HMPNGS ''Buna'' is a heavy landing craft operated by the

Papua New Guinea Defence Force The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Papua New Guinea. It originated from the Australian Army land forces of the territory of Papua New Guinea before independence, coming into be ...

(PNGDF). Prior to 1974, the vessel was called HMAS ''Buna'' (L 132) and was operated by 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 ...

(RAN).

Design and construction

The eight-vessel ''Balikpapan'' class was ordered as a locally manufactured replacement for the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), wh ...

's LSM-1-class landing ship medium and ALC 50 landing craft. They are long, with a beam of , and a draught of .Wertheim (ed.), ''The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World'', p. 26 The landing craft have a standard displacement of 316 tons, with a full load displacement of 503 tons. They are propelled by two GM Detroit 6-71 diesel motors, providing 675 brake horsepower to the two propeller shafts, allowing the vessels to reach . The standard ship's company is 13-strong. The ''Balikpapan''s are equipped with a Decca RM 916 navigational radar, and fitted with two machine guns for self-defence. The LCHs have a maximum payload of 180 tons; equivalent to 3

Leopard 1 The Leopard 1 (also styled Leopard I, before the Leopard 2 simply known as Leopard) is a main battle tank designed and produced by Porsche in West Germany that first entered service in 1965. Developed in an era when HEAT warheads were thought t ...

tanks, 13 M113 armored personnel carriers 23 quarter-tonne trucks, or four

LARC-V LARC-V (Lighter, Amphibious Resupply, Cargo, 5 ton), is an aluminium-hulled amphibious cargo vehicle capable of transporting 5 tons. It was developed in the United States during the 1950s, and is used in a variety of auxiliary roles to this ...

amphibious cargo vehicles.Gillett, ''Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946'', p. 79 As a troop transport, a ''Balikpapan''-class vessel can transport up to 400 soldiers between a larger amphibious ship and the shore, or embark 60 soldiers in six-berth caravans for longer voyages. The vessel's payload affects the range: at 175 tons of cargo, each vessel has a range of , which increases to with a 150-ton payload, and when unladen. The flat, box-like keel causes the ships to roll considerably in other-than-calm conditions, limiting their ability to make long voyages. ''Buna'' was laid down by

Walkers Limited Walkers Limited was an Australian engineering company, based in Maryborough, Queensland. It built ships and railway locomotives. The Walkers factory still produces railway locomotives and rolling stock as part of Downer Rail. History In ...

at Maryborough, Queensland on 31 July 1972, launched on 26 September 1972, and commissioned into the RAN on 7 December 1973.Swinden, ''Heavy Lifting for Four Decades'', p. 20

Operational history

In April 1974, ''Buna'', ''Betano'', and ''Brunei'' transited to

Lord Howe Island Lord Howe Island (; formerly Lord Howe's Island) is an irregularly crescent-shaped volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand, part of the Australian state of New South Wales. It lies directly east of mainland P ...

as a demonstration of the ''Balikpanan'' class' oceangoing capabilities.Swinden, ''Heavy Lifting for Four Decades'', p. 22 On 14 November 1974, ''Buna'' was decommissioned from RAN service and transferred to the

.Swinden, ''Heavy Lifting for Four Decades'', p. 21 In June 2021, ''Buna'' was decommissioned from PNGDF service.

References

Sources

Books * * Journal articles * {{DEFAULTSORT:Buna Balikpapan-class landing craft heavy of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force 1972 ships Ships built in Queensland