A sister ship, under final construction for the Solomon Islands, in the Austal shipyards in Henderson, Western Australia
History
Tuvalu
NameTe Mataili II
BuilderAustal
Launched26 November 2018
Commissioned5 April 2019
Identification
General characteristics
Class and typeGuardian-class patrol boat
Length39.5 m (129 ft 7 in)
Beam8 m (26 ft 3 in)
Draft0.76 m (2.5 ft)
Propulsion2 × Caterpillar 3516C diesel engines, 2 shafts
Speed20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
ArmamentAustralia provides the ships without armament, but they are designed to be able to mount heavy machine guns, or an autocannon of up to 30 mm on the foredeck

HMTSS Te Mataili II (802) is the second Guardian-class patrol boat completed, and the first to be given to the small Pacific Ocean nation Tuvalu.[1][2][3] She was commissioned on 5 April 2019, replacing Te Mataili (801), a Pacific Forum patrol vessel, that had reached the end of her designed lifetime.[4][2][1]

Background

Following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea extension of maritime nations' exclusive economic zones to 200 kilometres (108 nmi), Australia agreed to provide twelve of its neighbours with twenty-two Pacific Forum-class patrol vessels, so they could exercise sovereignty over their own territory using their own resources.[5][6] The first vessel was delivered in 1987, and in 2015 Australia announced plans to replace the original patrol boats with larger and more capable vessels.

Design

Australian ship builder Austal won the $335 million Australian dollar contract for the project, and built the vessels at its Henderson shipyard, near Perth.[7] Guardian-class vessels were designed to use commercial off-the-shelf components, not cutting edge, military grade equipment, to make them easier to maintain in small isolated shipyards.

The vessels are 39.5 metres (130 ft) long, can travel 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h).[7] Their maximum speed is 20 knots (37 km/h).[8] Their design allows the recipient nations to mount a pair of heavy machine guns, on either flank, and possibly an autocannon of up to 30 mm, on the foredeck.

Operational career

In July 2019, Inspector Seleganui Fusi, commanding officer of the Te Mataili II, hosted a delegation from Timor, letting them prepare for the arrival of their patrol vessels.[9]

Te Mataili II was severely damaged by a cyclone in Vanuatu in March 2023 and was sent to Australia for repairs.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Christopher Pyne (2019-04-07). "Guardian Class Patrol Boat gifted to Tuvalu". Department of Defence. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-04-07. Te Mataili II was received by the Prime Minister of Tuvalu, the Right Hon Enele Sosene Sopoaga at a handover ceremony attended by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism, Environment and Labour, the Hon Taukelina Finikaso, the Minister for Natural Resources, the Hon Dr Puakena Boreham, and the Commissioner of the Tuvalu Police Service, Commissioner Luka Falefou.
  2. ^ a b "Australia hands over Guardian-class patrol boat to Tuvalu". Naval Today. 2019-04-06. Archived from the original on 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-04-07. The 39.5 meter steel hulled patrol boat was built by Australian shipbuilder Austal under an AUD 335 million program that will see 21 boats gifted to 12 Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste.
  3. ^ Ridzwan Rahmat (2019-04-08). "Tuvalu receives Guardian-class patrol boat from Australia". Jane's Navy International. Singapore. Retrieved 2019-11-25. The vessel, which has been named Te Mataili II , was handed over to the Tuvalu Government on 7 April in a ceremony at Western Australia. The vessel will be operated by the maritime surveillance unit of the Tuvalu Police Force.
  4. ^ "Papua New Guinea receives first Guardian-class patrol boat". Naval Today. 2018-11-30. Archived from the original on 2018-12-02. The next vessel will be gifted to Tuvalu in April 2019 and the last will go to Timor-Leste in October 2023.
  5. ^ "Austal Pacific Patrol Boat 40" (PDF). Austal. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2018-01-21. Austal will design, construct and deliver the 19 steel-hulled patrol boats (valued at $280 million) to 12 Pacific Island nations. The contract includes an option for two additional vessels.
  6. ^ "Australia's Defence Engagement in the Pacific: 2016 Defence White Paper". Australian Navy. 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-01-22. Retrieved 2018-04-22. The Pacific Patrol Boats are gifted by Australia as sovereign assets, and have enabled Pacific Island countries to take an active role in securing their own borders and resources – to the benefit of the region overall. The PPBs are used to undertake a wide range of tasks, from fisheries enforcement, to Search and rescue, to movement of ballot boxes.
  7. ^ a b Hamish Hastie (2018-05-30). "Wrapped up with a bow: First Pacific patrol boat hits the water". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2018-07-09. The $335 million Pacific patrol boat program was awarded to Austal in 2016 and will see 21 'Guardian Class' boats built in WA and gifted to 12 Pacific Island countries and East Timor as part of the Pacific maritime security program.
  8. ^ Gabriel Dominguez (2018-12-03). "Papua New Guinea receives first Guardian-class patrol boat". Jane's Defence Weekly. London. Archived from the original on 2018-12-03. Retrieved 2018-12-03. The steel-hulled boat was built with space and weight considerations for a 30 mm naval gun as a primary weapon, as well as port and starboard mounts for 12.7 mm general-purpose machine guns.
  9. ^ "Timor receives Guardian Class preview". Defence Connect. 2019-07-24. Retrieved 2019-11-25. Members from the Falantil Forcas Defesa de Timor Lorosae (F-FDTL) were able to see first-hand the second Guardian Class Patrol Boat built by West Australian shipbuilder Austal, which is part of the contract that will see 23 ships built for Timor-Leste and 12 Pacific island nations over four years.
  10. ^ "Tuvalu joins forces with Sea Shepherd Global to Combat Ilegal Fishing in Pacific Waters". Department of Foreign Affairs - Government of Tuvalu. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 25 November 2023.
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