{| {{Infobox ship career |Hide header=title |Ship country=Australia |Ship flag= |Ship name=Kanimbla |Ship namesake=Kanimbla Valley |Ship commissioned=29 August 1994 |Ship decommissioned=25 November 2011 |Ship homeport=Fleet Base East |Ship motto="Cry Havoc" |Ship nickname= |Ship honours=* Battle honours: Persian Gulf 2001–03 Iraq 2003 plus five inherited honours Awards: Meritorious Unit Citation |Ship identification=L 51 |Ship fate=Sold for scrap, 20 May 2013 |Ship notes= |Ship badge= }} |}HMAS Kanimbla (L 51)' was a ship operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Originally built for the United States Navy (USN) as the , the ship was decommissioned in 1994 and sold to the RAN. After entering service with the RAN in 1999, Kanimbla participated in numerous worldwide deployments, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, and in response to the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. During the ship's career, two helicopters were lost in crashes. After a fire broke out aboard Kanimbla in late 2010, she and sister ship were removed from active service because of extensive problems found aboard both ships. The intention was to repair Kanimbla and return her to service by 2012, but this was deemed uneconomical. The ship was decommissioned in 2011, and sold for breaking in 2013. Design and construction The ship was laid down by National Steel & Shipbuilding Company at San Diego, California for the USN on 24 May 1969 as tank landing ship . She was launched on 7 February 1970, sponsored by the wife of R. James Harvey, a Congressman and former mayor of Saginaw, Michigan, and commissioned into the United States Navy on 23 January 1971. She was named after the city of Saginaw, Michigan. USN operational history Transfer and conversion In the early 1990s, the RAN initiated a procurement project to replace with a dedicated training and helicopter support ship. Meeting the vague specifications of the project required a purpose built vessel at an approximate cost of A$500 million. The high cost of the project led to its cancellation by the Minister for Defence in 1993, with the instructions to find a cheaper alternative. In 1994, the RAN was able to acquire the surplus Saginaw and her sister ship for the combined price of A$61 million (US$40 million).Scherer, Senate hampers sale of Navy ships to eager nations Saginaw was to be renamed Kanimbla. Prior to Saginaws decommissioning and transfer, a RAN crew was sent to