HMAS Childers (ACPB 93)

HMAS Childers (ACPB 93) is an Armidale-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Named for the towns of Childers, Queensland and Childers, Victoria, Childers is the only ship in the RAN to be named after two towns.[1]

HMAS Childers and sister vessels berthed at HMAS Cairns
History
Australia
Namesake: Towns of Childers, Queensland and Childers, Victoria
Launched: 18 December 2006
Commissioned: 7 July 2007
Homeport: HMAS Cairns, Cairns
Identification:
Motto: "Serve With Honour"
Status: Active as of 2016
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type: Armidale-class patrol boat
Displacement: 300 tons standard load
Length: 56.8 m (186 ft)
Beam: 9.7 m (32 ft)
Draught: 2.7 m (8.9 ft)
Propulsion: 2 × MTU 4000 16V 6,225 horsepower (4,642 kW) diesels driving twin propellers
Speed: 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range: 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Endurance: 21 days standard, 42 days maximum
Boats & landing
craft carried:		 2 × Zodiac 7.2 m (24 ft) RHIBs
Complement: 21 standard, 29 maximum
Sensors and
processing systems:		 Bridgemaster E surface search/navigation radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys:
  • Prism III radar warning system
  • Toplite electro-optical detection system
  • Warrlock direction finding system
Armament:
  • 1 × Rafael Typhoon stabilised gun mount fitted with a 25 mm (1 in) M242 Bushmaster autocannon
  • 2 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) machine guns

Design and construction
Main article: Armidale-class patrol boat

The Armidale-class patrol boats are 56.8 metres (186 ft) long, with a beam of 9.7 metres (32 ft), a draught of 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in), and a standard displacement of 270 tons.[2] The semi-displacement vee hull is fabricated from aluminium alloy, and each vessel is built to a combination of Det Norske Veritas standards for high-speed light craft and RAN requirements.[3] The Armidales can travel at a maximum speed of 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), and are driven by two propeller shafts, each connected to an MTU 16V M70 diesel.[4] The ships have a range of 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), allowing them to patrol the waters around the distant territories of Australia, and are designed for standard patrols of 21 days, with a maximum endurance of 42 days.[4][3]

The main armament of the Armidale class is a Rafael Typhoon stabilised 25-millimetre (0.98 in) gun mount fitted with an M242 Bushmaster autocannon.[4] Two 12.7-millimetre (0.50 in) machine guns are also carried.[5] Boarding operations are performed by two 7.2-metre (24 ft), waterjet propelled rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs).[3] Each RHIB is stored in a dedicated cradle and davit, and is capable of operating independently from the patrol boat as it carries its own communications, navigation, and safety equipment.[3][6]

Each patrol boat has a standard ship's company of 21 personnel, with a maximum of 29.[4][3] The Armidales do not have a permanently assigned ship's company; instead, they are assigned to divisions at a ratio of two vessels to three companies, which rotate through the vessels and allow the Armidales to spend more time at sea, without compromising sailors' rest time or training requirements.[3][7] A 20-berth auxiliary accommodation compartment was included in the design for the transportation of soldiers, illegal fishermen, or unauthorised arrivals; in the latter two cases, the compartment could be secured from the outside.[8] However, a malfunction in the sewerage treatment facilities aboard HMAS Maitland in August 2006 pumped hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide into the compartment, non-fatally poisoning four sailors working inside, after which use of the compartment for accommodation was banned across the class.[7][8]

Childers was constructed by Austal at their shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia.[2] She was launched on 18 December 2006, and was commissioned in Cairns, Queensland on 7 July 2007.[2]

Operational history

Assigned to Ardent Division, Childers is based in Cairns and performs border protection and fisheries protection patrols.

In January 2014, Childers visited Burma as part of Australian Government efforts to strengthen relations with the Government of Myanmar; the first RAN ship since HMAS Quiberon in 1959.[9]

Citations
  1. "Features – A tale of two towns". Navy News. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  2. Saunders (ed.), IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2012–2013, p. 33
  3. Kerr, Plain sailing
  4. Wertheim (ed.), The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, p. 22
  5. Heron & Powell, in Australian Maritime Issues 2006, p. 132
  6. Heron & Powell, in Australian Maritime Issues 2006, p. 131
  7. Kerr, Patrol boats shake down fuel faults
  8. McKenna, Gas risk remains for navy boats
  9. Department of Defence (21 January 2014). "HMAS Childers arrives in Burma". Navy Daily. Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
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References
Books
Journal and news articles
  • Kerr, Julian (1 January 2008). "Plain sailing: Australia's Armidales prove fit for task". Jane's Navy International. Jane's Information Group.
  • Kerr, Julian (8 December 2007). "Patrol boats shake down fuel faults". The Australian: Defence Special Report. News Corporation. p. 8.
  • McKenna, Michael (2 January 2010). "Gas risk remains for navy boats". The Australian. Retrieved 7 January 2010.
Websites and other media
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