BRP Batak (AT-299)
BRP Batak (right) and BRP Ivatan berthed at Naval Base Cavite in August 2015
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia
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| Name: | HMAS Tarakan |
| Namesake: | The Allied recapture of Tarakan |
| Builder: | Walkers Limited (Maryborough, Queensland) |
| Laid down: | 12 December 1971 |
| Launched: | 16 March 1972 |
| Commissioned: | 15 June 1973 |
| Decommissioned: | 20 November 2014 |
| Motto: | "Nothing Daunts" |
| Nickname(s): | 'Trash Can' |
| Honours and awards: |
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| Fate: | Transferred to the Philippine Navy, 23 July 2015 |
| History | |
 Philippines
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| Name: | BRP Batak |
| Namesake: | Batak people, a Filipino ethnic group located on Palawan |
| Acquired: | 23 July 2015 |
| Commissioned: | 23 July 2015 |
| Status: | Active as of 2015 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Balikpapan-class landing craft heavy |
| Displacement: | 316 tons |
| Length: | 44.5 m (146 ft) |
| Beam: | 10.1 m (33 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Two GE diesels |
| Speed: | 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
| Capacity: | 180 tons of vehicle cargo or 400 soldiers |
| Complement: | 13 |
| Armament: | 2 × 0.50 inch machine guns |
BRP Batak (AT-299) is a Balikpapan-class heavy landing craft operated by the Philippine Navy. One of eight vessels built by Walkers Limited for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the ship was commissioned into Australian service in 1973 as HMAS Tarakan (L 129) . During her RAN career, Tarakan (named after the Australian landing at Tarakan during World War II) was deployed post-Cyclone Tracy as part of Operation Navy Help Darwin, undertook various surveying operations, was placed in reserve between 1985 and 1988, relocated an overpopulation of Tridacna gigas clams, was part of the INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce, and participated in a Pacific Partnership humanitarian deployment.
Tarakan was decommissioned from Australian service in 2014. The ship was refurbished and donated to the Philippine Navy, commissioning as BRP Batak (named after the ethnic group of the same name) in 2015.
The eight-vessel Balikpapan class was ordered as a locally manufactured replacement for the Australian Army's LSM-1-class landing ship medium and ALC 50 landing craft. They are 44.5 metres (146 ft) long, with a beam of 10.1 metres (33 ft), and a draught of 1.9 metres (6 ft 3 in). The landing craft have a standard displacement of 316 tons, with a full load displacement of 503 tons. They were propelled by two G.M. Detroit 6–71 diesel motors, providing 675 brake horsepower to the two propeller shafts, allowing the vessels to reach 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph). The standard ship's company is 17-strong. The Balikpapans are equipped with a Decca RM 916 navigational radar, and fitted with two 12.7 millimetres (0.50 in) machine guns for self-defence.
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