| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Bay |
| Operators: | Royal Australian Navy |
| Preceded by: | Ton class minesweeper |
| Succeeded by: | Huon class minehunter |
| In commission: | 1986-2001 |
| Planned: | 6 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Cancelled: | 4 |
| Retired: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Minehunter Inshore |
| Displacement: | 178 tons |
| Length: | 30.9 m (101 ft) |
| Beam: | 9 m (30 ft) |
| Draught: | 2 m (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 (0.50 in) machineguns |
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 inshore mine warfare vessel.[1] Two prototype ships were ordered in 1981, with the first ship, Rushcutter, 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]
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One of the identifying features of this class is that vessels have a fibreglass hull constructed with a multi-layer foam sandwich core.[4][5] No metal is contained in the hull.
The ships were built by Ramsay Fibreglass, a subsidiary of Carrington Slipways located in Tomago, New South Wales, Australia.[6] They were constructed in a purpose-built facility and then carried by crane a short distance south to be launched into a small man-made lunching basin off the Hunter River. (Construction site ) Construction of a third hull was commenced before cancellation of the project occurred. However, this was never completed. It remained at the rear of the facility until the early 2000s.
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 operational 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]
Both ships in the class were decommissioned on 14 August 2001.[7] Four additional ships, to be named Westernport, Discovery, Esperance, and Melville, were planned[8] but never constructed.
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