Craft Of Opportunity Program
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Craft Of Opportunity Program
The Craft of Opportunity Program (COOP) was a Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ... (RAN) acquisition program intended to supplement the navy's mine warfare capability with civilian vessels that could be quickly converted into minesweepers. Vessels acquired under COOP were not commissioned into the RAN, and instead operated with the prefix "MSA" (Minesweeper Auxiliary). Acquisitions COOP was initiated in 1985, to cover the gap in mine warfare capability caused by the decommissioning of the Ton-class minesweepers and delays in building their replacements, the Bay-class minehunting catamarans.Jones, in Stevens (ed.), ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 252 In order to equip the auxiliary vessels, the RAN acquired several Klein Type 590 towed sidesc ...
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HMAS Brolga
MSA (Minesweeper Auxiliary) ''Brolga'' (1102) was a minesweeper operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) between 1988 and 2003. Launched in 1975 by Australian Shipbuilding Industries, the ship was designed for the Department of Transport (1983–87), Department of Transport as the lighthouse tender ''Lumen''. Originally operating as a supply vessel for lighthouses around northern Queensland and the Torres Strait, the transition in lighthouse lights from acetylene gas to solar power meant there was less demand for the vessel, and by 1988, the Department of Transport was looking to sell the ship. Around this time, the RAN was looking to acquire vessels under the Craft of Opportunity Program, to serve as Auxiliaries, auxiliary minesweepers and technology testbeds. Design and construction The ship has a full load displacement of 268 tons, is in length, with a beam of , and a draught of .Sharpe (ed.), ''Janes Fighting Ships 1998-99'', p. 29Gallagher, ''Brolga flys home to Freo'' ...
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Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of Defence (MINDEF) and the Chief of Defence Force (CDF). The Department of Defence as part of the Australian Public Service administers the ADF. Formed in 1901, as the Commonwealth Naval Forces (CNF), through the amalgamation of the colonial navies of Australia following the federation of Australia. Although it was originally intended for local defence, it became increasingly responsible for regional defence as the British Empire started to diminish its influence in the South Pacific. The Royal Australian Navy was initially a green-water navy, and where the Royal Navy provided a blue-water force to the Australian Squadron, which the Australian and New Zealand governments helped to fund, and that was assigned to the Australia Station. Thi ...
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Ship Prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/nationality. In the modern environment, prefixes are cited inconsistently in civilian service, whereas in government service a vessel's prefix is seldom omitted due to government regulations dictating that a certain prefix be used. Today the common practice is to use a single prefix for all warships of a nation's navy, and other prefixes for auxiliaries and ships of allied services, such as coast guards. For example, the modern navy of Japan adopts the prefix "JS" – Japanese Ship. However, not all navies use prefixes. Among the Blue-water navy, blue-water navies, those of France, Brazil, China, Russia, Germany, and Spain do not use ship prefixes. NATO designations such as FS (French Ship), FGS (Federal German Ship), and SPS (Spanish Ship) ...
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Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of the naval mine dates to the Ming dynasty.Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 203–205. Dedicated minesweepers, however, only appeared many centuries later during the Crimean War, where they were deployed by the British. The Crimean War minesweepers were rowboats trailing grapnels to snag mines. Minesweeping technology picked up in the Russo-Japanese War, using aging torpedo boats as minesweepers. In Britain, naval leaders recognized before the outbreak of World War I that the development of sea mines was a threat to the nation's shipping and began efforts to counter the threat. Sir Arthur Wilson noted the real threat of the time was blockade aided by mines and not invasion. The function of the fishing fleet's trawlers with their trawl gear was ...
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Ton-class Minesweeper
The Ton class were coastal minesweepers built in the 1950s for the Royal Navy, but also used by other navies such as the South African Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. They were intended to meet the threat of seabed mines laid in shallow coastal waters, rivers, ports and harbours, a task for which the existing ocean-going minesweepers of the ''Algerine''-class were not suited. Description The design of the class drew on lessons learnt in the Second World War when it became apparent that minelaying in coastal waters was more effective than in the deep sea; the existing fleet minesweepers were not well suited to deal with this threat. Design started at the Naval Construction Department in Bath in 1947 and the first ship was ordered in September 1950; the class eventually numbered 119 vessels. The lead constructor was John I. Thornycroft & Company, although Ton-class vessels were also built at fifteen other yards. They were diesel powered vessels of 440 tons displacement fu ...
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Bay-class Minehunter
The Bay-class Minehunter Inshores were a class of catamaran-hull mine warfare vessels operating with the Royal Australian Navy from 1986. Also referred to as the MHCAT (MineHunter CATamaran), the class was an attempt to produce a locally designed inshore mine warfare vessel.Jones, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 222 Two prototype ships were ordered in 1981, with the first ship, ''Rushcutter'', commissioned in November 1986. The two ships experienced delays in construction, and the RAN resorted to acquiring six minesweeper auxiliaries (MSA) under the Craft of Opportunity Program to provide an interim mine-warfare capability, while also keeping minesweeper in service until 1990, well beyond her intended decommissioning date.Jones, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 252 The ships did not enter service until 1993, due to problems with the sonar.Spurling, in ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 275 Design and construction One of the identifying features of this class is that ve ...
