New Royal Australian Navy Patrol Boat Named "Launceston"

The Naming Ceremony for the twelfth Armidale Class Patrol Boat was held on Saturday, 28 April at the Austal shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia. Fourteen patrol boats in total are to be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy.

The ceremony was attended by senior figures from the Royal Australian Navy, Department of Defence, Government and industry including Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, Vice Admiral Russ Shalders, Michael Ferguson MP, representing the Minister of Defence and Alderman Ivan Dean, the Mayor of Launceston.

The city of Launceston has previously been represented by two former Navy vessels, namely a Bathurst Class Australian Minesweeper (Corvette) launched in 1941 and a Fremantle Class Patrol Boat launched in 1981, the direct predecessor of the current Armidale Class Patrol Boat.

The new Armidale Class Patrol Boat “Launceston” will be handed over to the Royal Australian Navy in the coming weeks.

BACKGROUND

Austal teamed with Defence Maritime Services (DMS) to win in 2003 the “output specified” contract for twelve patrol boats to replace the ageing Fremantle Class, which have patrolled Australia’s maritime zones for the past quarter century. Austal is responsible for the design and construction of the Armidale Class vessels.

In 2006 an additional two Armidale Class Patrol Boats were ordered for a total of fourteen to be delivered.

To be based primarily in the ports of Darwin and Cairns, the Armidale Class fleet primarily operates within Australia’s Marine Jurisdictional Zones carrying out surveillance, interception, investigation, apprehension and the escort to port of vessels suspected of illegal fisheries, quarantine, customs or immigration offences.