| Career (Australia) | |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | City of Ipswich, Queensland |
| Builder: | North Queensland Engineers and Agents |
| Laid down: | 29 October 1980 |
| Launched: | 25 September 1982 |
| Commissioned: | 13 November 1982 |
| Decommissioned: | 11 May 2007 |
| Homeport: | HMAS Cairns |
| Motto: | "Dare to Defy" |
| Honours and awards: |
Five inherited battle honours |
| Status: | Decommissioned, awaiting disposal |
| Badge: | |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Fremantle class patrol boat |
| Displacement: | 220 tons |
| Length: | 137.6 ft (41.9 m) |
| Beam: | 25.25 ft (7.70 m) |
| Draught: | 5.75 ft (1.75 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 MTU series 538 diesel engines, 3,200 shp (2,400 kW), 2 propellers |
| Speed: | 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
| Range: | 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) |
| Complement: | 22 |
| Armament: | One general purpose 40/60 mm Bofors gun Two 12.7 mm machine guns One 81 mm mortar (removed later) |
HMAS Ipswich (FCPB 209, named for the city of Ipswich, Queensland, was a Fremantle class patrol boat in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
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Starting in the late 1960s, planning began for a new class of patrol boat to replace the Attack class, with designs calling for improved seakeeping capability, and updated weapons and equipment.[1] The Fremantles had a full load displacement of 220 tonnes (220 long tons; 240 short tons), were 137.6 feet (41.9 m) long overall, had a beam of 24.25 feet (7.39 m), and a maximum draught of 5.75 feet (1.75 m).[2] Main propulsion machinery consisted of two MTU series 538 diesel engines, which supplied 3,200 shaft horsepower (2,400 kW) to the two propeller shafts.[2] Exhaust was not expelled through a funnel, like most ships, but through vents below the waterline.[3] The patrol boat could reach a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), and had a maximum range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).[2] The ship's company consisted of 22 personnel.[2] Each patrol boat was armed with a single 40 mm Bofors gun as main armament, supplemented by two .50 cal Browning machineguns and an 81-mm mortar,[2] although the mortar was removed from all ships sometime after 1988. The main weapon was originally to be two 30-mm guns on a twin-mount, but the reconditioned Bofors were selected to keep costs down; provision was made to install an updated weapon later in the class' service life, but this did not eventuate.[4][3]
Ipswich was laid down by the North Queensland Engineers and Agents in Cairns, Queensland[2] on 29 October 1980. She was commissioned into the RAN on 13 November 1982.
During October and November 2006, Ipswich was the primary ship used for filming the 13-episode Australian television drama series Sea Patrol.[5] Ipswich was rebadged as the fictional HMAS Hammersley (pennant number 202), and spent six weeks operating off Dunk Island with both the show's cast and her normal crew aboard.[5] Footage of Ipswich at sea was mixed with scenes shot on and around sister ship HMAS Wollongong while the latter was docked in Sydney.[5]
Ipswich was decommissioned on 11 May 2007, in a joint ceremony with HMAS Townsville.[6] The two patrol boats were the last of the class in active service.[6] Ipswich is to be delivered to Birdon Marine in Darwin for disposal.[6] The patrol boat's Bofors gun was incorporated into a naval memorial cairn shaped like Ipswich's bow in Queens Park, Ipswich.[7]
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