PODCAST: Royal Australian Navy minehunters’ new purpose after service, with Frank van der Linde

Naval
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By: Robyn Tongol
HMAS Norman and HMAS Hawkesbury. Photo: Frank van der Linde

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by travellers and entrepreneurs Frank van der Linde and Kerry Leach.

In this episode of the Defence Connect Podcast, senior journalist Robert Dougherty is joined by travellers and entrepreneurs Frank van der Linde and Kerry Leach.

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The pair are the new owners of two decommissioned Royal Australian Navy minehunters – HMAS Norman and HMAS Hawkesbury.

The former military vessels have been towed more than 3,800 nautical miles from Newcastle, Australia, to Cebu, Philippines, as they prepare for a new lease on life as private superyachts.

The trio discuss:

  • The origins of the two minehunter vessels, how the sale was completed and some complications along the way.
  • The challenges of using former military equipment in the commercial industry and documenting their journey via the YouTube channel, Living the Oneironaut Life.
  • The plans for the vessels and the construction efforts still to come.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

Episode 11: CONTESTED GROUND: Weak, vulnerable, backwater – Australia’s choice between strategic camps and managed decline
Episode 10: PODCAST: Undersea dominance – Australia charts the maritime future through autonomous systems and AUKUS innovation
Episode 9: PODCAST: Australian Army Cadets pathways, submarine industry growth and Australia’s fuel security
Episode 8: CONTESTED GROUND: The blind faith factor – why Australians trust an ADF they don’t understand
Episode 7: PODCAST: Defence preparedness, artificial intelligence productivity, and Australian industrial resilience
Episode 6: CONTESTED GROUND: Shots fired! Chinese missile test shatters Australia’s ‘fog of peace’, with Mike Pezzullo
Episode 5: SPOTLIGHT: Counter-drone innovation, directed energy and delivering operational outcomes, with EOS Defence Systems’ Lee Kormany
Episode 4: PODCAST: Strengthening security ties, Fiji defence pact and Australia’s counter-drone push
Episode 3: CONTESTED GROUND: Lessons from the UK in political polarisation, generational dislocation and intergenerational warfare, with Ben Dullroy, Bravo Delta Advisory
Episode 2: PODCAST: Defence Industry Development Strategy, Defence reform and Australians fighting in Ukraine