59-480: Sea Patrol is an Australian television drama that ran from 2007 to 2011, set on board HMAS Hammersley , a fictional patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The series focused on the ship and the lives of its crew members. Despite similarities in setting and content, this series is not a follow-on to the 1979 series, Patrol Boat . At the start of the second season, Sea Patrol saw an upgrade from
118-484: A large number of civilian-crewed vessels under contract to the Australian Defence Force. RAN personnel utilise the following small arms: There are currently several major projects underway that will see upgrades to RAN capabilities. The RAN currently has forces deployed on seven major operations: HMAS Ipswich (FCPB 209) HMAS Ipswich (FCPB 209) , named for the city of Ipswich, Queensland ,
177-439: A beam of 24.25 feet (7.39 m), and a maximum draught of 5.75 feet (1.75 m). Main propulsion machinery consisted of two MTU series 538 diesel engines, which supplied 3,200 shaft horsepower (2,400 kW) to the two propeller shafts. Exhaust was not expelled through a funnel, like most ships, but through vents below the waterline. The patrol boat could reach a maximum speed of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph), and had
236-728: A commission by the Governor-General as Commander-in-Chief on behalf of His Majesty King Charles III. Naval officers are trained at the Royal Australian Naval College (HMAS Creswell ) in Jervis Bay as well as the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra. Royal Australian Navy Other Ranks wear "right arm rates" insignia, called "Category Insignia" to indicate specialty training qualifications. This
295-634: A fleet unit within a larger imperial force, controlled centrally by the British Admiralty . In 1908–09, a compromise solution was pursued, with the Australian government agreeing to establish a force for local defence but that would be capable of forming a fleet unit within the Royal Navy, albeit without central control. As a result, the navy's force structure was set at "one battlecruiser, three light cruisers, six destroyers and three submarines". The first of
354-434: A maximum range of 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km; 5,800 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph). The ship's company consisted of 22 personnel. Each patrol boat was armed with a single Bofors 40mm gun as main armament, supplemented by two .50 cal Browning machineguns and an 81 mm mortar, although the mortar was removed from all ships sometime after 1988. The main weapon was originally to be two 30 mm guns on
413-412: A third-party player, advertisements were contained in the downloaded files, and the episodes were programmed to be unplayable after the season finished airing. Due to geo-locational IP blocking, the ninemsn service may not be available outside Australia. The second season of Sea Patrol was released on the Australian iTunes Store on 25 June 2008. The first season of Sea Patrol was made available in
472-863: A troublesome German coastal raider. The SMS Emden and HMAS Sydney met in the Battle of Cocos, the Emden was destroyed in Australia's first naval victory. Following the almost complete destruction of the East Asia Squadron in the Battle of the Falklands by the Royal Navy, the RAN became able to be reassigned to other naval theatres of the war. On 28 February 1915, the Royal Australian Naval Bridging Train (RANBT)
531-446: A twin-mount, but the reconditioned Bofors were selected to keep costs down; provision was made to install an updated weapon later in the class' service life, but this did not eventuate. Ipswich was laid down by NQEA in Cairns , Queensland on 29 October 1980, launched on 25 September 1982, and commissioned into the RAN on 13 November 1982. During October and November 2006, Ipswich
590-568: Is a holdover from the Royal Navy. The Warrant Officer of the Navy (WO-N) is an appointment held by the most senior sailor in the RAN and holds the rank of warrant officer (WO). However, the WO-N does not wear the WO rank insignia; instead, they wear the special insignia of the appointment. The WO-N appointment has similar equivalent appointments in the other services, each holding the rank of warrant officer, each being
649-437: Is formed. The CDTs have two primary roles: As of June 2023, the RAN has 14,745 permanent full-time personnel, 172 gap-year personnel, and 4,607 reserve personnel. The permanent full-time trained force consists of 3,070 commissioned officers, and 9,695 enlisted personnel. While male personnel made up 75.9% of the permanent full-time force, while female personnel made up 24%. The RAN has the second-highest percentage of women in
