MINE HUNTERS COASTAL


ABOVE: HMAS NORMAN

The Navy's latest acquisition. Our newest Minehunter Coastal as she commissioned on Saturday 26 Aug 2000 at HMAS WATERHEN (Sydney). This stern view, shows the yellow mine disposal vehicle, recompression chamber and diving gas supplies.

Active Vessels = 3

Building Vessels = 3

Name

No

Builders

Launched

Commissioned

HUON

82

Intermarine/ADI, Newcastle

25 July 1997

15 May 1999

HAWKESBURY

83

ADI, Newcastle

24 Apr 1998

12 Feb 2000

NORMAN

84

ADI, Newcastle

3 May 1999

26 Aug 2000

GASCOYNE

85

ADI, Newcastle

11 Mar 2000

Apr 2001

DIAMANTINA

86

ADI, Newcastle

Nov 2000

Feb 2002

YARRA

87

ADI, Newcastle

Sep 2001

Sep 2002


Displacement, Tons:

720 full load

Dimensions:

52.5 × 9.9 × 3.0 metres


Main machinery:

1 Fincantieri GMT diesel; 1,986 hp(m) (1.46 MW); 1 shaft; acbLIPS cp prop; 3 Isotta Fraschini 1300 diesels; 1,440 hp(m) (1,058 kW); 3 electrohydraulic motors; 506 hp(m) (372 kW); Riva Calzoni retractable/rotatable APUs


Speed in Knots:

Transit 14 max; 1500nm at 12 knots, 2400nm at 10 knots
Minehunting 6 on APUs.

Complement:

39, 6 officers, 6 senior sailors, 27 junior sailors, 11 spare bunks

Guns:

1 MSI DS 30B 30 mm/75. 650 rds/min to 10 km (5.4 n miles) anti-surface; 3 km (1.6 n miles) anti-aircraft; weight of shell 0.36 kg.

Countermeasures:

MCM systems: 2 Bofors SUTEC Double-Eagle Mk 2 mine disposal vehicles with DAMDIC charges; ADI double Oropesa mechanical sweep and capable of towing the Australian developed Mini-Dyad influence sweep.
Decoys: 2 MEL Aviation Super Barricade; chaff launchers.ESM: AWADI Prism.

Combat data systems:

GEC-Marconi Nautis 2M with Link 11 receive only.

Weapons control:

Radamec 1000N optronic surveillance system.
Radars: Navigation: Kelvin Hughes 1007; I-band.

Sonars:

GEC-Marconi Type 2093; VDS; VLF-VHF multifunction with five arrays; mine search and classification.

Programmes:

The Force Structure Review of May 1991 recommended the acquisition of coastal minehunters of proven design. These ships would be required to operate in deeper and more exposed waters, to achieve lower transit times and remain on station longer than the two inshore minehunters currently in service. A contract was signed with Australian Defence Industries (ADI) on 12 August 1994 to build six Intermarine designed `Gaeta' class derivatives. The hull of the first ship was constructed at Intermarine's Sarzana Shipyard in Italy and arrived in Australia as deck cargo on 31 August 1995 for fitting out in Newcastle, where the remaining five ships are being built at ADI's Throsby Basin. Local content for this project is about 69 per cent.

Structure:

Monocoque GRP construction. A recompression chamber, one RIB and an inflatable diving boat are carried to support a six-man diving team.

Operational:

This class which is named after Australian rivers, is based at HMAS Waterhen in Sydney.

Thankyou to the Royal Australian Navy for Images and Data

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