The Armidale-class patrol boats are 56.8 metres (186ft) long, with a beam of 9.7 metres (32ft), a draught of 2.7 metres (8ft 10in), and a standard displacement of 270tons.[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 (46km/h; 29mph), 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 (5,600km; 3,500mi) at 12 knots (22km/h; 14mph), 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 (0.98in) gun mount fitted with an M242 Bushmaster autocannon.[3] Two 12.7-millimetre (0.50in) machine guns are also carried.[4] Boarding operations are performed by two 7.2-metre (24ft), 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 HMASMaitland 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]
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]
1 2 Idato, Michael (31 March 2008). "All ship shape". SydneyMorningHerald.com.au, Entertainment (TV and Radio) section. p.2. Retrieved 10 April 2008.
References
Books
Heron, Wesley; Powell, Anthony (2007). "Welcome to the Armidale Class". In Forbes, Andrew; Lovi, Michelle (eds.). Australian Maritime Issues 2006(PDF). Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Sea Power Centre – Australia. pp.129–134. ISBN978-0-642-29644-3. ISSN1327-5658. Archived from the original(PDF) on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
The chapter is available separately as Semaphore, Issue 4, 2006 in PDF and HTML formats.
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