- Yes
- No
TL;DR:
Coastal vessel, Australian patrol boat, slightly better HMAS Arrow.
Overview:
In 1970, the Royal Australian Navy started looking for replacements to the Attack-class patrol boats. Only in 1975 did the order for new patrol craft come out, with 11 shipbuilders invited. The UK-based Brooke Marine bid won, and their PCF-420 design was selected with an initial order of 15 ships, called the Fremantle-class. Originally the ships were meant to be fitted with twin 30mm autocannons, with also a proposal for a missile-armed version, but because of budgetary constraints weaponry was reduced to simply a 40mm Bofors in a modernized power turret. They had 3 diesel engines, 1 one of which was a smaller cruising engine, and were equipped with a modern navigational radar and GPS which allowed them very accurate positioning.
The FCPBs were faster, larger, and better equipped than the older Attack-class, and were ordered in 1977. The first ship, HMAS Fremantle (P203) (all ships were named after WW2-era Bathurst-class Minesweepers), was built directly by Brooke Marine, and was commissioned in 1980 undergoing a very long transfer journey to Australia. The remaining ships were built locally by the NQEA and were delivered throughout the early 1980s. 5 other ships were planned but later cancelled.
The ships served in coastal patrol duties working with the Australian Coastal Surveillance Organisation, and also provided disaster relief and participated in Special Forces operations and diplomatic missions. Additionally they featured majorly in the Australian TV shows Patrol Boat and Sea Patrol. In the 1990s, the ships went through a major refit, with their cruising engine and central shaft removed. They would serve until the early 2000s, with the final ships decommissioned in 2007. All except for 2 were scrapped, which are preserved as museum ships. They would be replaced by the Armidale-class patrol boats.
Ship list:
HMAS Fremantle (P203)
HMAS Warrnambool (P204)
HMAS Townsville (P205)
HMAS Wollongong (P206)
HMAS Launceston (P207)
HMAS Whyalla (P208)
HMAS Ipswich (P209)
HMAS Cessnock (P210)
HMAS Bendigo (P211)
HMAS Gawler (P212)
HMAS Geraldton (P213)
HMAS Dubbo (P214)
HMAS Geelong (P215)
HMAS Gladstone (P216)
HMAS Bunbury (P217)
Specifications:
Armament:
1x1 40mm Bofors L/60 AN
2x1 12.7mm M2
1x1 81mm Mk.2 mortar (sometimes combined with a 12.7mm M2)Displacement:
220 tons standard
275 tons fullLength: 42m
Beam: 7.15m
Draft: 1.9m
Propulsion: 2 MTU 16V538 TB-91 + 1 Dorman 12JTM diesel engines, 6000 + 140 hp, driving 3 shafts
Speed: 30 knots (55.6 km/h)
Range: 4800 nmi (at 8 knots)
Crew: 24
Systems:
Decca 1226 navigation radar
Images:
HMAS Bunbury
HMAS Cessnock
HMAS Dubbo
HMAS Townsville
HMAS Gladstone
Drawings:
Sources:
Gardiner, R., Chumbley, S., & Budzbon, P. (1995). Australia. In Conway’s All the World’s Fighting Ships 1947-1995 (pp. 20). Naval Institute Press.
https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-fremantle-ii (and all the other pages)
https://www.navy.gov.au/media-room/publications/semaphore-03-10
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fremantle-class_patrol_boat
https://www.navypedia.org/ships/australia/aus_f_fremantle.htm
Images:
[https://www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/4603492722]
https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-bunbury-ii
https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-gladstone-Ii
https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-ipswich-ii
https://navyhistory.au/shop/hmas-fremantle-ii-as-built-1979/