The Bull…HMAS WARRNAMBOOL

The mighty "Bull", the 250 tonne patrol boat HMAS WARRNAMBOOL has celebrated 19 years of service with 10 of the boat's company of 26 sharing March birthdays with the vessel.

WARRNAMBOOL along with HMAS FREMANTLE (both home ported in Sydney, but set to go north permanently next year) maintains a diligent FCPB presence in the unpredictable and relatively rough waters of south-eastern Australia. AFZ patrols and environmental surveys of outlying reefs are the primary taskings with passages anywhere between the semi-tropical waters of Gladstone to the wild uncomfortable seas of Tasmania.

In the past year WARRNAMBOOL has steamed 16,000nm including a south-west Pacific deployment conducting patrols as far afield as the Federated States of Micronesia.

In her 19 years the boat has steamed nearly 500,000 nautical miles.

Although the Bull has not recently had the opportunity to join the force in the northern AFZ, her ship's company feel proud of her continued presence and contribution to the south.