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The ''Armidale'' class is a class of patrol boats built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Planning for a class of vessels to replace the fifteen ''Fremantle''-class patrol boats began in 1993 as a joint project with the Royal Malaysian Navy, but was cancelled when Malaysia pulled out of the process. The project was reopened in 1999 under the designation SEA 1444, with the RAN as the sole participant. Of the seven proposals tendered, the Austal Ships/Defence Maritime Services proposal for twelve vessels based on an enlarged was selected. The first vessel, , commissioned into the RAN in June 2005. Two additional patrol boats were ordered in 2005 to provide a dedicated patrol force for the North West Shelf Venture. The ''Armidale''s are longer and heavier than their ''Fremantle''-class predecessors, with improved seakeeping ability and increased range, allowing them to reach Australia's offshore territories. The ships are multi-crewed, with three ship's companies available for every two vessels; this allows the patrol boats to spend more time at sea without cutting into sailors' rest or training time. During their early service life, there were problems with the fuel systems across the class, and a 20-bunk auxiliary accommodation compartment has been banned from use after toxic fumes were found in the compartment on at least two occasions. All fourteen vessels were constructed by Austal Ships at Henderson, Western Australia, with the last entering service in February 2008. The ''Armidale''-class ships are operated by the Australian Patrol Boat Group, and based in Cairns and Darwin. They are primarily tasked with border protection, fisheries patrols, and the interception of unauthorised arrivals by sea, although two vessels are permanently assigned to protecting the oil and gas production facilities of the North West Shelf Venture. After extensive damage from an onboard fire, was decommissioned at the end of 2014. A fictional ''Armidale''-class boat, HMAS ''Hammersley'', appears in the Australian military drama series ''Sea Patrol'' from the second season onwards. ==Development and tendering== Planning for the ''Armidale'' class began in 1993, as a plan to replace the ''Fremantle'' class, which was due for retirement in 1998.〔Kerr, ''Plain sailing''〕 This evolved into a joint program with Malaysia to construct an offshore patrol craft.〔 When Malaysia pulled out, the plan was scrapped, and the ''Fremantle''s underwent a life-extending refit.〔Heron & Powell, in ''Australian Maritime Issues 2006'', p. 129〕 The cost of maintaining the aging vessels prompted the Department of Defence to create the Replacement Patrol Boat program, which received the procurement project designation SEA 1444.〔 SEA 1444 marked several departures from the Department's standard acquisition requirements. Instead of specifying a number of vessels, the coverage of 3,000 ship-days per year (with 1,800 to be spent on border protection operations, and a surge capability of 3,600 days) was given, with the producer to determine how many ships were needed to meet this.〔〔 The ships had to meet specific performance parameters, such as the ability to conduct boarding operations in conditions up to Sea State 4, and to maintain surveillance capability up to Sea State 5.〔Heron & Powell, in ''Australian Maritime Issues 2006'', p. 130〕 The producer was also required in the contract to provide support and maintenance for the ships, for fifteen years after construction completed.〔 Nine companies expressed interest in the project; of these, seven had the required capability to build the ships.〔''Finalists await Patrol Boat decision'', in ''Defence Today'', p. 36〕 These seven were narrowed down to three based on each tender's merit, competitiveness with the other tenders, and successful meeting of Australian industry involvement targets for both construction and long-term support.〔 Austal Ships and Defence Maritime Services (DMS) partnered to offer twelve ships based on an expanded version of the latter's ''Bay''-class patrol boat, in use with the Australian Customs Service.〔 The companies submitted two proposals for a vessel, one with a steel hull, and one with an aluminium hull; the latter offering a 21% reduction in fuel consumption.〔''Finalists await Patrol Boat decision'', in ''Defence Today'', p. 38〕 Australian Defence Industries (ADI) tendered a design based on the Royal Danish Navy's ''Flyvefisken''-class patrol vessel.〔''Finalists await Patrol Boat decision'', in ''Defence Today'', p. 40〕 The vessel was to be built with a glass-reinforced plastic hull, similar to ADI's ''Huon''-class minehunters.〔 The Tenix proposal was a variant of the search and rescue vessel constructed for the Philippine Coast Guard.〔 The tender was awarded to the Austal/DMS partnership in December 2003.〔 The contract was valued at A$553 million, with each ship costing between A$24 million and A$28 million to construct.〔〔Kerr, ''Patrol boats shake down fuel faults''〕 During the 2004 federal election, the Coalition promised to acquire two more patrol boats to provide a dedicated patrol force for the oil and gas producing facilities located off the north-west coast of Australia.〔〔Wertheim (ed.), ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World'', p. 22〕 These were ordered in 2005.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Armidale-class patrol boat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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