Navy navigator steers ship home to Port Lincoln
Lieutenant Katie Webb steered HMAS Eyre into her hometown of Port Lincoln. She was leading a freedom of entry ceremony.
Port Lincoln lined the foreshore to watch the Royal Australian Navy's newest patrol ship. HMAS Eyre received a freedom of entry ceremony that is centuries old.
Lieutenant Katie Webb was the ship's navigator who led the procession through the city where she grew up. Webb learned to sail from her father on fishing boats off Coffin Bay.
She got her boat licence at 12. Webb plotted HMAS Eyre's route to the Eyre Peninsula.
She steered the ship into Boston Harbour as her parents watched. The Arafura patrol ship is 80 metres long.
It was built in South Australia. It works with Border Force, federal police, and the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.
The ceremony uses drawn swords and bayonets. It dates back to the 1200s.
- 80 metres
- Ship length
- 12 years old
- Boat license age
- 80 kilometres off Coffin Bay
- Distance fished
Why it mattersA naval officer's homecoming ceremony celebrates Australian military capability. It is also a deeply personal full-circle moment for Webb.
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