Armidale-class patrol boat
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HMAS Broome
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Armidale class patrol boat |
| Builders: | Austal Ships |
| Operators: | Royal Australian Navy |
| Preceded by: | Fremantle-class patrol boat |
| Succeeded by: | Planned Australian offshore combatant vessel |
| Cost: | A$24–28 million per ship. |
| Built: | 2004–2007 |
| In commission: | 2005–present |
| Completed: | 14 |
| Active: | 13 |
| Retired: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 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 crew standard, 29 crew maximum, maximum 150 persons onboard |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Bridgemaster E surface search/navigation radar |
| Electronic warfare & decoys: |
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| Armament: |
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The Armidale class is a class of patrol boats built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Planning for a class of vessels to replace the fifteen Fremantle-class patrol boats began in 1993 as a joint project with the Royal Malaysian Navy, but was cancelled when Malaysia pulled out of the process. The project was reopened in 1999 under the designation SEA 1444, with the RAN as the sole participant. Of the seven proposals tendered, the Austal Ships/Defence Maritime Services (DMS) proposal for twelve vessels based on an enlarged Bay-class patrol boat was selected. Two additional patrol boats were ordered in 2005 to provide a dedicated patrol force for the North West Shelf Venture.
All fourteen vessels were constructed by Austal Ships at Henderson, Western Australia. The first vessel, HMAS Armidale, was commissioned into the RAN in June 2005, and the last, HMAS Glenelg, entering service in February 2008. The Armidale-class ships are operated by the Australian Patrol Boat Group, and based in Cairns and Darwin. They are primarily tasked with border protection, fisheries patrols, and the interception of unauthorised arrivals by sea. The Armidales are longer and heavier than their Fremantle-class predecessors, with improved seakeeping ability and increased range, allowing them to reach Australia's offshore territories. The ships are multi-crewed, with three ship's companies available for every two vessels, allowing the patrol boats to spend more time at sea without cutting into sailors' rest or training time.
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