Johnsy PS: I found this picture. Medals pictured below are copies.

Here is a group showing the Iraq 2003 clasp. This member is entitled to two further awards, the Iraq medal and the Australian Defence Medal. Regards; Johnsy

Here is an example of the Australian Iraq Medal. The yellow represents Iraq's deserts, the purple is a combination of all three service colours (hence a common term used in our military, "purplisation", mostly derogatory), and the thin red middle stripe represents the conflict in Iraq. I think that they could have used a bit more imagination when it came to the design, they seem to have followed the Brit design as far as the medal goes. The riband looks a bit garish compared to the more subdued Afganistan Medal, the yellow is very bright compared to the slightly washed out colour of this phot. The front of the medal is the Australian Coat of arms and the back of the medal is based on a processional lion, which is copied from a relief on the Gateway of the Temple of Ishtar in Babylon. In the Assyrian Empire, the lion was a dominant symbol of power. The lion stands on a narrow plinth, symbolising balance, with the word 'Iraq' inscribed underneath. From a collectors point of view, the intial awards will hold more value than later awards, but as with all modern groups at the moment, they command a high price regardless. Australian Defence Force members serving in the following operations will be recognised: Zone one - Operation Falconer, 18 March to 30 April 2003 Zone two - Operation Falconer/Catalyst, ongoing from 1 May 2003 Regards; Johnsy

Heh, heh, I like the one with Horse from "Footrot Flats" too... Regards; Johnsy

THE FACT THAT HE IS A STINKING GINGER WON'T HELP !!!! Regards; Johnsy