HMAS Launceston (ACPB 94)

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For other ships with the same name, see HMAS Launceston.
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HMAS Launceston docked at Riverside in Brisbane, March 2009
History
Australia
Namesake: City of Launceston, Tasmania
Commissioned: 22 September 2007
Homeport: HMAS Cairns, Cairns
Motto: "Progress With Prudence"
Honours and
awards:		 Four inherited battle honours
Status: Active as of 2016
Badge: Ship's badge
General characteristics
Class & type: Armidale-class patrol boat
Displacement: 300 tons standard load
Length: 56.8 m (186 ft)
Beam: 9.7 m (32 ft)
Draught: 2.7 m (8.9 ft)
Propulsion: 2 × MTU 4000 16V 6,225 horsepower (4,642 kW) diesels driving twin propellers
Speed: 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range: 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Endurance: 21 days standard, 42 days maximum
Boats & landing
craft carried:		 2 × Zodiac 7.2 m (24 ft) RHIBs
Complement: 21 standard, 29 maximum
Sensors and
processing systems:		 Bridgemaster E surface search/navigation radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • Prism III radar warning system
  • Toplite electro-optical detection system
  • Warrlock direction finding system
Armament:

HMAS Launceston (ACPB 94) is an Armidale-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Design and construction

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Main article: Armidale-class patrol boat

The Armidale-class patrol boats are 56.8 metres (186 ft) long, with a beam of 9.7 metres (32 ft), a draught of 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in), and a standard displacement of 270 tons.[1] The semi-displacement vee hull is fabricated from aluminium alloy, and each vessel is built to a combination of Det Norske Veritas standards for high-speed light craft and RAN requirements.[2] The Armidales can travel at a maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), and are driven by two propeller shafts, each connected to an MTU 16V M70 diesel.[3] The ships have a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), allowing them to patrol the waters around the distant territories of Australia, and are designed for standard patrols of 21 days, with a maximum endurance of 42 days.[3][2]

The main armament of the Armidale class is a Rafael Typhoon stabilised 25-millimetre (0.98 in) gun mount fitted with an M242 Bushmaster autocannon.[3] Two 12.7-millimetre (0.50 in) machine guns are also carried.[4] Boarding operations are performed by two 7.2-metre (24 ft), waterjet propelled rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs).[2] Each RHIB is stored in a dedicated cradle and davit, and is capable of operating independently from the patrol boat as it carries its own communications, navigation, and safety equipment.[2][5]

Each patrol boat has a standard ship's company of 21 personnel, with a maximum of 29.[3][2] The Armidales do not have a permanently assigned ship's company; instead, they are assigned to divisions at a ratio of two vessels to three companies, which rotate through the vessels and allow the Armidales to spend more time at sea, without compromising sailors' rest time or training requirements.[2][6] A 20-berth auxiliary accommodation compartment was included in the design for the transportation of soldiers, illegal fishermen, or unauthorised arrivals; in the latter two cases, the compartment could be secured from the outside.[7] However, a malfunction in the sewerage treatment facilities aboard HMAS Maitland in August 2006 pumped hydrogen sulphide and carbon monoxide into the compartment, non-fatally poisoning four sailors working inside, after which use of the compartment for accommodation was banned across the class.[6][7]

Launceston was constructed by Austal at their shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.[1] She was commissioned in Launceston, Tasmania[citation needed] on 22 September 2007.[1]

Operational history

She is based in Cairns and performs border protection and fisheries protection patrols.

Launceston was used for pick-up filming during the creation of the second season of Australian drama series Sea Patrol in 2008.[8] The footage was conflated with the main footage of sister ship Broome to create the fictional HMAS Hammersley, the ship the series is set on.[8]

Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Saunders (ed.), IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2012–2013, p. 33
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Kerr, Plain sailing
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wertheim (ed.), The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, p. 22
  4. ↑ Heron & Powell, in Australian Maritime Issues 2006, p. 132
  5. ↑ Heron & Powell, in Australian Maritime Issues 2006, p. 131
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Kerr, Patrol boats shake down fuel faults
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 McKenna, Gas risk remains for navy boats
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

References

Books
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    • The chapter is available separately as Semaphore, Issue 4, 2006 in PDF and HTML formats.
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Journal and news articles
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Websites and other media
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External links

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