Fremantle-class patrol boat
HMAS Townsville in 1990
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Class overview | |
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Name | Fremantle class |
Builders |
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Operators | Royal Australian Navy |
Preceded by | Attack class |
Succeeded by | Armidale class |
Built | 1977–1984 |
In commission | 1979–2007 |
Completed | 15 |
Cancelled | 5 |
Retired | 15 |
Scrapped | 13 |
Preserved | 2 (as museum ships) |
General characteristics | |
Type | Patrol boat |
Displacement | 220 tons |
Length | 41.9 m (137 ft 6 in) |
Beam | 7.70 m (25 ft 3 in) |
Draught | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Propulsion | 2 MTU series 538 TB91 V16 diesel engines, 3,200 shp (2,400 kW), 2 propellers |
Speed | 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
Range | 5,000 nmi (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) |
Complement | 22 |
Armament |
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The Fremantle-class patrol boats were coastal
Their retirement was announced in 2001 and a decommissioning schedule published in 2004. From May 2005 they were replaced by the Armidale-class patrol boats with the last two Fremantles decommissioning in May 2007. Most of the class were scrapped, with two marked for preservation as museum ships. The Fremantle class has also appeared in two drama television series based on the Royal Australian Navy.
Planning and development
The concept for the Fremantle class began somewhere between 1967 and 1969, as the
Plans of acquisition were announced in April 1975, with eleven shipbuilders submitting tenders, of which two were shortlisted in 1976;
Design and construction
The design of the Fremantle class called for ships with improved seakeeping, and newer equipment and weapons than those fitted to the Attack class.
Early on in the construction program, it was realised that the two main patrol boat bases,
Construction of Fremantle began in October 1977.
Operational history
The first ship of the class,
On 31 May 1985, Wollongong grounded on rocks at Gabo Island, causing extensive damage to the vessel.[7] It was repaired by the builder, and returned to service in late 1986.[7]
From May 2005 onwards, the Fremantles were replaced in service by the fourteen Armidale-class patrol boats. During late 2006, the decommissioned Wollongong remained laid up alongside Waterhen in Waverton, Sydney for use as the alongside set for the drama series Sea Patrol. The last two ships, Townsville and Ipswich, decommissioned in a joint ceremony on 11 May 2007.[12]
Fate
During 2006 and 2007, most of the Fremantles were broken up for scrap in Darwin, at a cost of between $400,000 and $450,000 each to the Australian government.[13] A total of 11 of the class were dismantled at Darwin, although the MTU engines were salvaged and sold on market, and some high value item were also saved.[14] The exceptions were Wollongong (which was instead scrapped in Port Macquarie), Townsville (gifted to the Townsville Maritime Historical Society for preservation as a museum ship), and Gladstone (gifted to the Gladstone Maritime Museum for preservation).[13][15]
Fremantle class in fiction
The fictional HMAS Defiance, portrayed by HMA Ships Launceston, Townsville, Warrnambool, Whyalla, and Wollongong featured in the second season of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation television series Patrol Boat.[16]
The fictional HMAS Hammersley is the setting of the first season of Channel Nine's 2007 drama series Sea Patrol. This vessel was portrayed by HMA Ships Wollongong and Ipswich.[17] A second patrol boat, HMAS Kingston, also appears in the series. From the second season onwards, an Armidale-class boat is used.
Ships
No. | Name | Laid Down[18] | Launched[18] | Commissioned[18] | Decommissioning[citation needed ]
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FCPB 203 | Fremantle | 11 November 1977 | 15 February 1979 | 17 March 1980 | 11 August 2006 |
FCPB 204 | Warrnambool | 30 September 1978 | 25 October 1980 | 14 March 1981 | 29 November 2005 |
FCPB 205 | Townsville | 5 March 1979 | 16 May 1981 | 18 July 1981 | 11 May 2007 |
FCPB 206 | Wollongong | 23 July 1979 | 17 October 1981 | 28 November 1981 | 11 February 2006 |
FCPB 207 | Launceston | 29 March 1980 | 23 January 1982 | 1 March 1982 | 8 September 2006 |
FCPB 208 | Whyalla | 13 July 1980 | 22 May 1982 | 3 July 1982 | 2 September 2005 |
FCPB 209 | Ipswich | 29 October 1980 | 25 September 1982 | 13 November 1982 | 11 May 2007 |
FCPB 210 | Cessnock | 9 March 1981 | 15 January 1983 | 5 March 1983 | 23 June 2005 |
FCPB 211 | Bendigo | 21 September 1981 | 9 April 1983 | 28 May 1983 | 9 September 2006 |
FCPB 212 | Gawler | 18 January 1982 | 9 July 1983 | 27 August 1983 | 8 July 2006 |
FCPB 213 | Geraldton | 3 May 1982 | 22 October 1983 | 10 December 1983 | 7 October 2006 |
FCPB 214 | Dubbo | 9 August 1982 | 21 January 1984 | 10 March 1984 | 2 February 2007 |
FCPB 215 | Geelong | 15 November 1982 | 14 April 1984 | 2 June 1984 | 8 July 2006 |
FCPB 216 | Gladstone | 7 March 1983 | 28 July 1984 | 8 September 1984 | 13 March 2007 |
FCPB 217 | Bunbury | 13 June 1983 | 3 November 1984 | 15 December 1984 | 11 February 2006 |
Citations
- ^ a b c d e Semaphore 17, 2005, para. 2
- ^ a b c d Semaphore 17, 2005, para. 3
- ^ a b c d Jones, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 222
- ^ a b c d e Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 89
- ^ a b c Semaphore 17, 2005, para. 4
- ^ a b c d Semaphore 17, 2005, para. 5
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 88
- ^ Patrol Boats (Royal Australian Navy)
- ^ a b c Semaphore 17, 2005, para. 7
- ^ Semaphore 17, 2005, para. 6
- ^ a b Semaphore 17, 2005, para. 8
- ^ Navy League of Australia, Last of the Fremantles bow out
- ^ a b Australian National Audit Office (5 February 2015), Management of the Disposal of Specialist Military Equipment (Report), Government of Australia, pp. 62–3, retrieved 24 April 2015
- ^ "Fremantle Class Patrol Boats". Birdon. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ ABC, Fed Govt hands over HMAS Townsville to museum
- ^ Semaphore 17, 2005, para. 13
- ^ Rollings, 2006
- ^ a b c Moore 1985, p. 26.
References
Books
- Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale: Child & Associates. OCLC 23470364.
- Jones, Peter (2001). "Towards Self Reliance". In Stevens, David (ed.). The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne: OCLC 50418095.
- Moore, John, ed. (1985). Jane's Fighting Ships 1985–86. London: ISBN 0-7106-0814-4.
Journal and news articles
- "Fed Govt hands over HMAS Townsville to museum". ABC News. 23 April 2007. Retrieved 2 May 2007.
- Barry, Rollings (2 November 2006). "Ipswitch switches over". Navy News. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
- "Farewell to the Fremantle class" (PDF). Semaphore (17). Sea Power Centre. October 2005. Archived from the original(PDF) on 14 May 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
- "Last of the Fremantles bow out". The Navy (Vol. 69, No. 3). Navy League of Australia. September 2007. p. 28.
Websites
- Royal Australian Navy. "Patrol boats (Royal Australian Navy)". Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 19 August 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2007.