| HMAS Ipswich (FCPB 209) | |
|---|---|
| Career (Australia) |  |
| Namesake: | City of Ipswich, Queensland |
| Builder: | North Queensland Engineers and Agents |
| Laid down: | 29 October 1980 |
| Launched: | 25 September 1982 |
| Commissioned: | 13 November 1982 |
| Decommissioned: | 11 May 2007 |
| Homeport: | HMAS Cairns |
| Motto: | "Dare to Defy" |
| Honours and awards: | Five inherited battle honours |
| Status: | Decommissioned, awaiting disposal |
| Badge: | Ship's badge |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & 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: |
One general purpose 40/60 mm Bofors gun Two 12.7 mm machine guns One 81 mm mortar (removed later) |
HMAS Ipswich (FCPB 209, named for the city of Ipswich, Queensland, was a Fremantle class patrol boat in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Design and construction[]
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 machineguns and an 81-mm mortar,[2] although the mortar was removed from all ships sometime after 1988.[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.[3][4]
Ipswich was laid down by the North Queensland Engineers and Agents in Cairns, Queensland[2] on 29 October 1980.[citation needed] She was commissioned into the RAN on 13 November 1982.[citation needed]
Operational history[]
During October and November 2006, Ipswich was the primary ship used for filming the 13-episode Australian television drama series Sea Patrol.[5] Ipswich was rebadged as the fictional HMAS Hammersley (pennant number 202), and spent six weeks operating off Dunk Island with both the show's cast and her normal crew aboard.[5] Footage of Ipswich at sea was mixed with scenes shot on and around sister ship HMAS Wollongong while the latter was docked in Sydney.[5]
Fate[]
Ipswich was decommissioned on 11 May 2007, in a joint ceremony with HMAS Townsville.[6] The two patrol boats were the last of the class in active service.[6] Ipswich is to be delivered to Birdon Marine in Darwin for disposal.[6] The patrol boat's Bofors gun was incorporated into a naval memorial cairn shaped like Ipswich's bow in Queens Park, Ipswich.[7]
Citations[]
- ↑ Mitchell, Farewell to the Fremantle class, p. 105
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 89
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 88
- ↑ Jones, in Stevens, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 222
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Rollings, Barry (2 November 2006). "Ipswich switches over". Navy News. http://www.defence.gov.au/news/NAVYNEWS/editions/4920/topstories/story07.htm. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Last of the Fremantles bow out". The Navy. Navy League of Australia. September 2007. p. 28.
- ↑ Foley, Peter (12 April 2011). "Naval tribute nearly shipshape". The Queensland Times. http://www.qt.com.au/story/2011/04/12/naval-tribute-nearly-shipshape-in-park-queens/. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
References[]
- Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale, NSW: Child & Associates. ISBN 0-86777-219-0. OCLC 23470364.
- Jones, Peter (2001). "Towards Self Reliance". In Stevens, David. The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-555542-2. OCLC 50418095.
- Mitchell, Brett (2007). "Farewell to the Fremantle Class". In Forbes, Andrew & Lovi, Michelle. Australian Maritime Issues 2006. Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Sea Power Centre - Australia. ISBN 0-642-29644-8. ISSN 1327-5658. Archived from the original on 3 Oct 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20091003233838/http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/PIAMA19.pdf. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
- "HMAS Ipswich". Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 2011-03-03. http://web.archive.org/web/20110303190521/http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Ipswich_(II). Retrieved 2010-05-31.
The original article can be found at HMAS Ipswich (FCPB 209) and the edit history here.