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HMAS Jervis Bay (AKR-45)
Encyclopedia
HMAS Jervis Bay (AKR 45) was a wave piercing
Wave-piercing
A wave-piercing boat hull has a very fine bow, with reduced buoyancy in the forward portions.When a wave is encountered, the lack of buoyancy means the hull pierces through the water rather than riding over the top - resulting in a smoother ride than traditional designs, and in diminished stress on...
catamaran that operated in 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 by Incat
INCAT
INCAT is a part of Tata Technologies Limited, a company in the Tata Group and operates in the field of Automotive Industry providing Engineering and Design solutions. The company took over a much larger player in the field namely INCAT, a Europe based company, in 2005...
in Tasmania and launched in 1997 as Incat 045, the ship was charted to TT-Line as Tascat to supplement cross-Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
services until the company acquired new ships. The catamaran remained laid up until 1999, when she was commissioned into 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...
as a troop and equipment transport, becoming the first large catamaran to enter naval service. Jervis Bay operated in support of the INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce until May 2001, when she was decommissioned and returned to the builder.
In 2002, the ferry was sent to Europe, operating briefly in the Mediterrranean before being chartered by Speed Ferries for a cross-English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
ferry service as HSC SpeedOne. She is now owned by Condor Ferries
Condor Ferries
Condor Ferries is an operator of ferry services between mainland England and the Channel Islands, between England and France, and between France and the Channel Islands.-Recent history:...
and is named HSC Condor Rapide.
Construction
The ship was laid down as Incat 045 in 1997, at Incat's shipyards in Hobart, Tasmania. She was launched in November 1997. The catamaran had not been ordered by any company.Four Ruston 20RK270 medium-speed diesels propel the catamaran at speeds of up to 45 knots (24.5 m/s).
TT-Line
The ship's first period of service was on charter to TT-Line, for service between Melbourne, Victoria and Devonport, TasmaniaDevonport, Tasmania
-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...
. Named Tascat, the ship ran in conjunction with the first Spirit of Tasmania until the new ferries Spirit of Tasmania I
MS Spirit of Tasmania I
MS Spirit of Tasmania I is a fast ropax ferry owned by TT-Line Pty. Ltd. and operated on the route from Melbourne and Devonport. She was built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards Turku in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast IV. From 2002 onwards she sails for TT-Line Pty. Ltd...
and Spirit of Tasmania II
MS Spirit of Tasmania II
MS Spirit of Tasmania II is a super fast ropax ferry owned by TT-Line Pty. Ltd. and operated on the route from Melbourne and Devonport. She was built in 1998 by Kvaerner Masa-Yards Turku in Finland for Superfast Ferries as MS Superfast III. From 2002 onwards she sails for TT-Line Pty. Ltd...
entered service, at which point she was laid up.
RAN
After an increase in instability in nations near Australia, the Australian Defence ForceAustralian Defence Force
The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
sought to upgrade a second brigade-size group to activation on short notice. Delays in refitting the two Kanimbla class
Kanimbla class landing platform amphibious
The Kanimbla class is a class of amphibious transport ships operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Two ships were purchased by Australia in 1994 and modified...
vessels acquired from the United States Navy several years earlier meant that the RAN's sealift
Sealift
Sealift is a term used predominantly in military logistics and refers to the use of cargo ships for the deployment of military assets, such as weaponry, vehicles, military personnel, and supplies...
capability had to be supplemented in order to support two brigades. The RAN sought a large, high-speed catamaran from either Incat or Australian Ships (later named Austal
Austal
Austal is an Australian company that specializes in the design and construction of aluminium vessels. Its main products include passenger and freight ferries, luxury yachts and military vessels....
): both companies had vessels available, but only Incat was able to provide a ship before June 1999. A two-year bareboat charter
Bareboat charter
A bareboat charter is an arrangement for the chartering or hiring of a ship or boat, whereby no crew or provisions are included as part of the agreement; instead, the people who rent the vessel from the owner are responsible for taking care of such things....
was signed for Incat 045 in May 1999, and the vessel was commissioned into the RAN as HMAS Jervis Bay on 10 June 1999.
