HMAS Benalla (left) and HMAS Gascoyne in Darling Harbour for the 2008 Sea Power Centre conference |
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Paluma |
| Builders: | Eglo Engineering, Adelaide |
| Operators: | Royal Australian Navy |
| Succeeded by: | Planned Australian offshore combatant vessel |
| In service: | March 1988 - March 1990 |
| In commission: | February 1989 - present |
| Completed: | 4 |
| Active: | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Motor launch |
| Displacement: | 320 tonnes |
| Length: | 36.6 m (120 ft) |
| Beam: | 13.7 m (45 ft) |
| Draught: | 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 Detroit V12 diesel engines |
| Speed: | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Range: | 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Endurance: | 14 days |
| Complement: | 3 officers, 11 sailors (plus accommodation for 4 additional) |
| Armament: | None fitted |
The Paluma class survey motor launch is a class of four hydrographic survey launches operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in Port Adelaide between 1988 and 1990, the four catamarans are primarily based at HMAS Cairns in Cairns, Queensland, and operate in pairs to survey the waters of northern Australia.
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The Paluma class vessels have a full load displacement of 320 tonnes.[1] They are 36.6 metres (120 ft) long overall and 36 metres (118 ft) long between perpendiculars, have a beam of 13.7 metres (45 ft), and a draught of 1.9 metres (6 ft 3 in).[1] Propulsion machinery consists of two General Motors Detroit Diesel 12V-92T engines, which supply 1,290 brake horsepower (960 kW) to the two propeller shafts.[1] Each vessel has a top speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), a maximum sustainable speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) (which gives a maximum range of 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km; 2,100 mi)), and an endurance of 14 days.[1]
The sensor suite of a Paluma class launch consists of a JRC JMA-3710-6 navigational radar, an ELAC LAZ 72 side-scan mapping sonar, and a Skipper 113 hull-mounted scanning sonar.[1] The vessels are unarmed.[1] The standard ship's company consists of three officers and eleven sailors, although another four personnel can be accommodated.[1] The catamarans were originally painted white, but were repainted naval grey in 2002.[1]
The four ships were built by Eglo Engineering, at their shipyard in Port Adelaide, South Australia.[1] The first, HMAS Paluma, was laid down in March 1988, and commissioned into the RAN in February 1989.[1] All four ships were under construction by November 1988, and the last, HMAS Benalla, commissioned in March 1990.[1]
All four vessels are homeported at HMAS Cairns in Cairns, Queensland.[1] They are used for hydrographic surveys of the shallow waters around northern Australia, primarily in the Great Barrier Reef.[1] The vessels generally operate in pairs.[1]
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