Not so old salt
Patrol boat celebrates 21 years in the business

By SBLT Mark Whitty and MIDN Samuel Andrew

In a 21st birthday celebration of different kind, HMAS Gladstone passed her milestone in style this month, with more than 570,000nm on the clock. Gladstone, who turned 21 on September 8, is the 14th of the 15 Fremantle Class patrol boats, and was built by North Queensland Engineers & Agents in Cairns.

Her keel was laid down on March 11, 1983 and the ship launched by Senator Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen on July 28, 1984. Gladstone was commissioned at HMAS Cairns in 1984 under the command of LCDR G.W. Sproule.

Since entering RAN service, Gladstone, has steamed greater than 570,000nm in more than 48,000 hours underway, and conducted in excess of 300 boardings.

The ship has also participated in several overseas deployments, including Op Anode in 2003 when she deployed to The Solomon Islands, conducting patrols and providing humanitarian relief to the people of the islands.

This year, Gladstone was back in The Solomons, as part of a sevenweek South West Pacific deployment. Some Op Anode veterans remain in the ship and were able to witness the rebuilding and restoration of law and order that has taken place since 2003.

The ship also visited Port Vila, Suva, and Auckland before returning to Australia for visits to Sydney and Brisbane on the way home to Cairns.

In Suva, Gladstone participated in Op Kuru Kuru, a multi-national operation for the apprehension illegal fishing vessels in the territorial seas of Fiji, Tonga and Vanuatu.

In Sydney, the patrol boat had the honour of hosting retiring Chief of Navy, VADM Chris Ritchie, for his final hour at sea in the Royal Australian Navy. Gladstone is currently on patrol in Australia’s northern waters, but was fortunate to be alongside for the 21st birthday.

Commanding Officer LCDR Michael Moore cut the cake with the youngest member of the Ship’s Company, Able Seaman Andrew Wittkop from Maryborough.

The first HMAS Gladstone was one of sixty Australian minesweepers built during World War II and served with distinction on the east coast of Australia, in New Guinea waters and throughout the Pacific.

The current Gladstone is presently the last of the Fremantle Class scheduled to pay off, with decommissioning programmed for February 2007. ...Gladstone... has steamed greater than 570,000nm in more than 48,000 hours underway, and conducted in excess of 300 boardings.

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