HMAS HAMMERSLEY - Ship Of The Week #4 12/13/2014

[Admiral2]

HER MAJESTY’S AUSTRALIAN SHIP HAMMERSLEY​

HMAS Hammersley is one of the Armidale-class patrol boats built for theRoyal Australian Navy (RAN) to replace the boats of the Fremantle-class. The Armidales are longer and heavier than their Fremantle-class predecessors, with improvedseakeeping ability and increased range, allowing them to reachAustralia’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.


The Armidale-class ships are operated by theAustralian Patrol Boat Group and based in Cairns and Darwin. They are primarily tasked with border protection, fisheries patrols, and the interception ofunauthorized arrivals by sea.


Each patrol boat has a length of 56.8 metres (186 ft), abeam of 9.7 metres (32 ft), a draught of 2.7 metres (8.9 ft), and a standarddisplacement of 300 tons. The hull is of the semi-displacement vee type, and is fabricated from aluminum alloy. The Armidales can travel at a maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), and are driven by two propeller shafts, each connected to an MTU 4000 16V diesel, providing 6,225 horsepower (4,642 kW).[9] The ships have a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), allowing them to patrol the waters around distantterritories including the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island. The Armidale-class has demonstrated an improved seakeeping ability over the preceding Fremantle-class: the Armidales are 15 metres (49 ft) longer, 85 tons heavier, and have hydraulic stabiliser fins andtrim tabs incorporated into the design, allowing them to survive conditions up to Sea State 9.[1] The vessels are designed for standard patrols of 21 days, with a maximum endurance of 42 days.


The main armament of the Armidale-class is a Rafael Typhoon stabilised 25-millimetre (0.98 in) gun mount fitted with an M242 Bushmaster cannon. This cannon has arate of fire of 200 rounds per minute, and is controlled remotely from the bridge. Two 12.7-millimetre (0.50 in) machine guns are also carried.


Boarding operations are performed by two 7.2-metre (24 ft), waterjet propelled rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIB), which carry ten people (a fully equipped, eight-strong boarding party, and two boat crew). The RHIBs are capable of operating independently of their mothership, and carry their own communications, navigation, and safety equipment. The boats can be launched and recovered easily, and a centralised 'dressing room' incorporated into the ship's design has streamlined the deployment and return of personnel.


Each patrol boat has a standard ship's company of 21 personnel, with a maximum of 29 (not including use of the austere compartment). Junior sailors are housed in four-berth cabins, while senior sailors and commissioned officers either have individual or share two-berth cabins.[1] Personnel have access to e-mail and satellite television, and the galley is better equipped than that on a Fremantle-class vessel and better suited to use in heavy seas.[1] The comfort of personnel is also significantly improved over the Fremantles, with air conditioning throughout the entire ship (excluding engine and machinery compartments).

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SEA PATROL​

Sea Patrol is an Australian television drama that ran from 2007 to 2011, set on board HMAS Hammersley, a fictional patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy. The series focuses on the ship and the lives of its crew members. This series shows the gender and cultural diversity of the Navy, and deals with contemporary issues such as illegal fishing, boat people, drug-running, immigration, and people-smuggling, and have an underlying mystery that runs throughout the series. Before Sea Patrol aired, it was one of the most highly anticipated programmes in Australia, partly due to the episode budget of over A$1 million, twice that of other Australian dramas.

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“Honour-Honesty-Courage-Integrity-Loyalty”​

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[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOEGkPMEoZw[/yt]​

 

[John Clark]

Well, I preferred the Armidale version to the Freemantle they used in the first series.

Nice little vessel.

One of the UK channels airs Sea Patrol a lot, though it doesn't seem to have made it to any of the freebie channels yet.

 

[Marc]

Ah Sea Patrol - a commerical knock off of an Australian Broadcasting Corporation series called Patrol Boat that ran from 1979-1980 but which didn't have Lisa McCune or the really over-hyped plots.

 

[Admiral2]

Well, I preferred the Armidale version to the Freemantle they used in the first series.

Agreed. That's why I used the Armidale version here.

One of the UK channels airs Sea Patrol a lot, though it doesn't seem to have made it to any of the freebie channels yet.

It hasn't made it to the US at all, really. I discovered it on YouTube by accident and got hooked on the episodes available there.

I wish Hollywood were capable of making a show like it without screwing it up.

Ah Sea Patrol - a commerical knock off of an Australian Broadcasting Corporation series called Patrol Boat that ran from 1979-1980 but which didn't have Lisa McCune or the really over-hyped plots.

I've only seen half an episode of Patrol Boat, so I won't try to compare show quality. As for SP being a knock-off... well, yeah, that happens everywhere.

Meanwhile, is Lisa McCune that big a deal? When I was looking up the show particulars I read one of the reasons it was highly anticipated is because it "brought Lisa McCune back to television." As I'd never even heard of her before I found Sea Patrol... so what?

 

[Marc]

Ah Sea Patrol - a commerical knock off of an Australian Broadcasting Corporation series called Patrol Boat that ran from 1979-1980 but which didn't have Lisa McCune or the really over-hyped plots.

I've only seen half an episode of Patrol Boat, so I won't try to compare show quality. As for SP being a knock-off... well, yeah, that happens everywhere.

Meanwhile, is Lisa McCune that big a deal? When I was looking up the show particulars I read one of the reasons it was highly anticipated is because it "brought Lisa McCune back to television." As I'd never even heard of her before I found Sea Patrol... so what?

Back in the 90s Lisa McCune was the big thing on Australian TV. Started out on in a TV series call Blue Healers about the local cops in a small town. Made her big name, won her awards till she decided she's had enough and her character met a violent end.

She then did stage work, had a couple of kids before returning to tv on an ongoing basis. To say it brought her back to tv was a bit disingenious as she had had done guest apperances and a legal series that was canned after 1 season.

 

[Admiral2]

Ah Sea Patrol - a commerical knock off of an Australian Broadcasting Corporation series called Patrol Boat that ran from 1979-1980 but which didn't have Lisa McCune or the really over-hyped plots.

I've only seen half an episode of Patrol Boat, so I won't try to compare show quality. As for SP being a knock-off... well, yeah, that happens everywhere.

Meanwhile, is Lisa McCune that big a deal? When I was looking up the show particulars I read one of the reasons it was highly anticipated is because it "brought Lisa McCune back to television." As I'd never even heard of her before I found Sea Patrol... so what?

Back in the 90s Lisa McCune was the big thing on Australian TV. Started out on in a TV series call Blue Healers about the local cops in a small town. Made her big name, won her awards till she decided she's had enough and her character met a violent end.

She then did stage work, had a couple of kids before returning to tv on an ongoing basis. To say it brought her back to tv was a bit disingenious as she had had done guest apperances and a legal series that was canned after 1 season.

Gotcha.

I'm partial to "Bomber" myself...