HMAS Archer (P 86)

HMAS Archer enters Port Kembla Harbour in August 1968
HMAS Archer enters Port Kembla Harbour in August 1968
History
Australia
BuilderEvans Deakin and Company
Launched2 December 1967
Commissioned15 May 1968
Decommissioned21 May 1974
FateSold to Indonesia
Indonesia
NameSiliman
StatusActive as of 2011
General characteristics
Class and typeAttack-class patrol boat
Displacement
  • 100 tons standard
  • 146 tons full load
Length107.6 ft (32.8 m) length overall
Beam20 ft (6.1 m)
Draught
  • 6.4 ft (2.0 m) at standard load
  • 7.3 ft (2.2 m) at full load
Propulsion
  • 2 × 16-cylinder Paxman YJCM diesel engines
  • 3,460 shp (2,580 kW)
  • 2 shafts
Speed24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Range1,200 nautical miles (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement3 officers, 16 sailors
Armament

HMAS Archer (P 86) was an Attack-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Design and construction

Main article: Attack-class patrol boat

The Attack class was ordered in 1964 to operate in Australian waters as patrol boats, replacing a variety of old patrol, search-and-rescue, and general-purpose craft. The design was developed based on lessons learned from the use of Ton-class minesweepers for patrol duties off Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation.[1] Initially, nine boats were ordered for the RAN, with another five for Papua New Guinea's Australian-run coastal security force. Subsequently, another six ships were ordered which brought the class to 20 vessels.[1] The class had a displacement of 100 tons at standard load and 146 tons at full load, were 107.6 feet (32.8 m) in length overall, had a beam of 20 feet (6.1 m), and draughts of 6.4 feet (2.0 m) at standard load, and 7.3 feet (2.2 m) at full load.[1][2] Propulsion machinery consisted of two 16-cylinder Paxman YJCM diesel engines, which supplied 3,460 shaft horsepower (2,580 kW) to the two propellers.[1][2] The vessels could achieve a top speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph), and had a range of 1,200 nautical miles (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph).[1][2] The ship's company consisted of three officers and sixteen sailors.[2] Main armament was a bow-mounted Bofors 40 mm gun, supplemented by two .50-calibre M2 Browning machine guns and various small arms.[1][2] The ships were designed with as many commercial components as possible: the class were to operate in remote regions of Australia and New Guinea, and needed to be able to utilise locally available mechanical components.[3]

Archer was built by Walkers Limited at Maryborough, Queensland,[4] launched on 2 December 1967[citation needed] and commissioned on 15 May 1968.[4]

Operational history

Archer paid off on 21 October 1974. She was transferred to the Indonesian Navy and renamed Siliman,[5] and was listed in Jane's Fighting Ships as still operational in 2011.[5]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Ships since 1946, p. 86
  2. ^ a b c d e Blackman (ed.), Jane's Fighting Ships, 1968–69, p. 18
  3. ^ The patrol boat, Australian National Maritime Museum
  4. ^ a b Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Ships since 1946, p. 87
  5. ^ a b Saunders, Stephen, ed. (2011). Jane's Fighting Ships 2011–2012. Coulsdon: IHS Jane's. p. [page needed]. ISBN 9780710629593. OCLC 751789024.

References

  • Blackman, Raymond, ed. (1968). Jane's Fighting Ships, 1968–69 (71st ed.). London: Jane's Publishing Company. OCLC 123786869.
  • Gillett, Ross (1988). Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946. Brookvale, NSW: Child & Associates. ISBN 0-86777-219-0. OCLC 23470364.
  • "The patrol boat". Australian National Maritime Museum. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 30 June 2011.