HMAS Geelong (FCPB 215)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia |
|
| Namesake: | City of Geelong, Victoria |
| Builder: | North Queensland Engineers and Agents |
| Laid down: | 15 November 1982 |
| Launched: | 14 April 1984 |
| Commissioned: | 2 June 1984 |
| Decommissioned: | 8 July 2006 |
| Motto: | "Strive to Succeed" |
| Honours and awards: |
Two inherited battle honours |
| Status: | Scrapped |
| 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: |
|
HMAS Geelong (FCPB 215), named for the city of Geelong, Victoria, was a Fremantle class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Design and construction
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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 have been 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]
Geelong was laid down by North Queensland Engineers and Agents at Cairns, Queensland on 15 November 1982, launched on 14 April 1984, and commissioned into the RAN on 2 June 1984.[5][6]
Operational history
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Fate
Geelong was decommissioned at HMAS Coonawarra on 8 July 2006.[6] The patrol boat was broken up for scrap in Darwin during 2006 and 2007, at a cost of $450,000 to the Australian government.[7]
Citations
- ↑ Mitchell, Farewell to the Fremantle class, p. 105
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 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
- ↑ Moore, Jane's Fighting Ships 1985–86, p. 26
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Royal Australian Navy, HMAS Geelong (II)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
References
- Books
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- Websites
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