A Japanese P-3 Orion aircraft and a naval helicopter from the German frigate Bremen provided surveillance support while Toowoomba closed in. A boarding party from Toowoomba confiscated several weapons from the attackers, including a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, six AK-47 assault rifles, and a G3 assault rifle, before the skiff was directed to leave the IRTC. Toowoomba returned to Fleet Base West on 7 December 2009, having been relieved in the MEAO by . The ship and her company were awarded with a "Certificate for Exceptional Services Rendered to Shipping and Mankind" by the International Maritime Organization in November 2009. The deployment is the subject of Australian Pirate Patrol, a four-episode documentary series produced by Prospero Productions, and first aired on the National Geographic Channel on 18 October 2010. In early April 2013, Toowoomba operated with the U.S. Navy's Carrier Strike Group Three in the South China Sea. In late March 2014, Toowoomba was pulled from asylum seeker patrols and directed to join the hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, allowing to return to port for replenishment. Toowoomba will be docked in October 2015 to undergo the Anti-Ship Missile Defence (ASMD) upgrade. The upgrade will include 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 early 2020 she was deployed to the Strait of Hormuz during the 2019 Persian Gulf crisis. Citations References Books Journal articles News articles Press releases Websites External links Royal Australian Navy webpage for HMAS Toowoomba Australian Pirate Patrol at National Geographic Anzac-class frigates of the Royal Australian Navy Naval ships of Australia 2003 ships Military Units in Western Australia