For military service, the catamaran was modified with enlarged fuel tanks to extend her range to 1000 nautical miles (1,852 km) and additional air conditioning units to improve equipment operational reliability in tropical climates. Sections of the vehicle deck were reinforced to support up to nine tons of weight per axle, allowing the vessel to transport most Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
vehicles. The catamaran's vehicle ramp was modified so it could be self-deployed, instead of requiring dock facilities. After modification, Jervis Bay could transport 500 troops, plus their equipment, supplies, and vehicles. In order to maintain a high operational tempo without personnel fatigue or burnout
Burnout (psychology)
Burnout is a psychological term for the experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest. Research indicates general practitioners have the highest proportion of burnout cases; according to a recent Dutch study in Psychological Reports, no less than 40% of these experienced high levels of...
, two ships' companies of 20 (including 5 Army personnel responsible for the embarkment, storage, and disbarkment of Army personnel and equipment) were established; a practice later used by the RAN on patrol boats and survey ships. Because Jervis Bay was designed for short-haul voyages, crew and passenger facilities were limited: little potable water was carried, cooking facilities were minimal, and there were no sleeping facilities for the crew. Later modifications included the installation of additional water tanks, and the fitting of 20 bunks.
Based in Darwin after commissioning, Jervis Bay was in a fortuitous position to respond to the 1999 East Timorese crisis
1999 East Timorese crisis
The 1999 East Timorese crisis began with attacks by anti-independence militants on civilians, and expanded to general violence throughout the country, centred in the capital Dili. The violence erupted after a majority of eligible voters in the population of East Timor chose independence from...
, and was used to provide logistic support to the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce. The catamaran was the first RAN ship to reach Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
; deploying Australian soldiers to secure the area. Jervis Bay was then used to transport soldiers and equipment between Darwin and Dili: she was capable of sailing the 430 nautical miles (796.4 km) at an average speed of approximately 45 knots (24.5 m/s), The catamaran was also used to transport humanitarian aid, and relocate displaced person
Displaced person
A displaced person is a person who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration.- Origin of term :...
s.
During the two years of the ship's charter by the RAN, Jervis Bay made 107 trips between Darwin and East Timor, shipping 20,000 passengers, 430 vehicles and 5,600 tonnes of freight, becoming known as the "Dili Express". The total cost of hiring Jervis Bay was A$16 million. In March 2010, the ship was retroactively awarded the battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
"East Timor 1999-2000".
The successful use of a catamaran in military logistics operations led to the acquisition of three Incat catamarans by the United States military (Joint Venture (Incat 050), Spearhead (060), and Swift (061)
HSV-2 Swift
HSV-2 Swift is a non-commissioned, hybrid catamaran originally leased by the United States Navy as a mine countermeasures and sea basing test platform. She is now privately owned and operated by Sealift Inc. and charted to Military Sealift Command. She is primarily used for fleet support and...
) and prompted the development of the Independence
Independence class littoral combat ship
The Independence class is a class of littoral combat ships built for the United States Navy.The hull design evolved from a project at Austal to design a 40 knot cruise ship...
class littoral combat ship
Littoral combat ship
A Littoral Combat Ship is a type of relatively small surface vessel intended for operations in the littoral zone . It is "envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetric threats in the littorals." Two ship classes are the first...
s as trimarans.
Decommissioning and post-RAN operations
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Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
and Palau in Italy, until the company's collapse later that year. She was laid up again, until she was purchased by United Kingdom cross-channel operator SpeedFerries
SpeedFerries
SpeedFerries was a low cost ferry operator which started in May 2004 and continued in business until November 2008. It operated one route between Dover in England and Boulogne in France...
in 2004 and renamed HSC SpeedOne. On 26 March 2010, it was announced that the ferry had been acquired by Condor Ferries
Condor Ferries
Condor Ferries is an operator of ferry services between mainland England and the Channel Islands, between England and France, and between France and the Channel Islands.-Recent history:...
, and would enter service in late May under the name Condor Rapide.