The Wallaby-class water and fuel lighter is a class of four Australian-built lighters which have supported the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) since 1981.[1] The vessels were originally operated by the RAN, but were transferred to DMS Maritime after 1997.
 A Wallaby-class lighter in 2008
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wallaby-class water and fuel lighter |
| Builders | Williamstown Naval Dockyard |
| Operators | |
| Cost | $7,000,000 |
| Built | 1978-1984 |
| In service | 1981–2016 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Retired | 4 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Lighter |
| Displacement | 210 tons, 1100 tons (loaded) |
| Length | 38 m (124 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 9.8 m (32 ft 2 in) |
| Draft | 3.8 m (12 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 x G.E.C Harbourmaster Units |
| Armament | None |
Their main role is to transport diesel fuel and desalinated water and remove sullage and ballast waters for the RAN, although they can also be used to control oil spills.[2]
The Wallaby-class craft are scheduled to be disposed of over the next few years, with replacement water fuel lighters proposed by DMS Maritime. Update All Vessels have now been removed from service and are awaiting scrapping. Dec 2018
Ships
edit| Name | Builder | Laid Down | Launched | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallaby (8002) | Williamstown Dockyard | 1978 | 1983 | Based at Sydney - Removed 2016 |
| Wombat (8003) | Williamstown Dockyard | 1978 | 1983 | Based at Sydney - Removed 2016 |
| Wyulda (8004) | Williamstown Dockyard | 1982 | 1984 | Based at HMAS Stirling - Removed 2016 |
| Warrigal (8001) | Williamstown Dockyard | 1982 | 1984 | Based at Darwin - Removed 2016 |
Citations
editReferences
edit- Wertheim, Eric (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-955-2.
- Wilson, Michael (1994). Profile No. 4, Royal Australian Navy 21st century warships. Marrickville, New South Wales: Topmill. ISBN 0-646-22841-2.