The Bay-class inshore minehunters were a class of catamaran-hull mine warfare vessels operating with the Royal Australian Navy from 1986 onwards. They replaced the earlier Ton-class minesweepers in the RAN.
Specifications[]
- Type: Minehunter
- Service Period: 1986-Present
- Characteristics:
- Length: 101 feet (30.79 meters)
- Beam: 30 feet (9.14 meters)
- Draft: 6.6 feet (2.01 meters)
- Displacement: 178 tons
- Crew: 13 (3 officers and 10 enlisted)
- Propulsion: 2 x Poyard 520-V8-S2 diesel generators; 650 hp(m) (478 kW); 2 x Schottel hydraulic transmission and steering systems (one to each hull)
- Range:
- Speed:
- Sensor Suite:
- Kelvin Hughes Type 1006; I-band Navigation RDF
- Atlas Elektronic DSQS-11M; hull-mounted minehunting ASDIC
- Syledis and GPS precision navigation systems
- Countermeasures:
- STN Atlas Elektronic MWS80-5 minehunting system
- ECA 38 mine disposal system with two PAP 104 Mk.3 vehicles
- Armament:
- 2 x remote control mine disposal vehicles
- 2 x 12.7mm machine guns
Unit Run[]
- HMAS Rushcutter (M80)
- HMAS Shoalwater (M81)
- HMAS Westernport (M82)
- HMAS Discovery (M83)
- HMAS Esperance (M84)
- HMAS Melville (M85)