A task group of three Royal Australian Navy vessels has returned from a three-month deployment to Northeast Asia.

The three vessels were joined other RAN vessels at various times during the deployment, and were led by the RAN’s first Hobart class air warfare destroyer, HMAS Hobart. The task group also included ANZAC frigates, HMA Ships Stuart, Parramatta and Arunta, the replenishment ship HMAS Sirius, HMA Submarines Collins and Dechaineux, the Hydrographic Survey ship HMAS Leeuwin and the Armidale class patrol boat HMAS Ararat.

At various times the task group joined the navies of Japan, South Korea, Canada, the US and other allied nations with forces in the region to conduct exercises and joint manoeuvres.

This was the first operational deployment of a Hobart class DDG. “This deployment has been a real test of our preparation for and readiness to deliver Destroyer capability and is the culmination of two years of hard work,” Hobart’s CO, CMDR Ryan Gaskin said in a statement. “The success of Hobart’s mission is a credit to the ship’s company, embarked staff and those working in support of the ship from ashore. They’ve all worked superbly together as an integrated team.

“We’ve proven the Hobart Class Destroyer is not only ready to perform on the multinational stage in a high-end warfare exercise context but has also proven a highly effective command platform for Task Groups at sea.”

Task group commander CAPT Andrew Quinn added, “HMAS Hobart served as the host ship for the embarked Maritime Task Group Command team at sea, demonstrating the new RAN destroyers capability to fulfil this role.

“Over the past several months our Navy people have generated presence in the East Asian region and conducted complex exercises with our partners,” he added. “This has built on our respective operational skillsets and furthered our ability to work together to help keep the region secure.”