Balikpapan-class landing craft heavy
HMAS Balikpapan in 2011
| |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Builders | Walkers Limited at Maryborough, Queensland |
Operators | |
Preceded by | LSM-1-class landing ship medium (RAN) |
Built | 1971–1974 |
In service | 1971–present |
In commission | 1973–present |
Completed | 8 |
Active | 6 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Landing Craft Heavy |
Displacement |
|
Length | 44.5 m (146 ft) |
Beam | 10.1 m (33 ft) |
Draught | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
Range |
|
Capacity | 180 tons of cargo: |
Complement | 16 |
Sensors and processing systems | Racal Decca Bridgemaster I-band navigational radar |
Armament | two 12.7 mm (0.50 in) machine guns |
The Balikpapan class is a ship class of eight heavy landing craft (officially Landing Craft, Heavy or LCH). All eight were originally laid down by Walkers Limited for the Australian Army in the early 1970s. A reorganisation of watercraft responsibilities in the Australian military meant the landing craft were to be operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), with seven commissioned directly into RAN service during 1973 and 1974, and lead ship Balikpapan transferred from the army to the navy. During the leadup to the independence of Papua New Guinea in 1975, two of the vessels (HMPNGS Salamaua and HMPNGS Buna) were transferred to the new Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF).
During their careers, the Australian vessels have operated in support of
The six remaining RAN vessels were
Design and capabilities
Eight new heavy
The LCHs have a maximum payload of 180 tons; equivalent to three
All eight Balikpapan-class vessels were constructed by Walkers Limited at their shipyard in Maryborough, Queensland.[7] All were laid down during 1971 and 1972, with lead ship Balikpapan entering service with the Australian Army Water Transport Squadron at the end of 1971.[7] After this, responsibility for seagoing Army craft was transferred to the RAN, with the other seven craft directly entering naval service during 1973 and 1974, and Balikpapan transferring over in late 1974.[7][8]
Operational history
Australian service
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In January 1973, the Balikpapans in RAN service were formed together as the First Australian Landing Craft Squadron, based at HMAS Moreton in Brisbane.[4] In November 1974, Salamaua and Buna were transferred to the fledgling Papua New Guinea Defence Force, along with five Attack-class patrol boats.[4][9] Five of the remaining Australian LCHs were deployed in December 1974 following Cyclone Tracy as part of Operation Navy Help Darwin; HMAS Labuan was undergoing refits at the time.[10]
Between 1997 and 2003, the LCHs were used to support the
On 11 December 2012, Wewak was decommissioned.[12] Balikpapan and Betano were both decommissioned a day later, on 12 December.[13][14][15] The other three Australian vessels were decommissioned on 19 November 2014.[16][17]
Papua New Guinea
As part of the leadup to the independence of Papua New Guinea, in November 1974, Salamaua and Buna were transferred to the fledgling Papua New Guinea Defence Force, along with five Attack-class patrol boats.[4][9]
During 1985 and 1986, Salamaua and Buna underwent refits.[18]
The two PNG vessels were listed in
After decommissioning from Australian service, Labuan was transferred to the PNGDF for use as a training vessel, and was commissioned as HMPNGS Lakekamu on 4 December 2014.[17][22]
Salamaua was decommissioned from PNGDF service on 19 June 2020.[23][24] Buna was decommissioned from PNGDF service in June 2021.[25]
Philippines
Brunei and Tarakan were selected for donation to the Philippine Navy in January 2015.
The Philippine and Australian governments are in negotiations to sell the three remaining Australian Balikpapans to the Philippine Navy, with a deal expected to be reached later in 2015.[27] On 27 July 2015, Philippines president Benigno Aquino III stated as part of his annual state of the nation address that his government intended to purchase all three vessels.[31] All three, the former HMAS Balikpapan, HMAS Wewak, and HMAS Betano, were delivered to the Philippines in March 2016, and were immediately sent for refurbishing works.[32][33][34] The Philippines paid ₱270 million for the three vessels.[33][34] They will be commissioned to the Philippine Navy on 1 June 2016 as BRP Waray, BRP Iwak, and BRP Agta, and will be assigned to the Sealift Amphibious Force.[35]
Replacement
There are plans to replace the Balikpapans in Australian service with an as-yet-unidentified class of six heavy landing craft.[12][36] The original replacement project was not due to decide on the design until between 2016 and 2018, with the new class to enter service from 2022.[5] The Department of Defence issued a request for information in early 2011, which may lead to the project being brought forward.[5] As of 2019 there has been no further developments.
