There is always talk about naval services, and you can always find threads here and there about the US Coast Guard, but what about the other smaller services? There is a need for them in the line of defence isn’t there? Otherwise why would governments spend money on them?
Anyway here is Australia’s Customs Service, with their assets.
Vessels
MV Oceanic Viking– Flag ship
Oceanic Viking is an oddity in ship design, note that the smoke stacks are right up front behind the bridge. She is armed with 2x .50 Cal guns and is ice capable, her normal operating area is the Southern Ocean and recently was deployed to monitor Japanese whalers operating in our area.
There are eight vessels in the Bay Class, these are the little brothers of the RAN’s Armidale Class Patrol Boats. They are armed with 2x .50 Cal guns. Their usual area of operation is the major shipping ports in Australia.
Triton is a famous vessel that had served as a research vessel with the British. After her trial period was up, Australian Customs took her on charge, armed her with 2x .50 Cal guns and put her to work in our Northern waters.
MV Ashmore Guardian ACV 110
Ashmore Guardian is the latest vessel to join the fleet, she is deployed to guard the Ashmore Reef area off Australia’s North West coast, in this area is a n oil field that has been under dispute between Australia and Timor Leste. The area is also renowned for violent and brutal piracy acts.
Hi Speed Interception Boats
These are new vessels currently being built for Australian Customs and deployed to various ports along the standard shipping lines (eg: Eden, Townsville, Lord Howe Island). While these do not contend with large ships and freighters, they do check on all private vessels such as Yachts Deep Water Fishing Vessels, any thing out to about 50nm off the coast.
Customs Responce Boats
These are small vessels that are usually on Patrol in all major harbours around Australia. These boats are usually the first to sight something suspicious heading out of port and will either chase it and check over it, or call in larger support vessels or Police.
Fixed Wing Aircraft
Dash 8
Largest of the Customs air assets. There is a small fleet of these highly capable planes that are fully fitted with search radar comparable with any modern Navy/Air Force. They usually operate up around Australia’s vast northern coast line.
Reims/ Cessna F406 Vigilant
Smaller, but no less capable, these aircraft operate in compliment with the bigger Dash 8’s. They also have a highly capable radar system, they are starting to replace the older Islanders in service.
Britten Norman BN-2 Islander
As mentioned above, these aircraft operate along side and will soon be replaced by the Reims F406’s. They have provided sterling service for a long time, but their limited capabilities are not able to keep up with the modern piracy acts- they are not fitted with any radar at all except the old Mk-1 Optical system (in other words, the eyes of the people inside).They operate in the more topic areas of Australia’s north eastern coast
Aero Commander 600
These planes are also being replace by the F406’s, but these planes operate in more remote areas of Australia’s vast north western coast as ,these are more resiliant of the dust and desert typical in that area.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
Smallest and most modern- Australian Customs has employed these on a trial basis as part of their “Eyes in the Sky” program. They are completely of Australian design and all parts are Australian.
Rotary Winged Aircraft
Bell 412EP
Largest of the Rotary Winged assets that Australian Customs has, these are operated on a contractor basis and are marked up in ACS colours, They are operated at all major Australian ports along shipping lines.
Eurocopter EC-135
These helos are only new to the service and have not yet come on line, the one pictured is a photo shopped copy authorised by Australian Customs to show how the helo’s will look. These are to compliment the 412’s in service and are to be operated in the ports not covered by the 412’s.
Bell 206 Longranger III
The good old Longranger has served Australian customs since it first gained a helo capability. Now in the twilight of it’s career they are operated in remote areas of Australia. Soon to be replaced by the Squirrel.
Eurocopter AS360-B3 Squirrel
These new helos are soon to enter service with ACS, they will replace the Longrangers in service in remote areas. This too is a photo shopped picture authorised by the ACS to show the markings of the helo in service.
As you can see, we have a rather capable force that is meeting the challenge of todays criminal society. If there is to be an Australian Coast Guard, they would do well to model their existance along the Australian Customs Service.
By: Ja Worsley - 12th November 2008 at 17:59
The LCS’s are way too expensive for the level of capability they provide, though the very low number of crew required is a plus.
The LCS designs are interesting but yes they are too much for Customs to use, mainly because these systems are designed to be multi purpose- perhaps a design based on the LCS but in a fixed role might prove to be more lucrative!
no we aren’t the US. don’t want to be, as we already have a coast guard it,s just voluntary. the US isn,t the only other country to have a coast guard.
it may encouage people to enlist in the coast guard but don’t want to join the navy.
