Armidale Class Patrol Boats.

[Goldie fish]

I gather the Naval reserve are much happier with the current arrangement,i.e working with the real navy on the real Naval vessels,rather than on something small that will spend most of the year out of the water. The NSR have yet to complain that they "have nothing to do".
The RNLI do SAR.

Fisheries Board do inshore fisheries protection.

However perhaps there are some coastal based army reserve units out there that want to go maritime?

[Pod]

thank you GF for enlightening me. My ignorance of the current NSR set up is shameful,but my last experience of ASM was trying to row a f******g whaler in the pissing rain whilst being told that this was a vital skill that would help defend mother Ireland in the event of the russians arriving with bad intentions.

[Goldie fish]

http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/4811/feature/feature01.htm

[Silver]

No doubt the Fremantles are already earmarked for places like the Cook Islands and all those other friendly pacific and indian ocean types who are not harbouring islamic terrorists...

Correct Goldie.
The Aussies have a special policy of donating such vessels to Pacific islands.
Though I doubt if the Cook Islands will be getting another ........ they probably can just about afford to operate their current vessel 'Te Kukupa'.

(BTW, If you recall, I sent you a pic of her (which I took when visiting The Cooks last year) - perhaps you could post it here for comparisons?)

[Goldie fish]

Yeah..I was waiting for a suitable opportunity....now where did I put it.....

[Goldie fish]

Has anyone caught the Aussie TV series "Sea Patrol"?
Its based on the exploits of a fictional Armidale Class Patrol Vessel "HMAS Hammersley" and its crew of men and (cute) women.
Discovered it on Hallmark some time ago, it due to commence its fourth season this year.
Worth a watch, if only as chewing gum for the eyes.
Note, season one was based aboard a Fremantle class boat of the same name.

[spider]

I've seen a few, not a bad show.

And yes the ladies are rather nice...

[Goldie fish]

Unfortunately "NAV" will not be returning for season 4.

[hptmurphy]

Pity..she was a cutie, its not a bad series,Some nice shots of the ship and they have some nice gear.

Yeah its Australian, but its better than fair city

[Goldie fish]

I'm surprised the terrestrials haven't picked it up. They'll show any other aussie crap thats on offer.

[spider]

Unfortunately "NAV" will not be returning for season 4.

Did I pick up rightly that NAV was having it off with one of the Leading Hands?

Curly haired chap.

I think theres a box set you can buy of these. The series often clashes with Spongebob or Hannah Montana in our house...

[Goldie fish]

Spoiler alert.

E.T.














Yeah, she ended up engaged to ET in season 2 But he was Killed at the beginning of season 3, beginning that seasons background plot.

[spider]

Aaaaaah....

Thanks

[Sea Toby]

With an upcoming patrol boat exercise upcoming in the South Pacific, it will be interesting to compare the New Zealand IPVs with the Australian Armidales. I am expecting press release photos of the two inshore patrol vessels side by side... Austral vs Tenix comparisons...

While the South Pacific patrol boats aren't in the best shape, the island nations do get their boats up and running for these exercises, before and during the Tuna fishing season. We have also noticed that both Tonga and Samoa were able to get their boats running for operations after the recent tsunami. As Tonga's defence minister was quoted, their patrol boats are fully operational... They may be laid up for most of the year without operating funding, but they are operational...

[na grohmiti]

How time flies. The RAN has announced Lurrsen will build the OPV destined to replace the Armidale and Huon class ships.

German company to build 12 offshore patrol vessels for Australian navy
Malcolm Turnbull says shipbuilder Lürssen will be designer and prime contractor for the $3.6bn project in SA and WA
The Australian government has chosen German shipbuilder Lürssen to build 12 offshore patrol vessels in South Australia and Western Australia.
At a press conference in Canberra on Friday the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, said the “international shipbuilder of great renown” was selected as the designer and prime contractor for the $3.6bn project.
Turnbull said the 12 offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) would be “a vital part of our navy” and will “be built in Australia by Australians, with Australian steel”.
The first two OPVs will be built by the Australian Submarine Corporation in Adelaide from the second half of 2018, with the remaining 10 built from 2020 in Henderson, Western Australia by Austal and Civmec.


Lürssen beat shortlisted rivals Damen of the Netherlands and Fassmer of Germany.
The defence minister, Marise Payne, said the government was “delivering on our plans to create a sovereign continuous naval shipbuilding industry”.
Payne said the OPVs were a “significant capability leap forward” from the current Armidale class. She noted they were larger and able to embark unmanned aerial, underwater and surface vehicles and “operate larger sea boats which are essential for boarding operations”.
“They will conduct enhanced patrol and intelligence and surveillance missions, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and border protection missions.”
The defence industry minister, Christopher Pyne, said the OPV project would create 400 jobs in Adelaide and then Henderson, adding that it would “fill in Labor’s valley of death” which had threatened the Australian industry with a lack of shipbuilding jobs between 2018 and 2020.
“Rather than simply picking a design and saying we don’t care where you build it, we want it off the shelf, at best value, and highest capability. We are saying that we want the highest capability, but we do care about growing our sovereign Australian shipbuilding industry,” Pyne said.

Turnbull government to bring forward shipbuilding plan 'to create 2,500 jobs'
Read more

Turnbull described supporting the Australian industry as “a great national enterprise”.
In total the Australian government is spending $89bn on 21 Pacific patrol boats, 12 OPVs, nine future frigates and 12 submarines.
In a statement the Nick Xenophon Team senator Rex Patrick expressed “cynicism” on promises of an Australian build, accusing the government of presiding over a slippage of local content on the $50bn future submarine project from the target of 90% to 60%.
“Every percentage point slippage on OPV local content could cost ... up to $160m of local jobs and economic benefit,” he said.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/nov/24/german-company-to-build-12-offshore-patrol-vessels-for-australian-navy