Bay class minehunter
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Bay |
| Operators: | Royal Australian Navy |
| Preceded by: | Ton class minesweeper |
| Succeeded by: | Huon class minehunter |
| In commission: | 1991-2001 |
| Planned: | 6 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Cancelled: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Minehunter Inshore |
| Displacement: | 178 tons |
| Length: | 30.9 metres (10.7 ft) |
| Beam: | 9 metres (29.5 ft) |
| Draught: | 2 metres (6.6 ft) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Poyard 520-V8-S2 diesel generators; 650 hp(m) (478 kW); 2 Schottel hydraulic transmission and steering systems (one to each hull) |
| Complement: | 3 officers, 10 crew |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Radar: Kelvin Hughes Type 1006; I-band Sonar: Atlas Elektronic DSQS-11M; hull-mounted; minehunting; high frequency |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: |
MCM: STN Atlas Elektronic MWS80-5 minehunting system (containerized); ECA 38 mine disposal system with two PAP 104 Mk 3 vehicles; Syledis and GPS precision navigation systems. |
| Armament: | 2 x remote control mine disposal vehicles 2 x 12.7 mm machineguns |
| Notes: | Ships: HMAS Rushcutter HMAS Shoalwater |
The Bay class Minehunter Inshores were a class of catamaran-hull mine warfare vessels operating with the Royal Australian Navy from 1986. Also referred to as the MHCAT (MineHunter CATamaran), the class was an attempt to produce a locally-designed wikt:inshore mine warfare vessel.[1] Two prototype ships were ordered in 1981, and the first ship, Rushcutter, was commissioned in November 1986.[1] The two ships experienced delays in construction, and the RAN resorted to acquiring six minesweeper auxiliaries (MSA) to provide an interim mine-warfare capability, while also keeping Ton class minesweeper HMAS Curlew in service until 1990, well beyond her intended decommissioning date.[1][2] The ships did not enter service until 1993, due to problems with the sonar.[3]
[edit] Design
One of the identifying features of this class is that vessels have a fiber glass hull.[4][5]
The small size of the ships limited their ability at sea, and prohibited deployment outside of the Sydney area.[3] The ships were removed from operatinal service, and the RAN instead focused on acquiring four to six coastal minesweepers (the Huon class), and maintaining the MSAs as an as-needed inshore mine-warfare force.[3]
[edit] Fate
Both ships in the class were decommissioned on 14 August 2001.[6] Four additional ships, to be named Westernport, Discovery, Esperance, and Melville, were planned[7] but never constructed.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Stevens, David; Sears, Jason; Goldrick, James; Cooper, Alastair; Jones, Peter; Spurling, Kathryn, (2001). in Stevens, David: The Royal Australian Navy, The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195-54116-2.
- ^ David Stevens et al. (2001). The Royal Australian Navy, pg 252
- ^ a b c David Stevens et al. (2001). The Royal Australian Navy, pg 275
- ^ Murray L. Scott (1997), Eleventh International Conference on Composite Materials, Woodhead Publishing, ISBN 1855733560, <http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN1855733560&id=cqXCHg3FHtYC&pg=PA413&lpg=PA420&ots=r5uub0OubA&dq=%22Bay+class+minehunter%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=5hVmjTGeCS2mDZGQeIEJ1Y5UNNo>
- ^ Bay Class Minehunter Inshore Glass Reinforced Plastic Repair Manual Defence Instruction (Navy) ABR 5803, Royal Australian Navy, July 1992.
- ^ "Hunters Paid Off", Navy News, 2001-09-03. Retrieved on 2007-12-02.
- ^ Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale, NSW: Child & Associates, pg 85. ISBN 0-86777-219-0.
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