Paluma class survey motor launch
Encyclopedia
The Paluma class survey motor launch is a class of four hydrographic
Hydrography
Hydrography is the measurement of the depths, the tides and currents of a body of water and establishment of the sea, river or lake bed topography and morphology. Normally and historically for the purpose of charting a body of water for the safe navigation of shipping...
survey launches operated by the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN). Built in Port Adelaide between 1988 and 1990, the four catamarans are primarily based at in Cairns, Queensland
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
, and operate in pairs to survey the waters of northern Australia.
Design and construction
The Paluma class vessels have a full load displacement of 320 tonnes. They are 36.6 metres (120.1 ft) long overall and 36 metres (118.1 ft) long between perpendiculars, have a beam of 13.7 metres (44.9 ft), and a draught of 1.9 metres (6.2 ft). Propulsion machinery consists of two General Motors Detroit Diesel 12V-92T engines, which supply 1290 bhp to the two propeller shafts. Each vessel has a top speed of 12 knots (6.5 m/s), a maximum sustainable speed of 10 knots (5.4 m/s) (which gives a maximum range of 1800 nautical miles (3,333.6 km)), and an endurance of 14 days.The sensor suite of a Paluma class launch consists of a JRC JMA-3710-6 navigational radar, an ELAC LAZ 72 side-scan
Side-scan sonar
Side-scan sonar is a category of sonar system that is used to efficiently create an image of large areas of the sea floor...
mapping sonar, and a Skipper 113 hull-mounted scanning sonar. The vessels are unarmed. The standard ship's company consists of three officers and eleven sailors, although another four personnel can be accommodated. The catamarans were originally painted white, but were repainted naval grey in 2002.
The four ships were built by Eglo Engineering, at their shipyard in Port Adelaide, South Australia. The first, , was laid down in March 1988, and commissioned into the RAN in February 1989. All four ships were under construction by November 1988, and the last, , commissioned in March 1990.
Operations
All four vessels are homeported at in Cairns, QueenslandCairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
. They are used for hydrographic surveys of the shallow waters around northern Australia
Northern Australia
The term northern Australia is generally known to include two State and Territories, being Queensland and the Northern Territory . The part of Western Australia north of latitude 26° south—a definition widely used in law and State government policy—is also usually included...
, primarily in the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
. The vessels generally operate in pairs.