On 30 December 2004 , '' Kanimbla '' sailed as part of Operation Sumatra Assist , the Australian contribution to relief efforts following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami . The ship 's involvement ended on 26 March 2005 , and she sailed to Singapore , but was redeployed three days later after a new earthquake off the Sumatran coast . On 2 April , a Sea King helicopter operating from '' Kanimbla '' crashed on the island of Nias , killing nine of the eleven personnel aboard ; the single deadliest incident in the Australian Defence Force since 1996 . Operations did not conclude until 13 April
earthquake off the Sumatran coast
2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake
HMAS Kanimbla (L 51)