HMAS Ipswich (FCPB 209), named for the city of Ipswich, Queensland, was a Fremantle-class patrol boat in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Namesake | City of Ipswich |
| Builder | NQEA, Cairns |
| Laid down | 29 October 1980 |
| Launched | 25 September 1982 |
| Commissioned | 13 November 1982 |
| Decommissioned | 11 May 2007 |
| Homeport | HMAS Cairns |
| Motto | "Dare to Defy" |
| Honours and awards | Five inherited battle honours |
| Fate | Scrapped |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Fremantle-class patrol boat |
| Displacement | 220 tons |
| Length | 137.6 ft (41.9 m) |
| Beam | 25.25 ft (7.70 m) |
| Draught | 5.75 ft (1.75 m) |
| Propulsion | 2 MTU series 538 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 |
|
Design and construction
editStarting in the late 1960s, planning began for a new class of patrol boat to replace the Attack class, with designs calling for improved seakeeping capability, and updated weapons and equipment.[1] The Fremantles had a full load displacement of 220 tonnes (220 long tons; 240 short tons), were 137.6 feet (41.9 m) long overall, had a beam of 24.25 feet (7.39 m), and a maximum draught of 5.75 feet (1.75 m).[2] Main propulsion machinery consisted of two MTU series 538 diesel engines, which supplied 3,200 shaft horsepower (2,400 kW) to the two propeller shafts.[2] Exhaust was not expelled through a funnel, like most ships, but through vents below the waterline.[3] The patrol boat could reach a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), and had a maximum range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).[2] The ship's company consisted of 22 personnel.[2] Each patrol boat was armed with a single Bofors 40mm gun as main armament, supplemented by two .50 cal Browning machineguns and an 81 mm mortar,[2] although the mortar was removed from all ships sometime after 1988.[citation needed] The main weapon was originally to be two 30 mm guns on a twin-mount, but the reconditioned Bofors were selected to keep costs down; provision was made to install an updated weapon later in the class' service life, but this did not eventuate.[3][4]
Ipswich was laid down by NQEA in Cairns, Queensland on 29 October 1980, launched on 25 September 1982, and commissioned into the RAN on 13 November 1982.[5]
Operational history
editDuring October and November 2006, Ipswich was the primary ship used for filming the 13-episode Australian television drama series Sea Patrol.[6] Ipswich was rebadged as the fictional HMAS Hammersley (pennant number 202), and spent six weeks operating off Dunk Island with both the show's cast and her normal crew aboard.[6] Footage of Ipswich at sea was mixed with scenes shot on and around sister ship HMAS Wollongong while the latter was docked in Sydney.[6]
Fate
editIpswich was decommissioned on 11 May 2007, in a joint ceremony with HMAS Townsville.[7] The two patrol boats were the last of the class in active service.[7] The patrol boat was broken up for scrap in Darwin during 2007, at a cost of $450,000 to the Australian government.[8] The patrol boat's Bofors gun was incorporated into a naval memorial cairn shaped like Ipswich's bow in Queens Park, Ipswich.[9]
Citations
edit- ^ Mitchell, Farewell to the Fremantle class, p. 105
- ^ a b c d e Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 89
- ^ a b Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 88
- ^ Jones, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 222
- ^ Moore, Jane's Fighting Ships 1985–86, p. 26
- ^ a b c Rollings, Barry (2 November 2006). "Ipswich switches over". Navy News. Archived from the original on 22 April 2008. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
- ^ a b "Last of the Fremantles bow out". The Navy. 69 (3). Navy League of Australia: 28. September 2007.
- ^ Australian National Audit Office (5 February 2015), Management of the Disposal of Specialist Military Equipment (Report), Government of Australia, p. 62, retrieved 24 April 2015
- ^ Foley, Peter (12 April 2011). "Naval tribute nearly shipshape". Queensland Times. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
References
edit- Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale: Child & Associates. ISBN 0-86777-219-0. 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: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-555542-2. OCLC 50418095.
- Mitchell, Brett (2007). "Farewell to the Fremantle Class". In Forbes, Andrew; Lovi, Michelle (eds.). Australian Maritime Issues 2006 (PDF). Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Sea Power Centre. ISBN 978-0-642-29644-3. ISSN 1327-5658. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- "HMAS Ipswich". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- Moore, John, ed. (1985). Jane's Fighting Ships 1985–86. London: Janes Information Services. ISBN 0-7106-0814-4.