PROUD DAY: Commanding Officer of the Trials and Transition crew LCDR John Navin in front of the first Armidale Class patrol boat NUSHIP Armidale in Darwin.

OLD AND NEW: The next generation patrol boat NUSHIP Armidale, alongside the Fremantle class boat, HMAS Gawler. The older boats will gradually be replaced as the new boats come on line.

Photos: LAC Allan Cooper

The first of the Armidale Class patrol boats has arrived in Darwin after completing most of its mission trial.

NUSHIP Armidale, which was designed and built in Australia, is the first of 14 Armidale Class patrol boats to be delivered to the Navy.

CO DESIG LCDR Andrew Maher is honoured and excited to be the first to captain the new class of ship.

“The crew are also very excited, they think it is a fantastic platform,” LCDR Maher said.

The new vessels will progressively replace the Navy’s ageing Fremantle Class patrol boats, and LCDR Maher has faith that the new boats will live up to the task.

“I have no reason to believe that they won’t be ideally suited for the jobs they’re given.”

Defence Maritime Services (DMS) sub-contracted Austal Ships to build the vessels at its Henderson shipyard in Western Australia.

As well as the supply of 14 ships, the contract with DMS also provides for integrated maintenance, logistic and specified crew training support to the vessels throughout their operational lives.

The first boat was launched on January 5 this year and formally named NUSHIP Armidale on January 22. Since then it has been undergoing extensive harbour and sea trials.

The mission trial is the final activity under this trial program, which saw the vessel sailing from Henderson, Western Australia on April 22.

Initially NUSHIP Armidale undertook passage to 40 degrees south to test the ship and procedures in cold and potentially rough environments before sailing north with port calls in Dampier and Broome.

Defence Minister Senator Hill said the vessel has been tested for its ability to conduct surveillance, patrol and response operations in Australia’s Maritime Jurisdictional Zones.

“The prime contractor, project officers and military personnel have all been involved in the mission trial, which demonstrates the boat’s suitability for operational use against the requirements in the ship build and support contract,” Senator Hill said.

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