HMAS Fremantle (FCPB 203)

HMAS "Fremantle" (FCPB 203), named for the city of Fremantle, Western Australia, was the lead ship of the "Fremantle" class patrol boats, entering service in the Royal Australian Navy in 1980 and decommissioning in 2006. "Fremantle" was the only ship of the class not constructed in Australia, and it is claimed that her delivery voyage was the longest ever made by a patrol boat.

Entry into service

In 1976, Brooke Marine of the United Kingdom won the contract to produce the lead ship of a new class of patrol boat for the Royal Australian Navy, replacing the "Attack" class. ["Semaphore 17", 2005, para. 1-3] Construction of "Fremantle" began in October 1977, and she was launched on 16 February 1979."Semaphore 17", 2005, para. 5] During lengthy sea trials, "Fremantle" was revealed to be 20 tons over the contract's proscribed weight, leading to unpopularity in the media. However, the design proved its worth when it was diverted from trial to successfully rescue a British sailor thrown from a fishing trawler. Because of the sea trials, "Fremantle" was not commissioned until 17 March 1980.

Delivery of pervious Brooke Maine patrol boats to the client nations was normally done by loading the craft on a heavy lift ship.LCDR Thomas, 1981, pg 2] It was instead decided in 1979 to sail "Fremantle" to Australia. This was for two main reasons; the RAN wanted to learn as much about the capabilities of the new design as quickly as possible, and the loss of an Omani Navy patrol vessel from a heavy lift ship during a storm was a cause of concern. On 7 June 1980, "Fremantle" left Lowestoft, England on the delivery voyage to Australia."Semaphore 17", 2005, para. 6] The voyage took 82 days, 48 spent at sea. During this voyage, "Fremantle" travelled through the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, Red Sea, along the coast of India, through the Malay Archipelago, then down the east coast of Australia to Sydney.LCDR Thomas, 1981, pg 3] During this voyage, "Fremantle" was tested to limits; encountering windstoms reaching Force 6, a sandstorm in the Red Sea, high-temperature and -humidity conditions, and a monsoon. By the time "Fremantle" arrived in Australia on 27 August 1980, she had already sailed convert|14509|nmi|km. This is claimed to be the longest voyage undertaken by a single patrol boat.

Operational history

During her career, "Fremantle" was primarily involved in operations against illegal fishing and illegal immigration, and supporting Australian Coastwatch and the Australian Customs Service. ["HMAS Fremantle (II)", Royal Australian Navy]

Decommissioning and fate

On 11 August 2006, HMAS "Fremantle" was decommissioned at HMAS "Coonawarra", Darwin."Sun finally sets on HMAS Fremantle", 2006] "Fremantle" was the eighth ship of her class to be decommissioned. "Fremantle" was in service for 26 years, and travelled a distance of convert|535705|nmi|km|0 from commissioning.

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