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#1733105966326708-702: Is located at HMAS Kuttabul , Sydney and the second, Fleet Base West , is located at HMAS Stirling , near Perth. In addition, three other bases are home to the majority of the RAN's minor war vessels: HMAS Cairns , in Cairns, HMAS Coonawarra , in Darwin, and HMAS Waterhen , in Sydney. The Clearance Diving Branch is composed of two Clearance Diving Teams (CDT) that serve as parent units for naval clearance divers: When clearance divers are sent into combat, Clearance Diving Team Three (AUSCDT THREE)
767-608: Is one of the largest and most sophisticated naval forces in the South Pacific region , with a significant presence in the Indian Ocean and worldwide operations in support of military campaigns and peacekeeping missions. The Commonwealth Naval Forces were established on 1 March 1901, with the amalgamation of the six separate colonial naval forces , following the Federation of Australia . The Royal Australian Navy initially consisted of
826-732: Is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. The Chief of Navy is also jointly responsible to the Minister for Defence (MINDEF) and the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF). The Department of Defence , which is a part of the Australian Public Service , administers the ADF, and ergo,
885-555: The Fremantle class to a newer Armidale -class boat. The first season debuted on 5 July 2007 on the Nine Network , who invested $ 15 million into the programme. The second season of Sea Patrol , titled Sea Patrol II: The Coup , aired in 2008, while the third season, Sea Patrol: Red Gold , aired in 2009. The fourth season aired in 2010 in a new 16-episode format, with no main theme or continuous storyline running throughout, unlike
944-776: The British Admiralty continued to provide blue-water defence capability in the Pacific and Indian Oceans up to the early years of the Second World War. During its history, the Royal Australian Navy has participated in a number of major wars, including the First and Second World Wars, Korean War, Malayan Emergency, Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation and the Vietnam War. As of 2024, the RAN consists of over 52 commissioned vessels, 11 non-commissioned vessels and over 16,000 personnel. The navy
1003-858: The Mediterranean , the Red Sea , the Persian Gulf , the Indian Ocean , and off the West African coast . Following the outbreak of the Pacific War and the virtual destruction of Allied naval forces in Southeast Asia , the RAN operated more independently, defending against Axis naval activity in Australian waters , or participating in United States Navy offensives. As the navy took on an even greater role, it
1062-568: The Solomon Islands . The high demand for personnel in the Second World War led to the establishment of the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS) branch in 1942, where over 3,000 women served in shore-based positions. The WRANS was disbanded in 1947, but then re-established in 1951 during the Cold War. It was given permanent status in 1959, and the RAN was the final branch to integrate women in
1121-462: The hull number 82. For Season 2, footage from two ships was conflated to represent Hammersley : 42 of the 86 days of the series filming were spent aboard HMAS Broome , with later pick-up filming aboard HMAS Launceston . Before Sea Patrol aired, it was one of the most highly anticipated programmes in Australia, partly due to the episode budget of over A$ 1 million, twice that of other Australian dramas. Sea Patrol also marked
1180-477: The 1920s and early 1930s, the RAN was drastically reduced in size due to a variety of factors including political apathy and economic hardship as a result of the Great Depression . In this time the focus of Australia's naval policy shifted from defence against invasion to trade protection, and several fleet units were sunk as targets or scrapped. By 1923, the size of the navy had fallen to eight vessels, and by
1239-574: The ANMEF departed Sydney for training in Townsville before the rendezvous with other RAN vessels in Port Moresby . On 29 August, four cruisers and HMAS Australia assisted New Zealand's Samoa Expeditionary Force in landing at Apia , and committing a bloodless takeover of German Samoa. Additionally, the RAN captured German merchant vessels, disrupting German merchant shipping in the Pacific. On 7 September,
