Class of patrol boat
|
Class overview
|
Name
| Cape
class
|
Builders
| Austal
|
Operators
| |
Preceded by
| |
Cost
| AU$54 million (US$40.6 million) per unit (FY 2020)
|
Built
|
- 2011?2015 (8 allocated to ABF)
- 2015?2017 (2 allocated to RAN)
- 2018?2021 (2 allocated to TTCG)
- 2020?2024 (10 allocated to RAN)
|
In service
| 2013?present
|
Planned
| 22
|
Completed
| 18
|
Active
| 18
|
General characteristics
|
Type
| Patrol boat
|
Displacement
| 400 Tonnes
|
Length
| 57.8 m (189 ft 8 in)
|
Beam
| 10.3 m (33 ft 10 in)
|
Draught
| 3 m (9 ft 10 in)
|
Propulsion
|
- 2 x
Caterpillar
3516C main engines with output of 2,525
kW
(3,386
hp
) at 1,800 rpm
- 2 x ZF 9055A gearboxes
- 2 x fixed pitch propellers
- HRP 2001 TT 160 kW (210 hp)
bow thruster
for high manoeuvrability.
[1]
|
Speed
| 25
knots
(46 km/h; 29 mph)
|
Range
| 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
|
Endurance
| 28 days
|
Boats & landing
craft carried
|
- 2 × 7.3 m (23 ft 11 in) Gemini RHIBs
- 1 × small boat
|
Crew
| 18
|
Sensors and
processing systems
|
- 2 x electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS)
- 2 x gyro compasses
- 2 x differential global positioning systems (DGPS)
- 1 x secure marine automatic identification system (AIS-S)
- 1 x electro-optical sensor system (EOSS)
- 1 x radars and voyage data recorder (VDR)
[1]
|
Armament
| 2 x .50 calibre machine guns
[2]
|
The
Cape class
is a
ship class
of 22 large
patrol boats
operated by the
Marine Unit
of the
Australian Border Force
, the
Royal Australian Navy
(RAN) and the
Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard
. Ordered in 2011, the vessels were built by
Austal
to replace Customs'
Bay-class patrol boats
, and entered service from 2013 onwards. Following availability issues with the
Armidale
class
, two vessels were chartered by the RAN from mid-2015 to late 2016. A further two vessels were ordered at the end of 2015 by the
National Australia Bank
, who will charter the patrol boats to the
Department of Defence
from completion in 2017. 2 vessels were ordered by Trinidad and Tobago for their coast guard in 2018 with the vessels delivered in 2021. The RAN placed an order for six 'Evolved' Cape-class vessels in 2020, a second order in 2022 for an additional two vessels, and a third order in 2023 for a further two vessels.
Design and construction
[
edit
]
The
Bay class
was due to be replaced in 2010, but it was not until June of that year that a
request for tender
was issued for eight new, larger patrol boats.
[3]
[4]
Austal
was awarded the tender for eight patrol boats on 12 August 2011.
[5]
Each vessel is 57.8 m (189 ft 8 in) in length, with a
beam
of 10.3 m (33 ft 10 in) and a
draught
of 3 m (9 ft 10 in).
[6]
Propulsion machinery consists of two
Caterpillar
3516C
diesel engines
, providing 5,050
kW
(6,770
hp
) to two propeller shafts.
[6]
A 160 kW (210 hp) bow thruster is also fitted.
[6]
Maximum speed is 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), with a range of 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), and an endurance of 28 days.
[6]
[7]
Each vessel has a crew of 18, and two crew groups are assigned to each vessel, alternating between operating the patrol boat and shore duties, to ensure maximum vessel availability.
[6]
[8]
Each Cape-class vessel is armed with two .50 calibre machine guns, and carries two 7.3 m (24 ft) Gemini
RHIB
interception craft in cradles at the stern, along with a small boat carried amidships.
[6]
[7]
Several updates and reconfigurations were implemented in response to issues found with the previous class of patrol boats built by Austal, the
Armidale
class
operated by the
Royal Australian Navy
(RAN).
[8]
According to media reports, prior to the tender process, information about the project was leaked to Austal by a senior Customs official.
[9]
[10]
The leak was reported to occur during an investigation of claims that the tendering requirements had been set up to favour Austal.
[9]
Customs stated in March 2013 that reports of leaks during the tendering process were unfounded, and that internal and external investigations of the accusation concluded that the tender process had not been compromised or set up to favour a particular tenderer.
