HMAS Salamaua (L 131) | |
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Career (Australia) | |
Namesake: | Island of Salamaua |
Builder: | Walkers Limited |
Laid down: | 29 May 1972 |
Launched: | 27 July 1972 |
Commissioned: | 19 October 1973 |
Decommissioned: | 14 November 1974 |
Fate: | Transferred to Papua New Guinea Defence Force |
Career (Papua New Guinea) | |
Acquired: | 14 November 1974 |
Status: | Active as of 2013 |
General characteristics | |
Class & type: | Balikpapan class landing craft heavy |
Displacement: | 316 tons |
Length: | 44.5 m (146 ft) |
Beam: | 10.1 m (33 ft) |
Propulsion: | Two GE diesels |
Speed: | 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) |
Capacity: | 180 tons of vehicle cargo or 400 soldiers |
Complement: | 13 |
Armament: | two 0.50 inch machine guns |
HMAS Salamaua (L 131) was a Balikpapan class landing craft heavy of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The vessel was transferred to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force in November 1974.
Design and construction[]
The eight-vessel Balikpapan class was ordered as a locally-manufactured replacement for the Australian Army's LSM-1 class landing ship medium and ALC 50 landing craft.[1] They are 44.5 metres (146 ft) long, with a beam of 10.1 metres (33 ft), and a draught of 1.9 metres (6 ft 3 in).[2] The landing craft have a standard displacement of 316 tons, with a full load displacement of 503 tons.[2] They are propelled by two G.M. Detroit 6-71 diesel motors, providing 675 brake horsepower to the two propeller shafts, allowing the vessels to reach 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph).[2] The standard ship's company is 13-strong.[2] The Balikpapans are equipped with a Decca RM 916 navigational radar, and fitted with two 7.62 millimetres (0.300 in) machine guns for self-defence.[2]
The LCHs have a maximum payload of 180 tons; equivalent to 3 Leopard 1 tanks, 13 M113 armored personnel carriers 23 quarter-tonne trucks, or four LARC-V amphibious cargo vehicles.[2][3] As a troop transport, a Balikpapan class vessel can transport up to 400 soldiers between a larger amphibious ship and the shore,[citation needed] or embark 60 soldiers[citation needed] in six-berth caravans for longer voyages.[3] The vessel's payload affects the range: at 175 tons of cargo, each vessel has a range of 1,300 nautical miles (2,400 km; 1,500 mi), which increases to 2,280 nautical miles (4,220 km; 2,620 mi) with a 150-ton payload, and 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) when unladen.[2] The flat, box-like keel causes the ships to roll considerably in other-than-calm conditions, limiting their ability to make long voyages.[3]
Salamaua was laid down Walkers Limited at Maryborough, Queensland on 29 May 1972, launched on 27 July 1972, and commissioned into the RAN on 19 October 1973.[4]
Operational history[]
Salamaua was transferred to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force on 14 November 1974.[3] She is in active service as of 2013.[5]
Citatons[]
- ↑ Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, pgs 79, 125
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Wertheim (ed.), The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, p. 26
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 79
- ↑ Swinden, Heavy Lifting for Four Decades, p. 20
- ↑ Swinden, Heavy Lifting for Four Decades, p. 21
References[]
- Books
- Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale, NSW: Child & Associates. ISBN 0-86777-219-0. OCLC 23470364.
- Wertheim, Eric, ed (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems (15th ed.). Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-59114-955-2. OCLC 140283156. http://books.google.com/books?id=TJunjRvplU4C.
- Journal articles
- Swinden, Greg (April 2013). "Heavy Lifting for Four Decades: The Navy's Landing Craft Heavy". Navy League of Australia. pp. 20–24. ISSN 1322-6231.
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The original article can be found at HMAS Salamaua (L 131) and the edit history here.