No you are right mate, there are Coast Guards in other countries- Indonesia, Malaysia, Phillipines, Japan, heck even Iceland has a Coast Guard as does Norway.
As for the AVCG, I wouldn’t put too much hope in them, they hold no policing powers, don’t have any decent boats and nothing ocean going. Basically they are just like the school yard dobbers- always running up to the teacher at telling them who did what to who!
By: marage1 - 8th November 2008 at 20:37
Never going to happen, we are not the US.
no we aren’t the US. don’t want to be, as we already have a coast guard it,s just voluntary. the US isn,t the only other country to have a coast guard.
it may encouage people to enlist in the coast guard but don’t want to join the navy.
By: StevoJH - 6th November 2008 at 03:56
yes, it is about time that Australia should consider to deploy ships like LCS-2 as potent off-shore patrol boats and supports Australian ship building industry.
The LCS’s are way too expensive for the level of capability they provide, though the very low number of crew required is a plus.
By: VNAF - 6th November 2008 at 03:50
yes, it is about time that Australia should consider to deploy ships like LCS-2 as potent off-shore patrol boats and supports Australian ship building industry.
By: Ja Worsley - 2nd November 2008 at 08:11
[QUOTE=marage1;1317542]pass the Anzac’s as well. replace these with AWD’s. Replace Armidales with LCS-2’s.
Mean while back on Earth!
I’d like to an aussie coast guard to take over from customs and navy in patrolling our waters, freeing up these services to do their other jobs.
Never going to happen, we are not the US.
Austal has a couple of interesting designs for OPC , one of which the LCS is based on (I think).
Yeah mate LCS-2 USS Independence is a trimaran based on an Austral design. With Austral gaining a win on the LCS contract, they set up an American office.
By: d'clacy - 1st November 2008 at 22:52
Austal has a couple of interesting designs for OPC , one of which the LCS is based on (I think).
By: marage1 - 1st November 2008 at 21:23
Wonder if it would be worth it for the RAN to pass the Armidales to Customs and replace them 1 for 1 with a class of 1,500-2,000t helicopter capable “sloops”.
pass the Anzac’s as well. replace these with AWD’s. Replace Armidales with LCS-2’s.
I’d like to an aussie coast guard to take over from customs and navy in patrolling our waters, freeing up these services to do their other jobs.
By: Ja Worsley - 31st October 2008 at 23:15
Actually mate I hadn’t heard that, but it does go without saying that all new ships do suffer teething problems. As for being over weight and this halving their service lives, this is interesting, I can’t see the justification for this claim. Do you have a link to this article?
By: StevoJH - 31st October 2008 at 13:05
Ouch!
Well you have to admit that if the news reports are anything to go by, they arent exactly trouble free. 😉
Last i heard it was something about being overweight and it halving their service lives.:confused:
By: Ja Worsley - 31st October 2008 at 12:31
Preferably without whatever the hell is wrong with them this week? :diablo:
Ouch!
By: StevoJH - 31st October 2008 at 12:00
There was a plan at one stage to do just this- the RAN were looking at a joint project with Malaysia to produce the OPC. Sadly the Malaysians opted out and went for the MEKO A-100’s. What we should do is as you say hand over the the Armidales to the ACS and produce the same number of Tenix designed OPC’s like what we built for the Kiwi navy.
Preferably without whatever the hell is wrong with them this week? :diablo:
By: Ja Worsley - 31st October 2008 at 10:50
With Regards to the Ashmore Guardian, she looks like a converted tuna boat.
I know what you mean mate, but there is just something about this boat that makes me love it- think of it in naval terms- landing a small squad of Special Forces 😉
In regards to pirates, please list the pirates that have 5″ guns? the Armidale class with their Stabilised 25mm Typhoon mounts could probably take on any conceivable law enforcement task, unless pirates can get their hands on retired FAC’s including SSM’s.
I personally have seen (When I was in the Navy) Pirate vessels armed with WW2 era large caliber guns, ranging from 2 Pounders through to 6.9 inch canons. In and around Indonesian waters there are many places to get such weapons, the ammo is more difficult to come by (one boat we intercepted had only five rounds that it shot off at us and fell silent), thus many of the Pirates make their own ammo. As for the 25mm Bushmasters, apparently yes these weapons are quite capable of taking on larger weapons, simply for the fact that the stabilisation gives accuracy.