[9]
[10]
Construction of the new vessels started in February 2012,
[
needs update
]
with entry into service planned for between March 2013 and August 2015.
[4]
[5]
The first vessel was
launched
in January 2013, and named
Cape St. George
on 15 March 2013.
[11]
The boats have been named after eight capes in Australia:
Cape St. George
,
Cape Byron
,
Cape Nelson
,
Cape Sorell
,
Cape Jervis
,
Cape Leveque
,
Cape Wessel
, and
Cape York
.
[1]
The final vessel,
Cape York
, was delivered at the end of August 2015.
[12]
The project cost A$330 million, including in-service support to be provided by Austal: the largest procurement undertaken by the Customs and Border Protection Service.
[12]
[13]
Although originally due to leave service in 2010, ships of the Bay class remained in service until the Cape class fully entered service.
[3]
In Australian service, the patrol boats were initially identified with the ship prefix "ACV" (Australian Customs Vessel); this was changed to "ABFC" (Australian Border Force Cutter) following the establishment of the
Australian Border Force
.
On 13 December 2015, Austal announced that two more Cape-class vessels had been ordered.
[14]
The $63 million contract is with the
National Australia Bank
, who will
charter
the patrol boats to the Department of Defence on their completion in mid-2017.
[14]
The new vessels will be included in the in-service support contract for the Border Force patrol boats, and if Defence does not continue on with the charter after the initial three-year period, the National Australia Bank can sell the patrol boats back to Austal for
residual value
.
[14]
The two vessels,
Cape Fourcroy
and
Cape Inscription
, are in service.
In July 2018, the government of
Trinidad and Tobago
announced the acquisition of two Cape-class patrol boats. The vessels will enhance the border protection capabilities of the country in conjunction with the existing Coast Guard fleet, and will join six Austal Fast Patrol Craft acquired in 2009.
[15]
The vessels' names were taken from two of the three cancelled
Port of Spain
-class
offshore patrol vessels.
In May 2020, the Royal Australian Navy placed an order for six 'Evolved' Cape-class vessels.
[16]
[17]
The 'Evolved' Cape-class has several enhancements and has increased crew capacity from 22 to 32 people.
[18]
[19]
In April 2022, the RAN ordered two additional 'Evolved' Cape-class vessels.
[20]
[21]
Austal delivered the first of the 'Evolved' Cape-class
Cape Otway
to the RAN in March 2022.
[22]
In November 2023, the RAN ordered two new vessels to replace and significantly enhance the RAN's at-sea navigation and seamanship training capability.
[23]
Operational history
[
edit
]
Permanent berthing facilities at East Arm Wharf in
Port Darwin
(the ship's main base of operations) were commissioned in December 2015 and became fully operational in February 2016.
[24]
Following availability issues with the
Armidale
class,
Cape Byron
and
Cape Nelson
were chartered by the RAN from July 2015 to the end of 2016 to supplement naval patrol boat availability.
[25]
In naval service, the patrol boats are crewed by RAN personnel, operate from
HMAS
Cairns
, and are identified with the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV)
prefix
, but retain the blue-and-red customs colour scheme.
[8]
Ships in class
[
edit
]
Citations
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"Cape Class Patrol Boats, Australia"
.
Naval Technology
. Verdict Media Limited
. Retrieved
12 July
2018
.
- ^
"Immigration and Border Protection Portfolio ? Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee"
.
Parliament of Australia
. Senate ? Estimates. 19 October 2015
. Retrieved
6 December
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Parnell,
Navy and Customs vessels cut back on border patrols
.
- ^
a
b
Govt to buy new border patrol vessels
Australian Security Magazine
.
- ^
a
b
"Austal Awarded Cape Class Patrol Boat Contract"
.
Media Releases
. Austal. 12 August 2011. Archived from
the original
on 27 September 2011
. Retrieved
23 August
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Saunders (ed.),
IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2012?2013
, p. 39.
- ^
a
b
"Austal Patrol 58 ? Cape Class"
(PDF)
. Austal. May 2013. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 14 September 2013
. Retrieved
9 February
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
Paroz, Des (5 December 2015).
"Cape Class ships join the Fleet"
.
Navy Daily
. Royal Australian Navy. Archived from
the original
on 8 December 2015
. Retrieved
7 December
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
Besser & Snow,
$350 million boat deal leak revealed
.