Citations
- ^ Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, pgs 79, 125
- ^ a b c d e Saunders (ed.), IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2012–2013, p. 32
- ^ a b c d e f Wertheim (ed.), The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, p. 26
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 79
- ^ a b c Wertheim (ed.), The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, p. 25
- ^ Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 80
- ^ a b Frame, No Pleasure Cruise, p. 261
- ^ a b Swinden, Heavy Lifting for Four Decades, p. 22
- ^ a b c d e Swinden, Heavy Lifting for Four Decades, p. 23
- ^ a b "HMAS Wewak decommissioned". Department of Defence. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
- ^ "HMA Ships Balikpapan and Betano decommissioned". Royal Australian Navy. 13 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ "HMAS Balikpapan". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ "HMAS Betano". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
- ^ Rahmat, Ridzwan (23 July 2014). "RAN to decommission three Balikpapan-class LCHs". IHS Jane's Navy International. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ a b Robert, Stuart (19 November 2014). "Assistant Minister for Defence – Final farewell for Navy's landing craft" (Press release). Australian Department of Defence. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Wertheim (ed.), The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, p. 536
- ^ Saunders (ed.), IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2012–2013, p. 602
- ^ Swinden, Heavy Lifting for Four Decades, p. 21
- ^ "Australian Navy Delivers Supplies to Solomon Islands". Naval Today. 18 September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ "Defence Minister welcomes the commissioning of HMPNGS Lakekamu". Media release. Senator David Johnston. 4 December 2014. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
- ^ Yafoi, Melisha (22 June 2020). "Naval ship decommissioned". Post Courier. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ "PNG Navy Ship Salamaua retires from Service". Papua New Guinea Today. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ "Former navy officers recall time on board Buna". The National. 28 June 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ a b c Fonbuena, Carmela (29 January 2015). "Australia's gift to PH Navy: 2 supply ships". Rapller. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- ^ a b c Dalton, Nick (2015-07-24). "Gifted ships to Philippines refitted in Cairns for $4m". The Cairns Post. Retrieved 2015-07-24.
- ^ Cohen, Michael; Hardy, James (29 May 2015). "Ex-RAN heavy landing craft to arrive in Philippines by mid-May". IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
- ^ Romero, Alexis (2015-07-23). "Navy commissions 2 landing craft heavy ships from Australia". philstar.com (The Philippine Star). Retrieved 2015-07-24.
- ^ Romero, Alexis. "Navy to commission 2 landing craft heavy ships from Australia". philstar.com (The Philippine Star). Retrieved 13 July 2015.
- ^ a b Rahmat, Ridzwan (29 July 2015). "Philippines edges closer to Australian landing craft procurement". IHS Jane's 360. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ "Heavy lift firm delivers 3 Australian Landing Crafts to Philippines". Update Philippines. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ a b Laude, Jaime (28 March 2016). "Philippine Navy gets 3 more landing ships from Australia". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ a b Parameswaran, Prashanth (29 March 2016). "Australia Gives the Philippines Another Military Boost". The Diplomat. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- ^ Mangosing, Frances (2016-05-31). "PH Navy to commission 4 more ships". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 2016-05-31.
- ^ Berry, Paul (6 December 2012). "End of the line". Navy News. Directorate of Defence News. p. 4.
References
- ISBN 1-74114-233-4.
- Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale, NSW: Child & Associates. OCLC 23470364.
- Gillett, Ross (2012). Australia's Navy: Today and Tomorrow. Vol. Part 2. Topmill.
- Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2012). IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2012–2013. OCLC 793688752.
- Wertheim, Eric, ed. (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems (15th ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 26. OCLC 140283156.
- Swinden, Greg (April 2013). "Heavy Lifting for Four Decades: The Navy's Landing Craft Heavy". The Navy. 75 (2). Navy League of Australia: 20–24. ISSN 1322-6231.