Decommissioning
On 21 September 2010, Kanimbla was entering Sydney Harbour when a fire broke out onboard and caused the ship to lose power briefly. Shortly after this, Kanimbla and sister ship Manoora were brought to Fleet Base East for an 'operational pause' after several problems were identified with both ships. These included large quantities of corrosion and faults with the deck crane and alarm system, along with the need to overhaul the propulsion system, power generators, and airconditioning, and upgrade the communication suite. The problems have been attributed to the ship's high operational tempo, delays in maintenance, and the age of the ships.
Manoora was marked for decommissioning in early 2011, but the intention at that time was to repair Kanimbla and return her to active service by mid-2012. However, the predicted timeframe and cost of the repairs (18 months and over $35 million), and the successful acquisition of the British landing ship dock RFA Largs Bay (to enter RAN service at the end of 2011 as HMAS Choules) prompted the Australian government to announce plans on 18 August 2011 to decommission Kanimbla. The decommissioning occurred on 25 November 2011.
The ship's capability will initially be replaced by Largs Bay/Choules, until the Canberra class amphibious warfare ships enter service.
In June 2012, the federal government offered Kanimbla and Manoora to the Queensland state government for scuttling as dive wrecks off the Queensland coast.
Read more about this topic: HMAS Kanimbla (L 51)