Australia has been working hard to provide relief to the Tonga tsunami-affected Pacific region. However, one of their most powerful naval vessels had serious problems after finishing humanitarian work.
The Australian Navy’s largest warship, the HMAS Adelaide, has been paralyzed as it completes emergency operations after a volcanic eruption and tsunami on January 14, reports ABC News. This was later confirmed by the Australian Department of Defense.
HMAS Adelaide, a helicopter (LHD) helicopter, is still experiencing problems and was previously “closed”, according to ABC News.
“The Department of Marine Technology has been working over the past few days to restore power and reconnect,” according to an email from HMAS Adelaide commander.
Military experts say they are working around the clock to repair power outages that have caused Australia’s largest Pacific ship, the Pacific, to crash at temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius.
A spokesman for the Department of Defense, however, said HMAS Adelaide is currently supported and operates with standard power generation capabilities and “critical systems including communications, air conditioning, ventilation, food resources and sanitation systems in operation”.
“HMAS Adelaide operates under hot, humid and difficult conditions in Tonga’s hot climate and the management team manages the temperatures and fatigue through the Ship’s Company” (sic), the spokesman said.
Most of the crew informed the media that most of the shipping company was now asleep “upstairs” due to power outages.
HMAS Adelaide commander described the situation on the board as “uncomfortable” in an email received by ABC, although the Department of Defense says “critical operations such as refrigerators and sanitation systems have begun and are in place”.
An Australian warship has been instrumental in sending much-needed relief to Tonga. However, about a week ago, a warship was in trouble as a covid eruption was recorded with at least 23 members tested, as reported by the BBC.
Australia vs China Pacific
“Naval vessels are expensive because, in war, they should not be a single point of failure,” South African Independent Senator and former Marine submarine Rex Patrick tweeted. “Built-in Redundancy is a bow-to-stern and port-to-starboard. Therefore, HMAS Adelaide’s ‘complete power failure’ is very worrying.”
While the Australian warship is still stranded due to power outages, China has made significant strides in providing assistance. It is worth noting that Canberra remains wary of Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific which is its natural environment of influence.
The Chinese government-controlled media has announced the goal of providing much-needed relief supplies to one of its submarines, PLAN Wuzhishan, accompanied by a supporting ship. Two Chinese naval vessels left Guangzhou, a port city in South China, on January 31, News.com.au reported.
There are concerns in Australia about China establishing regional military presence in the Pacific. Australia has reason to be concerned as China could join infrastructure projects from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands to Fiji and Kiribati.
Because of its influence in its region, China could liberate Australia and reduce Western power in the Pacific.
Beijing is one of the few countries in the region that has a network of submarines. These are ideal for disaster relief efforts. These car parking crafts do not require docks.
Instead, they are designed to transfer resources and equipment while still on the coast. They also have a large number of soldiers and paramedics and are often equipped with a wide range of medical facilities, reports ABC News.
According to Chinese media, the two ships carried 1,400 tons of cargo, including tents, tractors, generators and medical equipment. The operation follows air transport on January 28. Two large PLA Y-20 delivery planes flew tents, mattresses, water purifiers, and food into Tonga’s capital.
At a time when Australia is still committed to acquiring nuclear submarines in the US and UK under the AUKUS agreement to create effective deterrence against China, the collapse of its conventional warship may be seen as a disgrace. The fact that the ship has not been fully restored yet makes matters worse.
RAF Comes To Deliver
Royal Air Force aircraft are thought to have landed in Tonga with the remaining parts needed to repair the troubled HMAS Adelaide.
The complex repair work involved the purchase of spare parts and equipment from “all over Australia, including Western Australia,” and then flying to Tonga in accordance with the strict standards of COVID-19, ABC news reported.
“What we are seeing is a report of a power outage,” Senator Rex Patrick told ABC News. “If so, that means there is one point of failure and you can’t have it on a warship and we will have to look at the details of what happened there because that is unacceptable.”
Significantly, Australia’s efforts to recapture the warship have continued and it is expected that the navy will soon depart.