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JUMP
ABOARD (above): NUSHIP Albany’s boarding party
board Sapphire Bay during a training exercise up north.
Photos: ABPH Helen Frank.
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GREAT
CATCH (above): A Sapphire Bay crew member takes part
in the realistic exercise.
Photos: ABPH Helen Frank.
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Volume
49, No. 12, July 13, 2006
By
LCDR Alan Willmore
The
Navy recently gained an effective asset in the north to provide
realistic boarding training for Minor and Major Fleet Units.
The
MV Sapphire Bay is a 14m, 26-tonne, two-masted yacht converted
by her owner and operator Rex Mitchell to simulate a Type
III fishing vessel, similar to the type likely to be encountered
by Patrol Boats operating in the northern regions of the country.
After some extensive research, Rex searched Australia for
a suitable platform and found the Insha Allah for sale in
Cairns.
Rex
renamed the vessel Sapphire Bay then set to work to change
the vessel from a well-maintained ocean-going yacht to a scruffy,
rust-streaked vessel with cramped compartments and decks strewn
with nets, fishing lines and old ropes. Rex approached the
Navy and demonstrated Sapphire Bay’s versatility in providing
a platform which could be used as a Foreign Fishing Vessel,
a Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel or a vessel in distress for
FAIDEX (first aid exercise) teams to effect temporary DC and
engineering repairs.
He
also demonstrated the vessel’s value in providing boarding
teams with realistic scenarios to consolidate training and
enhance boarding skills. Sapphire Bay and Rex were contracted
to assist with the training of Minor and Major Fleet Units
in boarding operations.
Fitted
with smoke generators and a large floodable compartment, Sapphire
Bay can provide a strikingly real simulation of a vessel in
distress. The floodable compartment, can simulate a slow or
fast flood and Sapphire Bay can achieve a list of up to seven
degrees with free surface. The aft cabin in Sapphire Bay is
still to be modified to provide an additional engine room
similar to that found on a Type III fishing boat. The timber
deck has been fitted with a recess that will take a diesel
engine. The engine will be a running concern maintained in
its original state and attached to a drive shaft that will
not penetrate the hull but be mounted through a dummy bulkhead.
Engineers will be able to make shift repairs to damaged or
sabotaged components to resolve engineering problems.
With
minor changes, the vessel’s appearance can be adapted
to ship’s teams with good training in underway boardings,
use of force training and compartment searching techniques.
The vessel provides excellent training for commanding officers
and command teams in approach and ship-positioning techniques
during boarding operations, and in addition, exercise in towing
approaches and towing smaller vessels.
With
an endurance of 3000 nautical miles and maximum speed of 7
knots, she is ideally suited to operate in the waters off
Darwin all year round and is now used extensively by Sea Trainers
in PB and MFU workups and evaluations.
