This year the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) will conduct "one of the biggest commemorative events since the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games" when the city of Sydney will host the International Fleet Review.
Taking place on Sydney Harbour in early October, the International Fleet Review commemorates the centenary of the arrival of the Royal Australian Navy's new fleet on October 4, 1913.
On that day, the flagship HMAS 'Australia' led the new Australian fleet of seven cruisers and destroyers. These included the HMA ships 'Melbourne', 'Sydney', 'Encounter', 'Warrego', 'Parramatta' and 'Yarra' – into Sydney Harbour for the first time.
It is anticipated that more than 40 warships from around the world will come to Sydney to take part, including ships from Brunei, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, France, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States of America. They will be joined by up to 20 international and local tall ships and at least six military bands.
The centennial event will commence with 20 tall ships entering Sydney Harbour on Thursday, October 3, followed by the combined warship entry on Friday, including a symbolic group of seven warships representing the original 1913 fleet.
To mark the historic occasion, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia will welcome the fleet from Bradley's Head and officially review the fleet onboard the HMAS 'Leeuwin' on Saturday as part of the Ceremonial Fleet Review.
Naval aviation will also feature on the Saturday, with more than a dozen RAN and visiting naval helicopters taking part in the day via a massed helicopter flypast over the harbour.
Other activities staged during the afternoon include navy helicopter displays, Royal Australian Air Force and historic maritime aircraft flypasts, and Saturday's festivities will conclude with a pyrotechnics display and lightshow "on a similar scale to Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks".
Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, said the International Fleet Review would be the largest commemorative event the RAN has ever undertaken.
"We expect it to rival our 75th Anniversary and Bicentenary celebrations that occurred in 1986 and 1988, with up to one million spectators lining the Sydney Harbour foreshores to witness history in the making," Vice Admiral Griggs said.
Over 8,000 Australian and visiting naval personnel are expected to participate in the event, which is being staged in partnership with the New South Wales State Government and the City of Sydney. The event is expected to bring around $50 million into the State's economy.
Many of the Australian and international warships will also participate in Exercise Triton Centenary 13 off the East Coast of Australia and visit other Australian ports before and following the International Fleet Review. Australian and foreign tall ships will also visit Fremantle, Melbourne and Hobart prior to gathering in Sydney in October, before taking part in a special regatta race to Auckland, New Zealand.