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Huon-class Minehunter
The ''Huon''-class minehunter coastal (MHC) ships are a group of minehunters built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Following problems with the s, a request for tender was issued in 1993 for a class of six coastal minehunters under the project designation SEA 1555. The tender was awarded in 1994 to the partnership of Australian Defence Industries (ADI) and Intermarine SpA, which was offering a variant of the Italian . Five of the six ships were constructed completely in Newcastle, New South Wales, while the hull of the first ship was built in Italy, then transported to Australia for fitting out. Construction ran from 1994 to 2003, with lead ship entering service in 1999. All six vessels are based at , in Sydney. In 2006, following a capability review three years prior, one minehunter was placed in reserve, while another was marked for transfer to reserve status; this instruction was reversed prior to 2008, and the two vessels were tasked with supporting border protection oper ...
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Bandicoot-class Minesweeper
The ''Bandicoot'' class was a ship class of two minesweeper tugboats operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). MSA ''Bandicoot'' (Y 298) and MSA ''Wallaroo'' (Y 299) were built in 1982 for Maritime (PTE) Ltd. as the tugboats ''Grenville VII'' and ''Grenville V''. In 1990, the RAN purchased the vessels for conversion into auxiliary minesweepers under the Craft of Opportunity Program (COOP). The vessels could be equipped with a sidescan sonar and various towed minesweeping arrays, and also functioned as berthing tugs. Both vessels were placed in reserve in 2010, but were deployed on several occasions since to provide berthing support to nuclear-powered warships. They were removed from naval service in 2014. Design and construction ''Bandicoot'' and ''Wallaroo'' were built by Mipe Shipbuilding for Singaporean company Maritime (PTE) Ltd. as the tugboats ''Grenville VII'' and ''Grenville V'', and entered service in 1982.Saunders (ed.), ''Jane's Fighting Ships 2008-2009'', p. 3 ...
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Defence Maritime Services
DMS Maritime, formerly Defence Maritime Services, is a company providing port services to the Australian Defence Force and Marine Unit. It is a subsidiary of Serco. History Defence Maritime Services was founded in 1997 as a 50:50 joint venture between P&O Maritime Services and Serco to fulfill a contract to organise tug boats and ferries and supply and maintain small boats for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). In 2012, Serco bought out P&O's shareholding. Headquartered in Sydney, it has operations in Cairns, Darwin, Dampier, Fremantle, Western Port, Jervis Bay and Sydney. It currently operates eight oceangoing vessels and over 100 harbour craft and has around 350 staff. The services DMS is contracted to provide to the RAN include operating tug boats and lighters at RAN bases, training members of the RAN, and maintaining RAN warships. Vessels operated Auxiliaries General-purpose tenders *''Seahorse Spirit'' *'' Seahorse Standard'' Both Vessels have been Retired and rem ...
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Seahorse Horizon
HMAS ''Protector'' (ASR 241) was a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) trials and submarine rescue ship. Built in 1984, the ship was initially operated by the National Safety Council of Australia as MV ''Blue Nabilla''. She was purchased by the RAN in 1990 for use as a surveillance, training, and diving support vessel. During her military career, ''Protector'' supported the trials of the s, and was involved in a search for the shipwreck of the World War II cruiser . The ship was decommissioned in 1998 and, while still owned by the Commonwealth, she is provided to Defence Maritime Services to allow them to support Navy activities under contract. Renamed ''Seahorse Horizon'', the ship is operated by Defence Maritime Services out of as a training and Fleet support vessel. Construction The ship was constructed by Stirling Marine Services in Western Australia, and was completed in 1984. Operational history She operated as MV ''Blue Nabilla'' for the National Safety Council of Australia ...
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Former MSA Wallaroo In April 2018
A former is an object, such as a template, gauge or cutting die, which is used to form something such as a boat's hull. Typically, a former gives shape to a structure that may have complex curvature. A former may become an integral part of the finished structure, as in an aircraft fuselage, or it may be removable, being using in the construction process and then discarded or re-used. Aircraft formers Formers are used in the construction of aircraft fuselage, of which a typical fuselage has a series from the nose to the empennage, typically perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft. The primary purpose of formers is to establish the shape of the fuselage and reduce the column length of stringers to prevent instability. Formers are typically attached to longerons, which support the skin of the aircraft. The "former-and-longeron" technique (also called stations and stringers) was adopted from boat construction, and was typical of light aircraft built until ...
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Nuclear Marine Propulsion
Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship or submarine with heat provided by a nuclear reactor. The power plant heats water to produce steam for a turbine used to turn the ship's propeller through a gearbox or through an electric generator and motor. Nuclear propulsion is used primarily within naval warships such as nuclear submarines and supercarriers. A small number of experimental civil nuclear ships have been built. Compared to oil- or coal-fuelled ships, nuclear propulsion offers the advantages of very long intervals of operation before refueling. All the fuel is contained within the nuclear reactor, so no cargo or supplies space is taken up by fuel, nor is space taken up by exhaust stacks or combustion air intakes. However, the low fuel cost is offset by high operating costs and investment in infrastructure, so nearly all nuclear-powered vessels are military. Power plants Basic operation of naval ship or submarine Most naval nuclear reactors are of the pressurize ...
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