Portal:Military history of Australia/Units/December 26

HMAS Sheenan (front left), one other submarine, HMAS Sirius (back left) and ex-HMAS Westralia at HMAS Stirling in 2006

HMAS Stirling is the name given to the administrative centre of the Royal Australian Navy's main naval base on the west coast (Fleet Base West), located on Garden Island just off the Western Australian coast near the city of Perth. HMAS Stirling was formally commissioned on 28 July 1978. Since this date Stirling has expanded enormously within its existing boundaries and has seen building such as the Submarine Escape Training Facility – one of only six in the world and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. Stirling is home to many of the RAN's surface combatants and all six of the Collins class submarines that are used by the RAN.