A ship that pulled into a US port dragging two whale carcasses underneath its hull is in Brisbane

An Australian ship that arrived into a US naval port dragging two whale carcasses underneath its hull has arrived in Brisbane.

A ship that pulled into a US port dragging two whale carcasses underneath its hull has arrived in Brisbane.

The HMAS Sydney, the fifth to carry the city’s name, arrived Tuesday following her first overseas deployment.

The Sydney and her 215-strong crew spent almost five months in the US and Canada testing the ship’s weapons and sensors, with the support of US Navy weapons range analysis experts.

An Australian Department of Defence spokeswoman said the Sydney, which has berthed at Wagners Jetty on Pamela Street in Pinkenba, was in Brisbane on a routine logistics port visit on the way home to the ship’s homeport at Fleet Base East in Sydney.

“HMAS Sydney left Sydney on March 11 and deployed to the United States of America and Canada for four and a half months where she completed her final Combat System Sea Qualification Trials,” she said.

HMAS Sydney has berthed in Brisbane on her way home from the US and Canada. Picture: Alistair Bulmer

The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Hobart-class guided missile destroyer was commissioned in May 2020 after the Sydney IV was decommissioned in 2015 following more than 20 years of service.

The defence spokeswoman declined to say if the sailors from the ship were allowed to come ashore, but said all of the crew were vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“HMAS Sydney’s crew are fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” she said.

“Navy is working with the Queensland Government to ensure Covid-Safe practices and public health requirement are met.”

On May 8 this year, the carcasses of two fin whales became dislodged from the hull of the 146.7m long vessel before surfacing as the ship pulled into Naval Base San Diego.

One of the carcasses was about 20m long while the other was 8m long, with experts suspecting they were likely the bodies of a mother and calf.

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries are investigating how the whales died.

The Royal Australian Navy destroyer, HMAS Sydney, has been linked to the death of two whales after docking in San Diego earlier this year. Supplied

Kate Goggin, the acting director of public affairs for NOAA Fisheries, said the investigation was ongoing.
“NOAA Fisheries is working with the US Navy and the Royal Australian Navy to review the incident,” she said.
Ms Goggin referred other questions to officials with the US Navy, who are yet to respond for a request for comment.
The RAN has also been contacted for comment.

The weapons tests carried out from the HMAS Sydney while on the deployment included the crew needing to track, target and engage air and surface targets, according to an article on the Australian Department of Defence web site written by Lieutenant Commander Benjamin King.

“Sydney’s crew demonstrated the accuracy of her gunnery weapon systems by conducting multiple co-ordinated engagements using her five-inch main gun, 25mm Typhoon and 20mm Phalanx Close in Weapon System,” he wrote in the article.

HMAS Sydney's Officer of the Watch, Lieutenant Zac Smith, checks environmental conditions and the ship’s position during a missile firing in the Southern Californian Exercise Area off the coast of the United States. Undergoing the Combat System Sea Qualification tests were a crucial milestone in order for the ship to be declared available for operational deployments. Picture: Supplied

“The precision of these weapons systems was verified with the successful sinking of multiple unmanned high-speed manoeuvring and stationary targets.

“The highlight of the gunnery component was an opportunity to use the newly acquired Multi Option Fuse – Navy (MOF-N) five-inch gun projectile.”

The crew of the HMAS Sydney also had the opportunity to fire nine surface-to-air missiles, a combination of Evolved Sea Sparrow missiles and SM2s, against multiple remote drone targets simulating sea-skimming anti-ship missiles.

These live-fire events tested the performance of the Aegis Weapon System and the missiles in a variety of scenarios, including the protection of other units.

They also conducted trials off Canada to test the anti-submarine integrated sonar suite.