Attack-class patrol boat
HMAS Advance, now a museum ship at the Australian National Maritime Museum
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Attack |
| Builders: | |
| Operators: | |
| Preceded by: | Bathurst class corvette |
| Succeeded by: | Fremantle class patrol boat |
| Cost: | A$800,000 |
| Completed: | 20 |
| Lost: | 1 |
| Retired: | 9 |
| Preserved: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Patrol boat |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 107.5 ft (32.8 m) |
| Beam: | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Draught: | 7.3 ft (2.2 m) at full load |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) |
| Complement: | 3 officers, 16 sailors |
| Armament: |
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| Notes: | Taken from: |
The Attack-class patrol boats were small coastal defence vessels built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and operated between 1967 and 1985. Following their Australian service, twelve ships were transferred to Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Twenty boats were ordered by the Department of Defence in November 1965 at a cost of around A$800,000 each from two Queensland shipyards, Evans Deakin in Brisbane and Walkers in Maryborough. Five were marked for the formation of a "New Guinea coastal security force", while the other fifteen were for patrols and general duties in Australian waters.
The first vessel was scheduled to be commissioned in August 1966, but she was not launched until March 1967.
The inclusion of the Attack class in the RAN fleet led to a second version of the ship's badge design to be created, as it was not deemed appropriate for such small vessels to use the full-size badge. The badge used by the patrol boats was scaled down from 755 by 620 millimetres (29.7 by 24.4 in) to 440 by 365 millimetres (17.3 by 14.4 in), with no other alterations.
The Attack class was replaced in RAN service by the larger and more capable Fremantle class patrol boats.
In 1975, Aitape, Ladava, Lae, Mandang, and Samarai were transferred to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force. All five were paid off during the late 1980s, with Aitape sunk as a dive wreck off Port Moresby in 1995.
Acute, Archer, Assail, Attack, Barbette, Bandolier, Barricade, and Bombard were transferred to the Indonesian Navy between 1974 and 1985, and are listed in Jane's Fighting Ships as still operational in 2011.
Arrow was destroyed in Darwin on 25 December 1974 during Cyclone Tracy.
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Wikipedia