Wonder if it would be worth it for the RAN to pass the Armidales to Customs and replace them 1 for 1 with a class of 1,500-2,000t helicopter capable “sloops”.
There was a plan at one stage to do just this- the RAN were looking at a joint project with Malaysia to produce the OPC. Sadly the Malaysians opted out and went for the MEKO A-100’s. What we should do is as you say hand over the the Armidales to the ACS and produce the same number of Tenix designed OPC’s like what we built for the Kiwi navy.
By: StevoJH - 31st October 2008 at 07:34
Mate you know how much the population hated Howard for crawling up Bush’s back door! Had we have started an Australian Coast Guard, we would have been America in all but name, politically it would have been like taking a gun and putting it to your head then pulling the trigger and praying that the gun misfires. The only thing with the ACS’s vessels is that like the RAN’s Patrol boats, they are not really equipped to take on the Pirates who have far superior weapons on their vessels- I mean how can 2 50’s take on a 5 inch gun? If any of the Bay class come across a pirate boat armed with RPG-7’s then I am sorry to say that the Bay class will loose the fight as they (again like the Armidale’s) are made of aluminium alloy and this burns very hot and very fast just like magnesium!
Of the entire surface fleet, the latest vessel “Ashmore Guardian” is the one I think is great, I am looking forward to hearing more of this vessel in the future. She is a purpose built vessel as you can see, but the only down side it weapons- the only ones she has are the personal weapons of the crew, she doesn’t even have the 50’s 🙁 Oh and did anyone notice the Anzac in the back ground of this pic? 😉
With Regards to the Ashmore Guardian, she looks like a converted tuna boat.
In regards to pirates, please list the pirates that have 5″ guns? the Armidale class with their Stabilised 25mm Typhoon mounts could probably take on any conceivable law enforcement task, unless pirates can get their hands on retired FAC’s including SSM’s.
Wonder if it would be worth it for the RAN to pass the Armidales to Customs and replace them 1 for 1 with a class of 1,500-2,000t helicopter capable “sloops”.
By: Ja Worsley - 31st October 2008 at 05:22
Originally posted by d’clacy
For all the rhetoric in recent years from Howard and his cronies denying a Coast Guard, it appears we have one, albeit in another name. It is not really the province of Customs to be looking for illegal migrants and protecting oil rigs.
Mate you know how much the population hated Howard for crawling up Bush’s back door! Had we have started an Australian Coast Guard, we would have been America in all but name, politically it would have been like taking a gun and putting it to your head then pulling the trigger and praying that the gun misfires. The only thing with the ACS’s vessels is that like the RAN’s Patrol boats, they are not really equipped to take on the Pirates who have far superior weapons on their vessels- I mean how can 2 50’s take on a 5 inch gun? If any of the Bay class come across a pirate boat armed with RPG-7’s then I am sorry to say that the Bay class will loose the fight as they (again like the Armidale’s) are made of aluminium alloy and this burns very hot and very fast just like magnesium!
Of the entire surface fleet, the latest vessel “Ashmore Guardian” is the one I think is great, I am looking forward to hearing more of this vessel in the future. She is a purpose built vessel as you can see, but the only down side it weapons- the only ones she has are the personal weapons of the crew, she doesn’t even have the 50’s 🙁 Oh and did anyone notice the Anzac in the back ground of this pic? 😉
By: d'clacy - 30th October 2008 at 23:11
For all the rhetoric in recent years from Howard and his cronies denying a Coast Guard, it appears we have one, albeit in another name. It is not really the province of Customs to be looking for illegal migrants and protecting oil rigs.
By: Ja Worsley - 30th October 2008 at 19:05
The Dash 8’s operate with the Raytheon SeaVue surface search radars with additional Inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR), Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and Moving target indication (MTI) capability, advanced electro-optical sensors and sophisticated communications suites. They can operate day and night close to land and at low altitude. These aircraft can search an area of 110,000 km² per flight.
I can’t find any info as to which radar is installed in the F406’s just that it is a 360 degree radar coupled to a visual system like the MX-15 electro optical system.
There is an inbuilt capability to link radios with the ADF and provide a real time video and radio link between the aircraft and ADF assets such as the AP-3C’s and naval vessels.
By: StevoJH - 30th October 2008 at 16:17
Those Dash 8’s and Reim’s seem to have very big surface search radar’s, wonder if they’d work with the Orions in a war situation, while they wouldn’t be able to do anti-sub work, they could free up the orions from tracking enemy vessels.
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October 30, 2008 at 2:22 pm
