Billion-dollar HMAS Adelaide begins its long journey home from Spain The hull of HMAS Adelaide departs Navantia Ferrol dockyard in Spain, for a short trip south to Vigo. AT a cost of $1 billion is it one of the biggest Australian navy ships ever to be built - and is on its way home. The 11-storey floating military base - to be christened HMAS Adelaide - left its Spanish dockyard last week where the hull was assembled to begin the next phase of construction in Australia. The hull departs for Vigo before its leg home. The Landing Helicopter Dock, which at almost a quarter kilometre long is larger than a standard aircraft carrier, is one of two ships being built for the navy - the second is under construction at Williamstown dock in Melbourne - at a cost of over $2 billion. As these pictures show, the ship was tugged from Navantia Ferrol dockyard on Tuesday to Vigo in the south of Spain, where it will be loaded onto a heavy lift ship for transit to Victoria. The hull begins its long journey home from Navantia Ferrol. A Defence spokesman said the loading could begin as early as tomorrow, pending weather. "Weather permitting, the heavy lift ship is scheduled to depart before Christmas and is expected to arrive at the BAE Systems Williamstown shipyard in February 2014," he said. When completed, the HMAS Adelaide will be able to support more than 1400 crew, up to 18 helicopters and 110 tanks. It will also have a 40-bed hospital. Spanish shipbuilder Navantia, a subcontractor to BAE Systems Australia, constructed and fitted out the hulls of both ships. The superstructure, combat and communications systems are set to be completed in Williamstown. Construction of the first LHD began in September 2008, with the hull arriving in Williamstown in October next year.