&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:US_Navy_100713-N-7058E-050_A_Royal_Australian_Navy_Sea_King_helicopter_lands_on_the_aft_flight_deck_of_HMAS_Kanimbla_(L_51).jpg) HMAS Kanimbla in 2010
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Saginaw |
| Namesake | City of Saginaw, Michigan |
| Builder | National Steel & Shipbuilding Company |
| Laid down | 24 May 1969 |
| Launched | 7 February 1970 |
| Sponsored by | Wife of R. James Harvey |
| Commissioned | 23 January 1971 |
| Decommissioned | 28 June 1994 |
| Homeport | Little Creek, Virginia |
| Identification | LST-1188 |
| Fate | Transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1994 |
 Australia | |
| Name | Kanimbla |
| Namesake | Kanimbla Valley |
| Commissioned | 29 August 1994 |
| Decommissioned | 25 November 2011 |
| Homeport | Fleet Base East |
| Identification | L 51 |
| Motto | "Cry Havoc" |
| Honours and awards |
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| Fate | Sold for scrap, 20 May 2013 |
| Badge | &sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:HMAS_kanimbla_crest.png) |
| General characteristics as Kanimbla | |
| Class and type | Kanimbla-class landing platform amphibious |
| Displacement | 8,534 tons |
| Length | 159.2 m (522 ft 4 in) |
| Beam | 21.2 m (69 ft 7 in) |
| Draught | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion | 6 × ALCO V16 diesel engines, 2,050 kW (2,750 hp) each driving two shafts (3 engines per shaft) |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) |
| Range | 14,000 nmi (26,000 km; 16,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 2 × LCM8 landing craft |
| Capacity | 400 embarked forces, 955 m2 (10,280 sq ft) of usable tank deck space |
| Complement | 23 naval officers, 2 army officers, 197 sailors, 18 soldiers |
| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | 4 × Blackhawk or 3 × Sea King |
| Aviation facilities | Hangar for 4 helicopters, 3 landing spots |
HMAS Kanimbla (L 51) was a Kanimbla-class landing platform amphibious ship operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Originally built for the United States Navy (USN) as the Newport-class tank landing ship USS Saginaw (LST-1188), the ship was decommissioned in 1994 and sold to the RAN.
After entering service with the RAN in 1999, Kanimbla participated in numerous worldwide deployments, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and in response to the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. During the ship's career, two helicopters were lost in crashes. After a fire broke out aboard Kanimbla in late 2010, she and sister ship Manoora were removed from active service because of extensive problems found aboard both ships. The intention was to repair Kanimbla and return her to service by 2012, but this was deemed uneconomical. The ship was decommissioned in 2011, and sold for breaking in 2013.