One local man relaxes on a fishing boat as another looks towards a group of Royal Australian Navy ...

One local man relaxes on a fishing boat as another looks towards a group of Royal Australian Navy ships at Honiara port. HMAS Diamantina [II], a Huon class coastal minehunter, is to the left. It is the second ship of this name: the first HMAS Diamantina also operated in the Solomon Islands during the Second World War, bombarding Japanese positions in 1945. The second HMAS Diamantina was deployed to the Solomon Islands as part of Operation Anode, Australia’s contribution to the multi-national Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). HMAS Diamantina’s six-member team of clearance divers and explosive experts helped clear unexploded Second World War ordinance from the Solomon Islands; the ship’s other duties included patrolling and visiting remote islands to provide information about RAMSI. Behind HMAS Diamantina are two Balikpapan class Landing Craft Heavy (LCH): HMAS Betano (left) and Brunei (right). These vessels have a very shallow draft, enabling delivery of personnel, equipment, and supplies to otherwise unreachable locations. The presence of Australia’s naval contingent in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands, which had been scene of some of the worst violence, served as a powerful indication of the military support backing up the RAMSI’s police operation.