United States | Operation New Home

[Odinson]

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OPERATION NEW HOME​

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SECRET​

NAVY DEPLOYMENT​

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FRIGATE SQUADRON ONE
Captain Leon Price​

Ship Class	Vessel	Compliment	Home Port
Celestial-class Frigate	USS Benjamin Harrison	140	Naval Base Guam, Guam
Celestial-class Frigate	USS John Hart	140	Naval Base Guam, Guam
Celestial-class Frigate	USS Joseph Hewes	140	Naval Base Guam, Guam
Celestial-class Frigate	USS Thomas Heyward Jr.	140	Naval Base Guam, Guam
Celestial-class Frigate	USS William Hooper	140	Naval Base Guam, Guam

DETAILS

Celestial-class Cutter - Fully Fueled; Aviation reserves fully fueled; Non-perishable food/water for 2 month journey; Well-rested, fed, and uniformed crew;
32-cell Mk 41 VLS: x5 RUM-139C (Mrk 54 Torpedo); x36 (Quad packed) RIM-162A ESSM; x3 RGM/UGM-109E Tomahawk Land Attack Missile; x15 RGM/UGM-109B Tomahawk Anti-Ship Missile;
Standard armaments including: x2 Mk 141 canister Harpoon missile launcher (x8 missiles); x1 Mk 32 triple torpedo launcher + 10 Mark 50 torpedoes stored; x2 Mk44 Bushmaster II 30-mm chain guns; x1 SeaRAM CIWS; x1 Mk 110 57mm gun; x4 crew-served .50 caliber Browning M2 machine guns; x2 crew-served M240B 7.62 mm machine guns;
Decoys: x2 Mk 36 SRBOC chaff rapid decoy launchers;
Compliment: 140 sailors;
Barracks: x100 Sig Sauer P229 DAK 9mm w/ Night Sights and x200 loaded magazines; x100 M4 Carbine and x300 loaded magazines; x10 M870P 12-gauge and x300 12-gauge shotgun shells.
Aircraft: x1 MH-60R;
Boats: x2 RHIB (each with mounted .50 cal Machine Gun).

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DEPLOYMENT ORDERS​

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CONTEXT​

After the passage of treaties between the United States and Australia, the United States Navy had begun the tentative relocation of Frigate Squadron One to Australia. Previous discussions between Captain Leon Price, the Commander of Frigate Squadron One, and Commodore Allison Norris, Australian Department of Defence's Liaison Officer to the Chairman of The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, decided where Frigate Squadron One would be relocated. The sailors in the fleet knew that they would be going to Australia and that they would now be permanently stationed there, but none of them knew exactly when they would be leaving or where in Australia they would be stationed.

Then, in March, orders came from the Secretary of The Navy for Captain Price to prepare his sailors and his frigates for deployment and permanent relocation to Australia. Preparations for the frigates began by bringing all necessary supplies onto them, followed by arming them. The deployment of the frigates was secret, as is the deployment of virtually all naval assets. However, the Royal Australian Navy was securely informed that preparations were underway to deploy the frigates to Australia.​

Owen​

 

[Odinson]

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DEPLOYMENT ORDERS​

SECRET​

CONTEXT​

The deployment of the five Celestial-class Frigates occurred without incident from Naval Base Guam, located within the Territory of Guam, early in the morning. All of the vessels used all passive means of sonar and radar available, while also using all active means of radar to scan for possible threats in the air as well as under the waves. Once the frigates were several miles out at sea, they split into two groups: Task Force 701 and Task Force 702.

Task Force 701 consisted of three frigates: USS Benjamin Harrison, USS John Hart, and USS Joseph Hewes. These frigates were destined for HMAS Stirling in Australia, which will be their new home port. HMAS Stirling is also where Frigate Squadron One's new headquarters would be. Captain Leon Price himself, the Commander of Frigate Squadron One, was aboard the USS Benjamin Harrison.

Task Force 702 consisted of two frigates: USS Thomas Heyward Jr. and USS William Hooper. Task Force 702 was destined for HMAS Melville in Australia, which those two frigates would call their new home port.

The frigates took the following route and would avoid entering the territorial waters of any country other than that of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Throughout this journey, the frigates would remain two miles apart from each other and would avoid collision with other vessels, each other, and maritime hazards. They would also avoid running aground at all costs.

The Royal Australian Navy was informed when the vessels were 48 hours out from their destinations.

TRANSIT - Task Force 701
QK>PJ>PI>OH>OG>OF

TRANSIT - Task Force 702
QK>PJ>PI>PH​

Owen

 

[Owen]

The first detection of the U.S. vessels arriving would be on the Jindalee Operational Radar Network as they begun transiting through international waters between islands in Indonesia. This was received by No. 1 Remote Sensor Unit at RAAF Base Edinburgh who would notice the size and the speed resembling the U.S. Celestial-class. As they begun entering the Exclusive Economic Zone of Australia, they would come within range of assets operating under Operation Resolute, Australia's border protection operation. AP-3C Orions and Armidale-class patrol boats operating off the northern approaches of Australia would notice the vessels as they begun to head towards Darwin. They would monitor them, not because they were considered a threat but because other nations may be operating in the vicinity to conduct their own surveillance of the U.S. vessels. The ones heading to Perth would be monitored as they moved down the Western Australia coastline.

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The vessels arriving in Darwin would arrive first. Navigational aids operated by the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service would assist them into Darwin Harbour. In the Northern Territory, lighthouses were referred to as "Light"s. The first they would notice would be Cape Fourcroy Light on Bathurst Island, followed by Point Charles Light on the Cox Peninsula and then finally Emery Point Light on the north shore of Darwin. The Regional Harbourmaster of the Northern Territory would assist the vessels to enter Darwin Harbour and then dock at HMAS Melville. Personnel from the vessels homeported at HMAS Melville as well as elements of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve from the Northern Territory would welcome the U.S. vessels. Australian and American flags would be waving on the dock. The Royal Australian Navy Band would be on the docks playing Australian and American musical numbers.

The ships arriving at HMAS Stirling would receive similar fanfare. They would be guided into the waters off Perth by the Hillarys, Buckland Hill, North Mole, South Mole, Woodman, Bathurst and Wadjemup Lighthouses. There would be no need for the harbourmaster to guide them to Garden Island as they were still in open ocean off the coast of Perth but there would be speed restrictions between Two Rocks and Garden Island due to the presence of swimmers, fishing boats, ferries operating to Rottnest Island, general recreational vessels and cargo vessels moving into the Port of Fremantle, all of which would be mainly operating on paths at right angles to the path of the U.S. vessels. Flypasses would be organised for both sets of ships docking, with 3 AP-3C Orions deployed on Operation Resolute conducting a flypast over Darwin Harbour and 3 BAE Hawk 127s piloted by trainee students from No. 79 Squadron accompanied by their trainers from RAAF Base Pearce conducting a flypast over Garden Island and HMAS Stirling.

Odinson