HMAS Attack (P 90)

Design and construction

The Attack class was ordered in 1964 to operate in Australian waters as patrol boats based on lessons learned through using the Ton class minesweepers on patrols of Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, and to replace a variety of old patrol, search-and-rescue, and general-purpose craft. Initially, nine were ordered for the RAN, with another five for Papua New Guinea's Australian-run coastal security force, although another six ships were later ordered to bring the class to twenty vessels.

The patrol boats had a displacement of 100 tons at standard load and 146 tons at full load, were 107.6 feet (32.8 m) in length overall, had a beam of 20 feet (6.1 m), and draughts of 6.4 feet (2.0 m) at standard load, and 7.3 feet (2.2 m) at full load. The vessels' propulsion machinery consisted of two 16-cylinder Paxman YJCM diesel engines, which supplied 3,460 shaft horsepower (2,580 kW) to the two propellers, producing a top speed of 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) and a range of 1,200 nautical miles (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). The ship's company consisted of three officers and sixteen sailors. Its main armament was a bow-mounted Bofors 40 mm gun, supplemented by two .50 calibre M2 Browning machine guns and various small arms. The ships were designed with as many commercial components as possible: the Attacks were to operate in remote regions of Australia and New Guinea, and a town's hardware store would be more accessible than home base in a mechanical emergency.

Attack was built by Evans Deakin and Company at Brisbane, Queensland, launched on 8 April 1967 and commissioned on 17 November 1967. Although it was the lead ship of the class, Attack was the second ship commissioned into the RAN, four days behind HMAS Aitape.

Operational history

Following its commission, Attack served in the RAN for 17 years, during which time it was employed mainly in the waters to Australia's north, protecting fisheries. It was also used to support survey work conducted by Moresby. Attack paid off on 21 February 1985. She was transferred to the Indonesian Navy on 24 May 1985 and renamed Sikuda. The patrol boat was listed in Jane's Fighting Ships as still operational in 2011.