HMAS Aware (P 91) was an Attack-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Builder | Evans Deakin and Company |
| Laid down | July 1967 |
| Launched | 7 October 1967 |
| Commissioned | 21 June 1968 |
| Decommissioned | 17 July 1993 |
| Motto | "Forever Alert" |
| Fate | Scrapped 2011 |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Attack-class patrol boat |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 107.6 ft (32.8 m) length overall |
| Beam | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Draught |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) |
| Range | 1,200 nautical miles (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 16 sailors |
| Armament |
|
Design and construction
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The Attack class was ordered in 1964 to operate in Australian waters as patrol boats (based on lessons learned through using the Ton-class minesweepers on patrols of Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, and to replace a variety of old patrol, search-and-rescue, and general-purpose craft.[1] Initially, nine were ordered for the RAN, with another five for Papua New Guinea's Australian-run coastal security force, although another six ships were ordered to bring the class to twenty vessels.[1] The patrol boats had a displacement of 100 tons at standard load and 146 tons at full load, were 107.6 feet (32.8 m) in length overall, had a beam of 20 feet (6.1 m), and draughts of 6.4 feet (2.0 m) at standard load, and 7.3 feet (2.2 m) at full load.[1][2] Propulsion machinery consisted of two 16-cylinder Paxman YJCM diesel engines, which supplied 3,460 shaft horsepower (2,580 kW) to the two propellers.[1][2] The vessels could achieve a top speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph), and had a range of 1,200 nautical miles (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).[1][2] The ship's company consisted of three officers and sixteen sailors.[2] Main armament was a bow-mounted Bofors 40 mm gun, supplemented by two .50-calibre M2 Browning machine guns and various small arms.[1][2] The ships were designed with as many commercial components as possible: the Attacks were to operate in remote regions of Australia and New Guinea, and a town's hardware store would be more accessible than home base in a mechanical emergency.[3]
Aware was laid down by Evans Deakin and Company at Brisbane in Queensland[4] in July 1967, launched on 7 October 1967[citation needed] and commissioned on 21 June 1968.[4]
Operational history
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2010) |
Aware was transferred to the Adelaide Port Division of the Royal Australian Navy Reserve in November 1982.[4]
On November the 24th 1970 while with HMAS Adroit on SAR duties HMAS Aware assisted in an attempt to salvage a ditched helicopter from HMAS Albatross after a Westland Wessex crashed.[4][5]
Decommissioning and civilian service
editHMAS Aware was the last of her class to be withdrawn from service, decommissioned on 17 July 1993.[6] She was sold to a private owner sometime before 1998, and after modification in Melbourne (including an extension of the superstructure to cover the quarterdeck), was used as a diving and salvage ship.[7][8]
In 2006, Aware was acquired by a group of investors, and sailed to Bundaberg, Queensland by a former crewmember.[8] The investors withdrew support shortly after, and the former crew member took over ownership of the vessel.[8] Aware fell into disrepair, and in 2010, the Bundaberg Magistrates Court fined the owner for failing to have the ship insured.[8] According to the owner, the lack of facilities capable of handling the former patrol boat has made insurance inspections almost impossible.[8] A buyer for the vessel could not be found and in December 2011 the vessel was scrapped.[9]
Citations
edit- ^ a b c d e f Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Ships since 1946, p. 86
- ^ a b c d e Blackman (ed.), Jane's Fighting Ships, 1968–69, p. 18
- ^ The patrol boat, Australian National Maritime Museum
- ^ a b c d Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Ships since 1946, p. 87
- ^ "HMAS Aware Archives". Naval Historical Society of Australia. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Weatherall, Dennis (2019). "THE ATTACK CLASS FAST PATROL BOAT" (PDF). Call the Hands (29): 3.
- ^ "Looking for a used "sub"?". Navy News. 10 August 1998. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Cavander, Letea (16 April 2010). "Man told 'pay up or sink boat'". Bundaberg NewsMail. Retrieved 17 April 2010.
- ^ "HMAS Aware – the final chapter". Around Bundaberg – History and Happenings Blog. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
References
edit- Blackman, Raymond, ed. (1968). Jane's Fighting Ships, 1968–69 (71st ed.). London: Jane's Publishing Company. OCLC 123786869.
- Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale, NSW: Child & Associates. ISBN 0-86777-219-0. OCLC 23470364.
- "The patrol boat". Australian National Maritime Museum. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.