HMAS Ballarat (FFH 155) is an Anzac-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The frigate was laid down in 2000 and commissioned into the RAN in mid-2004. Since entering service, Ballarat has been involved in border protection as part of Operation Relex II, was deployed to the Gulf for Operation Catalyst, and was one of the two ships involved in the Operation Northern Trident 2009 round-the-world voyage. Ballarat has undergone the Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) upgrade, completing in 2015.

Design and construction

The Anzac class originated from RAN plans to replace the six River-class destroyer escorts with a mid-capability patrol frigate. Tenders were requested by the Anzac Ship Project at the end of 1986, with 12 ship designs (including an airship) submitted. By August 1987, the tenders were narrowed down in October to Blohm + Voss's MEKO 200 design, the M class (later Karel Doorman class) offered by Royal Schelde, and a scaled-down Type 23 frigate proposed by Yarrow Shipbuilders. In 1989, the Australian government announced that Melbourne-based shipbuilder AMECON (which became Tenix Defence) would build the modified MEKO 200 design.

thumb|left|Bow view of Ballarat in 2020

The Anzacs are based on Blohm + Voss' MEKO 200 PN (or Vasco da Gama-class) frigates, modified to meet Australian and New Zealand specifications and maximise the use of locally built equipment. The ships are long at the waterline, and long overall, with a beam of , and a full load draught of . The standard ship's company of an Anzac consists of 22 officers and 141 sailors. They were also designed for but not with a Mark 15 Phalanx close-in weapons system (two Mini Typhoons fitted when required from 2005 onwards). Two quad-canister Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers (which were installed across the RAN vessels from 2005 onwards) were previously fitted, but were replaced by two quad-canister Naval Strike Missile launchers in 2025. A second 8-cell Mark 41 VLS was also fitted for but not with. The Australian Anzacs used a single Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter; plans to replace them with Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprites were cancelled in 2008 due to ongoing problems. Instead, the S-70B-2 was replaced with the Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk by late 2017.

Ballarat was laid down at Williamstown, Victoria on 4 August 2000. The ship was assembled from six hull modules and six superstructure modules; the superstructure modules were fabricated in Whangarei, New Zealand, and hull modules were built at both Williamstown and Newcastle, New South Wales, with final integration at Williamstown.

Operational history

At the start of 2005, Ballarat was involved in Operation Relex II, a border protection operation in Australia's northern waters. Ballarat ran aground off Christmas Island near Flying Fish Cove on 22 January 2005 causing damage to the rudder and propellers from the sand and coral.

In December 2006 a request by members of the ship's company led to a re-launching of Ballarat Bitter, a beer originally brewed in Ballarat but stopped in 1989. Proceeds from the sale of the two limited releases were donated to the United Way charities.

On the morning of 13 March 2009, Ballarat was one of seventeen warships involved in a ceremonial fleet entry and fleet review in Sydney Harbour, the largest collection of RAN ships since the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. The frigate was one of the thirteen ships involved in the ceremonial entry through Sydney Heads, and anchored in the harbour for the review.

On 20 April 2009, Ballarat and the Adelaide-class frigate departed from Sydney as part of Operation Northern Trident, a six-month round-the-world voyage by the two vessels, with numerous diplomatic visits and joint exercises with foreign navies. During the night of 17 May, Ballarat and Sydney provided aid to two merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, driving off two separate groups of Somali pirates attacking the ships. Ballarat escorted an impromptu convoy of eight ships, including the two that were attacked, to safety, while Sydney remained in the area to report the incidents to Combined Task Force 151. The upgrade included the fitting of CEA Technologies' CEAFAR and CEAMOUNT phased array radars on new masts, a Vampir NG Infrared Search and Track system, and Sharpeye Navigational Radar Systems, along with improvements to the operations room equipment and layout.

In September 2018, Ballarat sailed at short notice to participate in the rescue of two round-the-world sailors in the southern Indian Ocean. The ship transported one of them back to Australia from Île Amsterdam after he was rescued by a French fishing boat.

In April 2021, Ballarat took part in the search for the missing Indonesian Navy submarine KRI Nanggala (402). The next month the ship participated in efforts to enforce sanctions against North Korea as part of Operation Argos.

Between 10 and 18 November, Ballarat participated in the 2025 edition of Exercise Malabar along with , and of the Japanese Navy, Indian Navy and US Navy. The ship, with a crew of 177 sailors and officers, was equipped with an integral MH-60R Romeo helicopter and supported by a P-8A Poseidon aircraft of the Air Force which was deployed from the Andersen Air Force Base. The exercise included complex drills in anti-submarine warfare, air defence and replenishment at sea. The harbour phase was conducted on 10–12 November at Naval Base Guam followed by the Sea Phase on 13–17 November in the west Pacific training area.

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