- HMAS Moresby (1963)
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For other ships of the same name, see HMAS Moresby.
Career (Australia) Namesake: Explorer Captain John Moresby Builder: State Dockyard Newcastle Laid down: May 1962 Launched: 7 September 1963 Commissioned: 6 March 1964 Decommissioned: 1998 Renamed: MV Patricia Anne Hotung (1999) Motto: "With Science and Vision" Honours and
awards:Two inherited battle honours Fate: Sold September 1999 as humanitarian ship General characteristics Type: Survey ship Displacement: 2,340 tonnes Length: 95.7 m (314 ft) Beam: 12.8 m (42 ft) Draught: 3.81 m (12.5 ft) mean Propulsion: Diesel Electric, three English Electric diesel engines, 2 electric motors, 2 shafts Speed: 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) Range: 10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) Boats and landing
craft carried:3 x 34 ft (10 m) Survey Motor Boats Capacity: 372 tons oil fuel Complement: 146 Sensors and
processing systems:TM 829 radar, Lambda position fixing system, Simrad SU2 sonar, echo sounders, magnetometer Armament: 2x 40 mm Bofors guns (removed 1973) Aircraft carried: Westland Scout (1964-1973)
Bell 206B-1 Kiowa (1973)HMAS Moresby, named for the explorer Captain John Moresby, was a hydrographic survey ship of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Serving in the RAN from 1964 to 1999,[1] Moresby was then sold into civilian service. Renamed MV Patricia Anne Hotung, the ship was chartered by the International Organisation for Migration.
Contents
Construction
Moresby was launched at the State Dockyard, Newcastle on 7 September 1963 by the wife of Rear Admiral Gatacre. She was commissioned into the RAN on 6 March 1964.[2] Moresby was the only ship of her class to be constructed.
Operational history
Throughout her career in the RAN, Moresby sailed over 1 million miles, and carried out surveys of Torres Strait, the D’Entrecasteaux Channel in Tasmania, Exmouth Gulf, Wilsons Promontory and the Gulf of Papua.[3]
Decommissioning and civilian service
In September 1999 Moresby was sold to Chinese business interests and renamed MV Patricia Anne Hotung,[4] after the wife of chairman of Hotung Institute of International Affairs Mr Eric Hotung. Mr Hotung reportedly spent over A$1 million on a refit enabling the 95-metre (312 ft) ship to carry 850 passengers[5]
Patricia Anne Hotung was chartered by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and transported approximately 10,000 refugees from the West Timor camps to East Timor between January 2000 and 24 July 2001. IOM Director General Brunson McKinley described the ship's role as "invaluable" and "a remarkable contribution to the international humanitarian effort to bring East Timorese refugees home to begin rebuilding their devastated country"[6]
References
- ^ Wilson, Michael; Royal Australian Navy 21st Century Warships, Naval auxiliaries 1911 to 1999 including Defence Maritime Services, Profile No. 4 - Revised Edition , Topmill Pty Ltd, Marrickville. ISBN 9781876270728, p. 37
- ^ Straczek, John. The Royal Australian Navy: Ships, Aircraft and Shore Establishments, Navy Public Affairs, Sydney, 1996. ISBN 1-876-04378-4
- ^ Bastock, John. Australia’s ships of war, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1975. ISBN 0-207-12927-4
- ^ "Moresby now a mercy vessel, Navy News, 24 January, 2000". http://www.defence.gov.au/news/navynews/editions/2000/01_24_00/story08.htm.
- ^ "Maritime Engineers Pty Ltd". http://www.maritime-engineers.com.au/project-management.htm.
- ^ "IOM Press Briefing Notes 24 Jul 2001: West Timor. Retrieved 15 January 2007". http://lists.topica.com/lists/east-timor@igc.topica.com/read/message.html?sort=d&mid=800422640.
Categories:- Royal Australian Navy survey ships
- Unique ships
- 1963 ships
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