Lata at Townsville Harbour for maintenance
History
Solomon Islands
NameLata
OperatorRoyal Solomon Islands Police Force
Launched1988
DecommissionedSeptember 11, 2019
Identification
Statusdecommissioned
General characteristics
Class and typePacific Forum-class patrol boat
Displacement162 tons
Length103 ft (31 m)

RSIPV Lata is one of the Pacific Forum patrol boats Australia gave to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.[1][2]

Background

Following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea extending maritime nations' exclusive economic zones to 200 kilometres (110 nmi), Australia agreed to design, build, and donate patrol vessels to twelve of its fellow members of the Pacific Forum so they could police and extend sovereignty to their exclusive economic zones using their own resources.[3] Australia also helped build bases for the vessels, provide training, and help with maintenance.

Design

Australia designed the vessels to use commercial off-the-shelf equipment instead of cutting-edge, high-performance, military grade equipment, to ease the maintenance burden for their smaller neighbours.[3]

Operational history

According to the Nautilus Institute rebels commandeered Lata in June 2000, and used it to bombard Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands.[4]

Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr inspected Lata, and her sister ship Auki, on a visit to Honiara in August 2012.[5]

In February and March 2017 Lata engaged in a joint fishery protection operation with her sister ship from Vanuatu, RVS Tukoro.[6]

In April 2018 Marise Payne, Australian Minister of Defence, inspected Lata, during a visit to Honiara.[7]

Replacement

Australia replaced Lata with the RSIPV Gizo a larger and more capable Guardian-class patrol boat, on November 8, 2019.[2][8] Her sister ship, Auki is scheduled to be replaced in 2022 or 2023.

Lata was officially decommissioned at Aola Base, Point Cruz in Honiara, on September 11, 2019.[9][10] She then proceeded to Australia for recycling.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Maritime". Royal Solomon Islands Police Force. 2018. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018. RSIPF Maritime operate two Pacific Class Patrol Boats owned by the RSIPF, the Lata (03) and Auki (04) as well as a range of smaller vessels.
  2. ^ a b "RSIPF thank Australian gov't". Solomon Star News. June 15, 2018. Archived from the original on July 21, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018. Commissioner Varley explains: "The new Guardian class of patrol boats will be much larger with increased capacity and extended range compared to the current Pacific class of patrol boats. This will be great especially for patrolling of Solomon Islands large maritime border."
  3. ^ a b Dave Morley (December 3, 2015). "Lifelines across Pacific" (PDF). Navy News. Vol. 58, no. 23. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018. The program involves 22 Australian-gifted patrol boats to 12 Pacific island countries, the majority of which are operated by police services.
  4. ^ "Pacific patrol boat program". Nautilus Institute. Retrieved September 10, 2019. The Defence Co-operation Program became controversial through the 1990s with Australian supplied patrol boats and helicopters used for the blockade of Bougainville. Australian military aid to the PNGDF in the early limited the ways in which Australia was perceived as an honest broker in ending the conflict. In June 2000, the Australian-supplied patrol boat Lata in Solomon Islands was also used by Malaitan militias to attack Guadalcanal villages.
  5. ^ "Carr Inspects Patrol Boats". Solomon Times. August 24, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2019. While visiting Solomon Islands recently, the Australian Foreign Minister, Senator Bob Carr took the time to inspect the two Pacific Patrol Boats, Lata and Auki.
  6. ^ "RSIPV Lata back from 'Operation Solvan'". Solomon Freshbeat. March 16, 2017. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018. RSIPV LATA, commanded by Staff Sergeant Harold Reggie, teamed with Republic of Vanuatu Ship (RVS) TUKORO, commanded by Superintendent Eddie Kalokul of the Vanuatu Police Maritime Wing, to lead a surveillance mission encompassing the south eastern section of Vanuatu's EEZ.
  7. ^ "RSIPF thank Australian Defence Cooperation Program". Royal Solomon Island Police Force. April 14, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2019. Senator Payne also visited the RSIPF Maritime Division where she was taken on board the RSIPFV Lata to be briefed on the recent operations which the Australian funded patrol boat was involved in when patrolling Solomon Islands Maritime border.
  8. ^ "Australia supports Solomon Island's security priorities". Mirage News. November 8, 2019. The Australian Government has today handed over the latest Guardian-class Patrol Boat RSIPV Gizo to the Solomon Islands at a ceremony in Henderson, Western Australia.
  9. ^ "RSIPF to farewell Patrol Boat Lata". Solomon Star. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2019. RSIPV Lata will be farewelled during a ceremony at the Maritime Aola base and will be sailed back to Australia on 12 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Solomons patrol boat decommissioned after 31 years of service". Radio New Zealand. September 11, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019. Work is underway to extend the wharf at the police maritime base at Point Cruz in preparation for the new patrol boat, which is at least 10 metres longer than the current ones.
  11. ^ "Farewell RSIPV LATA". Solomon Star. September 12, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019. In 2011 RSIPV LATA received an award of appreciation from the Australian Defence Department to the ship's company for 'the excellent maintenance' of the boat.

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