MY TRAVEL INFO: HMAS CAIRNS, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

HMAS Cairns refers to both a current Royal Australian Navy (RAN) naval base in Queensland and a historical RAN ship.

The Naval Base: HMAS Cairns

The current HMAS Cairns is a naval base located in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, on the shore of Trinity Bay. 

• Commissioned as HMAS Cairns in 1974 as a minor war vessel base. 
• Role: Its primary responsibility is to provide maintenance, logistic, and administrative support for Cairns-based fleet units and for operations across north-eastern Australia.
• Home to: The base is a home port for several vessels, including four Cape-class patrol boats and the ships of the RAN Hydrographic Service.
• Personnel: It is home to around 900 Navy and civilian personnel.
• Current Status: The base is a key strategic northern defence base and is currently undergoing significant upgrades to its wharf and dock facilities to accommodate the incoming Arafura-class patrol vessels.

The Historical Ship: HMAS Cairns (J183)

• A ship also bore the name HMAS Cairns. It was a Bathurst-class corvette launched in 1941 and commissioned into the RAN during World War II. Service: The corvette served in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Mediterranean, earning four battle honours.
• Fate: After the war, the ship was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1946, where it was renamed HNLMS Ambon. It was later transferred to the Indonesian Navy in 1950 (KRI Banteng) and broken up for scrap in 1968.

15/12/2025: 8.11 P.M