The Explorer class was a two-ship class of general purpose vessels of the

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 ...

that served between 1960 and 1995.Wilson, ''Royal Australian Navy 21st Century Warships'', p. 37

Design

The Explorer class was a two-ship class of general purpose vessels built for the RAN.Gillett, ''Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946'', p. 46 The ships had a

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of 207 tons at standard load and 260 tons at full load. Each was long between perpendiculars and

long overall __NOTOC__ Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and ...

, had a

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of , and a draught of . Propulsion machinery consisted of GM diesels, which supplied to the two propeller screws, and allowed the vessel to reach . The ship's company consisted of 14 personnel. The ship's armament of light weapons (usually .50 calibre machine guns) were only fitted as needed. The two vessel, and , were built by Walkers Limited of

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.Gillett, ''Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946'', p. 47 Both were laid down in 1959, and were commissioned into the RAN in 1960.

Operational history

The Explorers' primary roles were hydrographic survey and reservist training, among other duties. In December 1982, both vessels were decommissioned. Despite this, they remained active in training until the mid-1990s.

Ships

* - Sold 1994. * - Sold 1995.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * {{Explorer-class GPV Auxiliary training ship classes Auxiliary research ship classes