1 April 1965
The Australian Government committed an infantry battalion to the Vietnam War in April 1965. It necessitated heavy sealift and fast troop transport. The best solution was the former aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney (III).
Sydney saw service with the Fleet Air Arm in Korea, but was refitted in 1964 to transport troops, equipment and aid to Malaysia during Confrontation.
Sydney sailed from Port Jackson in May 1965 with the men and equipment of 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, bound for the Vietnamese port of Vũng Tàu. It completed some 2 dozen voyages to Vietnam. Sydney then transported the majority of Australia’s ground forces and equipment on what became known as the ‘Vung Tau Ferry’.
Between May 1965 and its final journey in February 1972, Sydney carried over:
- 16,000 troops
- 6,000 tons of cargo
- 2,375 vehicles to Vietnam.
The Navy considered that the greatest threat to Sydney while cruising was the possibility of a disavowable attack by a communist submarine. Sydney therefore carried Wessex anti-submarine helicopters, and on each voyage had at least 2 escorts.
While in port, the main danger to Sydney was Viet Cong swimmer-sappers. This prompted the crew to carry out a variety of duties including:
- armed upper-deck sentry duties
- additional lookouts
- waterborne patrols
- sweeps of the hull and anchor cables.
Six landing craft mechanised (LCMs), equipped in 1967, allowed Sydney to disembark cargo, troops, and equipment in an impressive 6 hours.