Canberra Class Landing Helicopter Dock - Planning and Selection

Planning and Selection

Planning to replace the Kanimbla class landing platform amphibious ships Kanimbla and Manoora, and the heavy landing ship Tobruk began as early as 2000, with the intention announced in the Defence 2000: Our Future Defence Force white paper. The importance of amphibious warfare had been demonstrated during Australia's leadership of the International Force for East Timor peacekeeping operation, and the difficulty in supporting an expeditionary force to one of Australia's nearest neighbours demonstrated that an improved amphibious sealift capability was needed. In November 2003, the Minister for Defence, Robert Hill, released a Defence Capability Review, which stated that two ships of at least 20,000 tonnes (20,000 long tons; 22,000 short tons) displacement and capable of launching five to six helicopters simultaneously were being sought. The acquisition was included under the procurement designation Project JP2048: although Phase 1 of JP2048 looked at a new type of landing craft for the Kanimbla class (the LCM2000), Phases 2 and 4 were to identify, then acquire the new amphibious warfare ships, and Phase 3 covered the design and construction of landing craft to operate with the new ships (12 LCM-1E ordered on 27 September 2011). The ships were to replace one of the Kanimbla class ships and Tobruk; the other Kanimbla class ship would be replaced by a strategic sealift ship.

In January 2006, the Australian government announced the names for the planned ships: Canberra and Adelaide. After the announcement, suggestions for alternate names were expressed in several venues. The Navy League of Australia proposed that Adelaide should instead be named Australia; using the name of the nation and its capital for the RAN's two most powerful ships, as had been the case with the navy's two World War II-era County class cruisers, while freeing the name up for the League's proposed fourth Hobart class destroyer. Alternately, a member of the Australian Naval Institute opined that the ships should be named Gallipoli and Guadalcanal; the first reflecting the landings at Gallipoli, one of the first amphibious operations of the modern era, the second recognising the amphibious campaign to recapture Guadalcanal and the efforts of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps in aiding Australia during World War II.

A Request For Information was sent to two European shipbuilders, French company Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) and Spanish company Navantia, in February 2004, inviting tenders. American shipbuilders were not included, because amphibious warfare ships of the United States Navy were too large for Australian requirements, and were either too personnel-intensive, or could not operate the number of helicopters required. DCN responded with an enlarged version of the Mistral class amphibious assault ship; 2,000 tonnes (2,000 long tons; 2,200 short tons) greater displacement than the 22,000-tonne (22,000-long-ton; 24,000-short-ton) vessels active with the French Navy. A design being built by Navantia for the Spanish Navy, the "Buque de Proyección Estratégica" (Strategic Projection Ship, later commissioned as Juan Carlos I) was offered by the Spanish, partnering with Australian company Tenix Defence. Although 4,000 tonnes (3,900 long tons; 4,400 short tons) larger and with an increased troop, vehicle, and helicopter carrying capability compared to the Mistrals, the Spanish ship was still under construction at the time of the offer, and was not due to enter service until the end of 2008. On 20 June 2007, Minister for Defence Brendan Nelson announced that A$3 billion contract to build the Canberra class was being awarded to Navantia and Tenix. Although an unproven design, the Spanish offer was closer to the RAN's requested requirements, and there were benefits from ordering the Canberras and the Hobart class air warfare destroyers (under consideration at the same time) from the same company.