HMAS Warrnambool (FCPB 204)

For other ships with the same name, see HMAS Warrnambool.

History
Australia
Namesake| City of Warrnambool
Builder| NQEA, Cairns
Laid down| 30 September 1978
Launched| 25 October 1980
Commissioned| 14 March 1981
Decommissioned| 29 November 2005
Motto| "Protect and Avenge"
Honours and
awards| Three inherited battle honours
Fate| Scrapped
Badge|
General characteristics
Class and type| Fremantle class patrol boat
Displacement| 220 tons
Length| 137.6 ft (41.9 m)
Beam| 25.25 ft (7.70 m)
Draught| 5.75 ft (1.75 m)
Propulsion| 2 MTU series 538 diesel engines, 3,200 shp (2,400 kW), 2 propellers
Speed| 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
Range| 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)
Complement| 22
Armament|

* 1 Bofors 40 mm/60 Bofors gun
* 2 12.7 mm machine guns
* 1 81 mm mortar (removed later)

HMAS Warrnambool (FCPB 204), named after the city of Warrnambool, Victoria, was a Fremantle-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

## Design and construction

[edit]

Main article: Fremantle-class patrol boat

Starting in the late 1960s, planning began for a new class of patrol boat to replace the Attack class, with designs calling for improved seakeeping capability, and updated weapons and equipment.[1] The Fremantles had a full load displacement of 220 tonnes (220 long tons; 240 short tons), were 137.6 feet (41.9 m) long overall, had a beam of 24.25 feet (7.39 m), and a maximum draught of 5.75 feet (1.75 m).[2] Main propulsion machinery consisted of two MTU series 538 diesel engines, which supplied 3,200 shaft horsepower (2,400 kW) to the two propeller shafts.[2] Exhaust was not expelled through a funnel, like most ships, but through vents below the waterline.[3] The patrol boat could reach a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), and had a maximum range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).[2] The ship's company consisted of 22 personnel.[2] Each patrol boat was armed with a single 40 mm Bofors gun as main armament, supplemented by two .50 cal Browning machine guns and an 81 mm mortar,[2] although the mortar was removed from all ships sometime in the late 1990s.[citation needed] The main weapon was originally to be two 30-mm guns on a twin-mount, but the reconditioned Bofors were selected to keep costs down; provision was made to install an updated weapon later in the class' service life, but this did not eventuate.[4][3]

Warrnambool was built by NQEA, Cairns.[2] The ship was laid down on 30 September 1978, launched on 25 October 1980, and commissioned into the RAN on 14 March 1981.[5]

## Fate

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Warrnambool was decommissioned on 29 November 2005.[citation needed]

The patrol boat was broken up for scrap in Darwin during 2006 and 2007, at a cost of $450,000 to the Australian government.[6]

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ Mitchell, Farewell to the Fremantle class, p. 105
2. ^ a b c d e f Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 89
3. ^ a b Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 88
4. ^ Jones, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 222
5. ^ Moore, Jane's Fighting Ships 1985–86, p. 26
6. ^ Australian National Audit Office (5 February 2015), Management of the Disposal of Specialist Military Equipment (Report), Government of Australia, p. 63, retrieved 24 April 2015

## References

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* Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale: Child & Associates. ISBN 0-86777-219-0. OCLC 23470364.
* Jones, Peter (2001). "Towards Self Reliance". In Stevens, David (ed.). The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-555542-2. OCLC 50418095.
* Mitchell, Brett (2007). "Farewell to the Fremantle Class". In Forbes, Andrew; Lovi, Michelle (eds.). Australian Maritime Issues 2006 (PDF). Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Sea Power Centre. ISBN 978-0-642-29644-3. ISSN 1327-5658. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
* The chapter is available separately as Semaphore, Issue 17, 2005 in PDF and HTML formats.
* Moore, John, ed. (1985). Jane's Fighting Ships 1985–86. London: Janes Information Services. ISBN 0-7106-0814-4.

* v
* t
* e

Fremantle-class patrol boats

* Fremantle
* Warrnambool
* Townsville
* Wollongong
* Launceston
* Whyalla
* Ipswich
* Cessnock
* Bendigo
* Gawler
* Geraldton
* Dubbo
* Geelong
* Gladstone
* Bunbury

* Preceded by: Attack class
* Followed by: Armidale class

* Australian Patrol Boat Group
* List of ships of the Royal Australian Navy

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