Australia decommissions last Armidale-class patrol boats after two decades of service

December 4, 2025, by Fatima Bahtić

The Royal Australian Navy has commemorated the service of HMA Ships Albany, Bathurst, and Childers, the final three Armidale-class patrol boats, during a triple decommissioning ceremony at their home port of HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin.

As informed, the patrol boats have worked alongside other government agencies to support Operation Sovereign Borders and Operation Resolute over the past 20 years. They protected Australia against unauthorised entry, breaches of customs, fisheries protection, and upheld immigration and drugs legislation.

Armidale-class patrol boats are highly capable and versatile warships that were able to conduct a wide variety of missions and tasks. The three decommissioning ships have participated in more than 70 maritime exercises with more than 30 partner navies during their tenure.

HMA Ships Albany and Bathurst were commissioned in 2006, while HMAS Childers was commissioned in 2007.

Over the course of their careers, each Armidale has sailed an average of 4800 days, travelled more than 800,000 nautical miles, conducted over 500 boardings, and visited approximately 40 international ports.

“The Armidale class patrol boats have played an integral part in protecting Australia’s borders and serving the Navy proudly in high tempo operations for over 20 years. We say thank you to the crews past and present who have brought these ships to life, and to the many families who have supported their service,” Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, said.

The Armidale class is a series of patrol boats operated by the Royal Australian Navy, designed primarily for coastal and offshore surveillance, border protection, and maritime security missions. Introduced in the early 2000s, these vessels were built by Austal Ships in Fremantle, Western Australia, and feature a modern aluminium-hull design optimized for speed, endurance, and versatility.

Measuring approximately 56.8 metres in length with a beam of 9.7 metres and a draught of 2.7 metres, Armidale-class patrol boats have a displacement of around 300 tonnes. They are powered by two MTU 4000 16V diesel engines generating over 6,000 horsepower, which enables a maximum speed of 25 knots and a range of 3,000 nautical miles at 12 knots.

The ships are lightly armed, typically with a 25 mm Rafael M242 Bushmaster cannon and two 12.7 mm machine guns, and are equipped with modern electronic countermeasures such as the BAE Systems Prism III system.

This decommissioning completes the navy’s transition to the Evolved-cape class patrol boats that will continue to patrol and secure Australia’s maritime borders.