HMAS Adelaide (LHD 01)

HMAS Adelaide (LHD 01) is the second of two Canberra class landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships under construction for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Construction of the ship started at Navantia's Spanish shipyard with steel-cutting in February 2010. The ship was laid down in February 2011, and launched on 4 July 2012. Delivery to Australia for fitting out at BAE Systems Australia's facilities in Victoria is scheduled for 2013, and the ship is predicted to enter service by 2016.

Design
The Canberra class design is based on the warship Juan Carlos I, built by Navantia for the Spanish Navy. The contract was awarded to Navantia and Australian company Tenix Defence following a request for tender which ran from February 2004 to June 2007, beating the enlarged Mistral class design offered by the French company Direction des Constructions Navales. Adelaide has the same physical dimensions as Juan Carlos I, but differs in the design of the island superstructure and the internal layout, in order to meet Australian conditions and requirements. Unlike the Spanish vessel, the Australian ships are built to meet Lloyd's Naval Rules.

The Canberra class vessels are 230.82 m long overall, with a maximum beam of 32 m, and a maximum draught of 7.08 m. At full load, Adelaide will displace 27500 t, making her the largest vessel to serve in the RAN. Propulsion is provided by two Siemens 11 MW azimuth thrusters, each with an onboard electric motor, driving two 4.5 m diameter propellers. The electricity is provided by a Combined diesel and gas system, with a single General Electric LM2500 turbine producing 19,160 kW, supported by two MAN 16V32/40 diesel generators providing 7,448 kW. Maximum speed is over 20 kn, with a maximum sustainable full-load speed of 19 kn, and an economical cruising speed of 15 kn. Economical range is 9,000 nmi.

Each ship is fitted with a Saab 9LV Mark 4 combat management system. The sensor suite includes a Sea Giraffe 3D surveillance radar, and a Vampir NG infrared search and track system. For self-defence, the LHDs will be fitted with four Rafael Typhoon 25 mm remote weapons systems (one in each corner of the flight deck), six 12.7 mm machine guns, an AN/SLQ-25 Nixie towed torpedo decoy, and a Nulka missile decoy. Defence against aircraft and larger targets is to be provided by escort vessels and air support from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The ships' companies will consist of 358 personnel; 293 RAN, 62 Australian Army, and 3 RAAF.

The LHDs will transport 1,046 soldiers and their equipment. Adelaide will be capable deploying a reinforced company of up to 220 soldiers at a time by airlift. Two vehicle decks (one for light vehicles, the other for heavy vehicles and tanks) have areas of 1880 m2 and 1410 m2 respectively, and between them can accommodate up to 110 vehicles. The well deck will carry up to four LCM-1E landing craft, which can be launched and recovered in conditions up to Sea State 4. The flight deck can operate six MRH-90-size helicopters or four Chinook-size helicopters simultaneously, in conditions up to Sea State 5. A mix of MRH-90 transport helicopters and S-70B Seahawk anti-submarine helicopters will be carried: up to eight can be stored in the hangar deck, and the light vehicle deck can be repurposed to fit another ten. The ski-jump ramp of Juan Carlos I has been retained for the RAN ships, although fixed-wing flight operations are not planned for the ships.

Construction
Construction of Adelaide began at Navantia's shipyard in Ferrol, northern Spain, during February 2010, when the first steel was cut. Hull modules were fabricated at Ferrol and Fene, with the first hull blocks laid down on 18 February 2011. Adelaide's hull was launched on 4 July 2012. After construction of the hull is completed, it will be delivered by heavy lift ship to BAE Systems Australia facilities in Victoria (planned for the first quarter of 2013) for superstructure work and fitting out. Entry into RAN service was originally planned for mid-2015, but as of July 2011, this had been pushed back to sometime in 2016.

Although identified as "LHD02" during construction, Adelaide will receive the pennant number "LHD 01" on commissioning; the pennant number corresponding to that used by the frigate of the same name.