A brand new 27,000 tonne Australian Navy ship was damaged during maiden sea trials

A CIVILIAN contract crew made two serious errors during sea trials for the navy’s biggest ever ship, damaging its hull and melting down electrical systems.

The first of two $1.5 billion 27,000-tonne Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs), to be known as HMAS Canberra, suffered excessive vibration in May during her first “shakedown cruise” between Melbourne and Sydney.

The fault was traced to the brand-new vessel’s two German-built Siemens propulsion pods — or azimuth thrusters — which were out of alignment.

John Smith wrote on Jun 5^th, 2014 at 5:01pm:



No John, Mirrabella wasn't the "Maiden" - too many old men have had that honour!