HMAS Leeuwin (A 245) is the lead ship

Lead ship

The lead ship or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable military ships and larger civilian craft.-Overview:...

 of the Leeuwin Class

Leeuwin class survey vessel

The Leeuwin class is a class of two hydrographic survey vessels in the Royal Australian Navy, HMAS Leeuwin and HMAS Melville. Both ships were built by NQEA in Cairns, Queensland, and entered service in 2000....

 of Hydrographic Survey vessels of 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).

Leeuwin is named after Cape Leeuwin

Cape Leeuwin

Cape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia.A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast...

, in the South West of Western Australia, and is the first ship of the Royal Australian Navy to carry this name (the naval base operated from 1940 to 1986). Leeuwin and her sister ship were built by NQEA in Cairns

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...

.

Leeuwin has the ability to carry three fully equipped Fantome class survey motor boats

Fantome class survey motor boat

The Fantome class survey motor boat is a class of eight small boats operated by the Royal Australian Navy and DMS Maritime. The four-man survey boats are designed to operate from the Leeuwin class survey vessels, with three assigned to each ship, while the seventh and eighth were attached to the...

 for use in waters not suitable for Leeuwin herself. Leeuwin can carry a Squirrel

Eurocopter Ecureuil

The Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil is a single-engined light helicopter originally manufactured by Aérospatiale . The AS350 is marketed in North America as the AStar...

 helicopter from 723 Squadron

723 Squadron RAN

723 Squadron is a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm squadron.-History:723 Squadron was first commissioned into the RAN on 7 April 1952 and was equipped with one Dakota, one Wirraway, one Sea Otter and two Sea Fury aircraft...

.