HMAS Manoora (L 52) - Decommissioning and Fate

Decommissioning and Fate

In late September 2010, Manoora and sister ship Kanimbla were brought to Fleet Base East for an 'operational pause' after several problems were identified with the ships. These included large quantities of corrosion, faults with the deck crane and alarm system, overhauls of the propulsion, power generators, and airconditioning, and upgrades to the communication suite. The ships were to be confined to base until after the ships complete a dry-docking initially valued at A$17 million: as of October 2010, tenders for the work were yet to be released. The problems have been attributed to the ship's high operational tempo, delays in maintenance, and the age of the ships.

On 1 February 2011, the Minister for Defence announced that repairing Manoora would not be cost effective given that this would cost A$20 million, and not be complete until mid-2012. As the ship was scheduled to retire at the end of 2012, it was instead decided to decommission her during 2011 without returning her to service. Manoora was decommissioned at Fleet Base East on 27 May 2011. Personnel from Manoora are expected to transfer to the former British Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Largs Bay when she arrives in Australia in late 2011, and the Canberra-class amphibious assault ships when they enter service from 2014.

In June 2012, the federal government offered Manoora and Kanimbla to the Queensland state government for scuttling as dive wrecks off the Queensland coast.