HMAS GLADSTONE.

The RAN's 15 patrol boats certainly do more than "navy things."

They help fishing authorities keep illegal fishermen at bay as well as detecting and detaining suspected illegal immigrants.

Late last year LCDR Peter Ashen and his ship's company in HMAS GLADSTONE helped the Australian Quarantine Service.

On November 13 the 250 tonne patrol boat left Cairns with a quarantine officer embarked.
The first week saw the boat do a quarantine patrol of the pristine waters of the inner Great Barrier Reef.

GLADSTONE stopped at a number of islands including Lizard, Hope and Restoration and helped the quarantine officers with his wide ranging investigations and efforts to educate the local people on a number of diseases associated with food, pets and quarantine.

The "QuarrO's" education program extended to RAN personnel with GLADSTONE's ship's company viewing a number of videos including Rabies, Foot and Mouth Disease and Newcastle Disease
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After the quarantine patrol GLADSTONE did a two day logistic visit to Thursday Island where the ship's company farewelled the outgoing XO, LEUT Richard Bean and welcomed LEUT Darren Rushworth.

On leaving Thursday Island, GLADSTONE patrolled the AFZ north of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

A fisheries officer was embarked and after making sure the Carpentaria Shoal Buoy was still in place, LCDR Ashen and his team and fisheries officer went looking for illegal fishermen.

Early one morning the boat's radar made a "contact" and GLADSTONE "closed up" only to find the contact was a clump of palm trees doing two knots.

The incident, although a false alarm, validated the boarding party procedures.

During this week many FFVs were sighted.

Most were large stern trawlers and all were north of the AFZ boundary.

GLADSTONE used every opportunity to advertise her presence to the trawlers to deter anyone from slipping south to try their luck.

The next logistics visit was to Gove.

This was to prove a short stop because GLADSTONE was ordered to investigate an FFV sighting.

The patrol boat went to the area and almost got her first FFV.

Once again there was a small armada of stern trawlers just north of the line.

GLADSTONE again "advertised" that she was about.

A fisheries officer and members of the ship's company haul an illegal 2.5 mile long line.

The patrol boat continued along the AFZ boundary finding a two and a half mile longline set inside the AFZ.

The line was taken on board.

GLADSTONE went to Darwin for several days rest before resuming her patrol of the AFZ and on December 11 arrested the Indonesian stern trawler, KM Ternalen Berlian with 31 people and six cats on board. ( see our story in the February 5 edition).

The patrol boat took the trawler back to Darwin and went back to Cairns patrolling the AFZ as she went.