http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/cracks-curtail-border-pa...

OPERATION Sovereign Borders has been dealt a blow, with about half of the navy’s patrol boat fleet suddenly confined to port after the discovery of major structural cracks that make them unseaworthy in rough seas.

The dramatic setback means that navy is able to provide only about half of the mandated number of its Armidale-class patrol boats to the military-run OSB as it seeks to intercept and turn back asylum-seeker boats.

cods wrote on Mar 4^th, 2014 at 3:45pm:


Did they have something else to do?

When the asylum boat crashed onto the rocks of Christmas Is., 2010 I think, there was talk of a patrol boat sheltering in the lee of a headland because there was some doubt about it's operating in stormy seas.

I wonder how long these problems have been known

Rider wrote on Mar 4^th, 2014 at 5:00pm:


The Howard Government commissioned these vessels and is fully responsible for their inability to operate in rough seas.....The fault lies with the Coalition who botched the procurement from the start!!!

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/rans-flawed-patrol-boats/story-e6fre...

philperth2010 wrote on Mar 4^th, 2014 at 5:12pm:


More like Krudd and Gullard ran them into the ground when stripping the budget to find cash for Swans balanced budgets.

Granted, they may well be poor choices.

November 04, 2007 11:00PM

THE Royal Australian Navy's $550 million Armidale Class patrol boats are in such poor condition that even the toilets and electricity outlets are not guaranteed to work. 
 
The 14 vessels, based in Cairns, Darwin and Dampier, are spending more time under repair than on patrol, according to sources.

Sailors claim conditions on the boats are so bad that the navy is losing people because of them. But the navy has denied any major problems with the boats and says just one is out of service in Darwin.

The entire fleet was tied up last year due to a water/fuel contamination problem.

Sailors say basic problems hamper the fleet, including constantly blocked toilets, unsecured anchors, communications failures and American-style power points that require adaptors to be fitted for Australian electrical equipment.

Other problems affecting morale include inadequate lighting, a lack of training specific to the boat and over-crowded shore establishments.

The navy requires the 21-person crews to rotate between the boats after a nine-week assignment followed by four weeks' respite, rather than being posted to a vessel for a two-year billet.

According to one crew member, that means there is no attachment to any boat.

"There is no pride or incentive to take pride in the boat," the crew member said.

"Morale is dead and sailors are leaving in disgust."

The navy defended the "multi-crewing model" saying it provided a 21-ship capability with just 14 vessels.

But sailors say a lack of permanent crews mean problems are not permanently solved. Some sailors had to bring their own power adaptors and extension leads.

In one case, a boat returned to port with a holed bow after it hit heavy weather. "The main anchor's two spikes just flap in the breeze and there were holes in both sides of the bow," a sailor said.

Opposition defence spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said it was remarkable that so many design faults had made it through to manufacture.

"The difficulties experienced with the Armidale Class patrol boats are symptomatic of this Government's failure in leadership on defence procurement," he said.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/rans-flawed-patrol-boats/story-e6fre...