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.