HMAS Launceston (ACPB 94)

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

Design and construction

The ''Armidale''-class patrol boats are long, with a beam of , a draught of , and a standard displacement of 270 tons.Saunders (ed.), ''IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2012–2013'', p. 33 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.Kerr, ''Plain sailing'' The ''Armidale''s can travel at a maximum speed of , and are driven by two propeller shafts, each connected to an MTU 16V M70 diesel. The ships have a range of at , 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.

The main armament of the ''Armidale'' class is a Rafael Typhoon stabilised gun mount fitted with an M242 Bushmaster autocannon. Two machine guns are also carried.Heron & Powell, in ''Australian Maritime Issues 2006'', p. 132 Boarding operations are performed by two , waterjet propelled rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs). 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.Heron & Powell, in ''Australian Maritime Issues 2006'', p. 131

Each patrol boat has a standard ship's company of 21 personnel, with a maximum of 29.Wertheim (ed.), ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World'', p. 22 The ''Armidale''s 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 ''Armidale''s to spend more time at sea, without compromising sailors' rest time or training requirements.Kerr, ''Patrol boats shake down fuel faults'' 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.McKenna, ''Gas risk remains for navy boats'' However, a malfunction in the sewerage treatment facilities aboard 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.

''Launceston'' was constructed by Austal at their shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia. She was commissioned in Launceston, Tasmania on 22 September 2007.

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. The footage was conflated with the main footage of sister ship to create the fictional HMAS ''Hammersley'', the ship the series is set on.

Citations

References

;Books
*
** The chapter is available separately as ''Semaphore'', Issue 4, 2006 i
PDF
an
HTML
formats.
*
*

;Journal and news articles
*
*
*

;Websites and other media
*

External links

Royal Australian Navy webpage for HMAS Launceston (III)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Launceston
Naval ships of Australia
Armidale-class patrol boats
2007 ships