- ^
a
b
"Media Statement ? Bay Class Replacement Vessel process ? 19 March 2013"
.
Australian Customs and Border Protection Service
. Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. Archived from
the original
on 21 April 2013
. Retrieved
17 April
2013
.
- ^
"First Cape Class Patrol Boat officially named"
.
Austal Media Release
. Austal. Archived from
the original
on 22 February 2014
. Retrieved
18 March
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Rahmat, Ridzwan (31 August 2015).
"Austal delivers Australia's final Cape-class patrol vessel"
.
Sea Platforms
. IHS Jane's 360. Archived from
the original
on 2 September 2015
. Retrieved
23 September
2015
.
- ^
Everingham, Sara (8 June 2015).
"Customs Cape Class Patrol Boats used for border security struggling to find permanent berth"
.
ABC News
. Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Archived
from the original on 29 April 2024
. Retrieved
23 September
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Expansion of Cape Class Program"
(Press release). Austal. 13 December 2015
. Retrieved
15 December
2015
.
- ^
"GOVERNMENT OF TRINIDAD & TOBAGO ANNOUNCES FUTURE ACQUISITION OF TWO AUSTAL CAPE CLASS PATROL BOATS"
.
Austal: Corporate
. 29 July 2018
. Retrieved
31 July
2018
.
- ^
"Austal Australia awarded A$324 million contract to build six Cape Class Patrol Boats"
.
Austal
(Press release). 1 May 2020
. Retrieved
17 September
2022
.
- ^
Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds; Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price (1 May 2020).
"New patrol boats to boost Navy capability"
.
Department of Defence Ministers
(Press release)
. Retrieved
17 September
2022
.
- ^
Nicholson, Dylan (1 May 2020).
"Navy to get new patrol boats to boost capability"
.
Defence Connect
.
Archived
from the original on 29 April 2024
. Retrieved
17 September
2022
.
- ^
"Cape-class Patrol Boat (Austal Patrol 58)"
.
Austal
. 9 December 2016
. Retrieved
17 September
2022
.
- ^
"Austal Australia to build an additional two Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy"
.
Austal
(Press release). 18 April 2022
. Retrieved
17 September
2022
.
- ^
Prime Minister Scott Morrison; Minister for Defence Peter Dutton; Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price (18 April 2022).
"Keeping our borders safe and supporting Australian industry"
.
Liberal Party of Australia
(Press release). Archived from
the original
on 21 May 2022.
- ^
Minister for Defence Peter Dutton (23 March 2022).
"Acceptance of first evolved Cape class patrol boat"
.
Department of Defence Ministers
(Press release)
. Retrieved
17 September
2022
.
- ^
"Securing continuous Naval Shipbuilding at Henderson Shipyard in Western Australia"
.
Australian Defence Ministry
.
Archived
from the original on 29 April 2024
. Retrieved
29 April
2024
.
- ^
"federal/2015/12/18/australian-border-force-in-darwin.html"
. Archived from
the original
on 26 February 2018
. Retrieved
27 July
2016
.
- ^
McPhedran, Ian
(9 October 2015).
"The $3 million cost of Navy's decision to lease patrol boats for border protection"
.
News.com.au
. News Corp Australia. Archived from
the original
on 30 April 2016
. Retrieved
19 October
2015
.
- ^
Navy, corporateName=Royal Australian.
"Current Ships"
.
www.navy.gov.au
. Retrieved
23 June
2023
.
- ^
"Austal delivers 5th Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat to Royal Australian Navy"
. 23 June 2023.
- ^
"SeaWaves Magazine"
. Retrieved
6 May
2024
.
References
[
edit
]
Books
[
edit
]
News articles
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
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|
Command
| |
---|
Organisation
|
|
---|
Ships and
equipment
|
- Current fleet
(
Anzac
-class frigate
,
Adelaide
-class frigate
,
Collins
-class submarine
,
Canberra
-class landing helicopter dock
,
Bay-class landing ship
,
Armidale
-class patrol boat
,
Huon
-class minehunter
,
HMAS
Sirius
,
Leeuwin
-class survey vessel
,
Paluma
-class motor launch
,
Young Endeavour
,
Cape-class patrol boat
)
- All ships
- Aircraft
- Naval procurement programme
- Equipment
- Craft of Opportunity Program
|
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Installations
| |
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Personnel
| |
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Current
operations
| |
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History
| |
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Other
| |
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Former
entities
| |
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|