The Fish class was a

ship class A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, is a nuclear aircraft carrier (ship type) of the (ship class). In the course ...

of three torpedo recovery vessels previously operated by

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 ventu ...

(DMS).

Design and construction

The class was ordered in 1969 as replacements for World War II-era torpedo recovery vessels. The vessels each had a full load displacement of , a length of , a beam of , and a draught of . Propulsion machinery consisted of three GM V8 diesels, which supplied to the three propeller shafts. Top speed was , and the vessels had an endurance of 63 hours at . Each Fish-class vessel could recover up to eight torpedoes via a watertight stern gate.Gillett, ''Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946'', pp. 104–5 They were unarmed, and their sensor suite was limited to an I-band navigational radar. Nine personnel made up the crew. All three vessels were built at

Williamstown Dockyard Williamstown Dockyard was one of Australia's principal ship building yards at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia. The Colony of Victoria decided to construct a large slipway at Williamstown to provide ship repair facilities in 1856 and the Governm ...

for 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 ...

between January 1970 and April 1971.Wertheim, ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World'', p. 32Saunders (ed.), ''IHS Jane's Fighting Ships 2012–2013'', p. 36

Operational history

Originally identified only by the numbers 253–255, the vessels were named in 1983 and renumbered 801–803. On entering service, TRV 253 was assigned to the target range at Jervis Bay, while the other two vessels were attached to in Sydney. In addition to torpedo recovery, the boats were used as dive tenders and as training vessels for the

Royal Australian Naval Reserve The Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Australian Navy in Australia. The current Royal Australian Naval Reserve was formed in June 1973 by merging the former RANR (Seagoing) and the Royal Australian ...

. In 1988, the three vessels were sold to DMS. As part of the company's role in providing maritime support for the RAN, the vessels were assigned to various bases: ''Tuna'' to nearby , ''Trevally'' remaining at ''Waterhen'', while ''Tailor'' sailed to in Western Australia. As of 2012, only ''Tailor'' remained in service. As of 2018, ''Tailor'' was decommissioned and put up for sale to the public effectively ending the service of this class

Design and construction

Operational history

Ships

Citations

References