| Career Australia |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Brooke Maine, United Kingdom |
| Laid down: | |
| Launched: | 16 February 1979 |
| Commissioned: | 17 March 1980 |
| Decommissioned: | 11 February 2006 |
| Status: | Decommissioned in 2006, awaiting disposal |
| Homeport: | HMAS Coonawarra (former) |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 220 tons |
| Length: | 42 m |
| Beam: | 7.15 m |
| Propulsion: | Two MTU 16 cylinder diesel main propulsion engines. One Dorman 12 cylinder auxiliary propulsion engine |
| Speed: | 30 knots (60 km/h) |
| Range: | 2,360 nautical miles (4,370 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h) |
| Complement: | 24 |
| Armament: | 1 x general purpose 40/60 mm Bofors gun, 2 x 50 cal Browning machine gun |
| Motto: | "Incorruptible" |
| Badge: |  |
The second HMAS Fremantle (FCPB 203) was the lead ship of the Fremantle class patrol boats, entering service in the Royal Australian Navy in 1980 and decommissioning in 2006. Fremantle was the only ship of the class not constructed in Australia, and it is claimed that her delivery voyage was the longest ever made by a patrol boat.
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Entry into service
In 1976, Brooke Maine of the United Kingdom won the contract to produce the lead ship of a new class of patrol boat for the Royal Australian Navy, replacing the Attack class.[1] Construction of Fremantle began in October 1977, and she was launched on 16 February 1979.[2] During lengthy sea trials, Fremantle was revealed to be 20 tons over the contract's proscribed weight, leading to unpopularity in the media.[2][3] However, the design proved its worth when it was diverted from trial to successfully rescue a British sailor thrown from a fishing trawler.[2] Because of the sea trials, Fremantle was not commissioned until 17 March 1980.[2] Delivery of pervious Brooke Maine patrol boats to the client nations was normally done by loading the craft on a heavy lift ship.[3] It was instead decided in 1979 to sail Fremantle to Australia.[3] This was for two main reasons; the RAN wanted to learn as much about the capabilities of the new design as quickly as possible, and the loss of an Omani Navy from a heavy lift ship during a storm was a cause of concern.[3] On 7 June 1980, Fremantle left Lowestoft, England on the delivery voyage to Australia.[4] The voyage took 82 days, 48 spent at sea.[4] During this voyage, Fremantle travelled through the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Red Sea, along the coast of India, through the Malay Archipelago, then down the east coast of Australia to Sydney.[5] During this voyage, Fremantle was tested to limits; encountering windstoms reaching Force 6, a sandstorm in the Red Sea, high-temperature and -humidity conditions, and a monsoon.[5] By the time Fremantle arrived in Australia on 27 August 1980, she had already sailed 14,509 nautical miles.[5] This is claimed to be the longest voyage undertaken by a single patrol boat.[3]
Operational history
During her career, Fremantle was primarily involved in operations against illegal fishing and illegal immigration, and supporting Australian Coastwatch and the Australian Customs Service.[6]
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Decommissioning and fate
On August 11 2006, HMAS Fremantle was decommissioned at HMAS Coonawarra, Darwin.[7] Fremantle was the eighth ship of her class to be decommissioned.[7] Fremantle was in service for 26 years, and covered 535,705 nautical miles (992,126 km) from commissioning.[7]
Bibliography
- Farewell to the Fremantle class. Newsletter of the Sea Power Centre Australia (Issue 17). Sea Power Centre - Royal Australian Navy (October 2005). Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- "Sun finally sets on HMAS Fremantle", Navy News (Vol. 49, No. 15), Royal Australian Navy, 2007-08-24. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- LCDR Thomas, R.G.. "Halfway Around the World in Eighty Days", The Navy, Navy League of Australia, April 1981, pp. 2-3. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
- Welcome Aboard - HMAS Fremantle. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
References
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| Royal Australian Navy | Bendigo | Bunbury | Cessnock | Dubbo | Fremantle | Gawler | Geelong | Geraldton | Gladstone | Ipswich | Launceston | Townsville | Warrnambool | Whyalla | Wollongong |
| Australian Patrol Boat Group | |
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 Australian Army  Royal Australian Navy  Royal Australian Air Force |
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