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#17331059663261298-461: The ANMEF, now including HMAS Australia , three destroyers, and two each of cruisers and submarines, departed for Rabaul. A few days later, on 9 September, HMAS Melbourne landed a party to destroy the island's wireless station, though the German administration promptly surrendered. Between 11 and 12 September, landings were put ashore at Kabakaul, Rabaul and Herbertshohe; it was during this period that
1357-569: The Asia-Pacific region and operated alongside the Royal Navy and United States Navy off Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Since the end of the Cold War, the RAN has been part of Coalition forces in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, operating in support of Operation Slipper and undertaking counter piracy operations. It was also deployed in support of Australian peacekeeping operations in East Timor and
1416-630: The Australian military in 1985. The strategic command structure of the RAN was overhauled during the New Generation Navy changes. The RAN is commanded through Naval Headquarters (NHQ) in Canberra . NHQ is responsible for implementing policy decisions handed down from the Department of Defence and for overseeing tactical and operational issues that are the purview of the subordinate commands. Beneath NHQ are two subordinate commands: Fleet Command
1475-711: The British Empire started to diminish its influence in the South Pacific. The Royal Australian Navy was initially a green-water navy , as the Royal Navy provided a blue-water force to the Australian Squadron , which the Australian and New Zealand governments helped to fund; the squadron was assigned to the Australia Station . This period lasted until 1913, when naval ships purchased from Britain arrived, although
1534-838: The RAN at the Royal Australian Naval College, HMAS Creswell. From July 2020, Maritime Spiritual Wellbeing Officers (MSWOs) were introduced to the Navy Chaplaincy Branch, designed to give Navy people and their families with professional, non-religious pastoral care and spiritual support. In the Royal Australian Navy, Chaplains and MSWOs are commissioned officers without rank. For reasons of protocol, ceremonial occasions and for saluting purposes, they are, where appropriate, normally grouped with Commanders (O-5). . The more senior Division 4 Senior Chaplains are grouped with Captains (O-6) and Division 5 Principal Chaplains are grouped with Commodores (O-7), but their rank slide remains
1593-420: The RAN encounter on typical patrols. The premiere of each season usually introduces a larger event which is expanded on and connected as the season goes on, before being resolved in the finale. This format, however, with a storyline running throughout the season, was absent in season 4. The first season's premiere began with the introduction of Bright Island, which was positioned as a type of mystery island, and
1652-651: The RAN submarine HMAS AE1 became the first ever vessel of the new navy to be sunk. The Australian Squadron was placed under control of the British Admiralty , and was moreover tasked with protecting Australian shipping. On 1 November, the RAN escorted the First Australian Imperial Force convoy from Albany, WA and set for the Khedivate of Egypt , which was soon to become the Sultanate of Egypt . On 9 November, HMAS Sydney began hunting for SMS Emden ,
1711-703: The RAN's new vessels, the destroyer HMAS Yarra , was completed in September 1910, and by the outbreak of the First World War the majority of the planned fleet had been realised. On 10 July 1911, the CNF was granted "Royal" status by King George V . Following the British Empire's declaration of war on Germany , the British War Office tasked the capture of German New Guinea to the Australian Government . This
1770-533: The Royal Australian Navy. In 2023, the Surface Fleet Review was introduced to outline the future of the Navy. The navy was formed in 1901 as the Commonwealth Naval Forces ( CNF ) through the amalgamation of the colonial navies of Australia following the federation of Australia . Although it was originally intended for local defence, it became increasingly responsible for regional defence as
1829-593: The United States on the streaming video website Hulu in 2009 and the second season was made available in 2012 . In early January 2013, season 3, 4, & 5 was released on Hulu. As of 2021, all episodes are available on the Nine Now streaming service. As of 2023, all episodes are available on Tubi and the Roku Channel in the United States. According to an April 2007 Nine Network press release, international rights to
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1888-659: The current Royal Australian Navy structure is O-10, an admiral who serves as the Chief of the Defence Force (CDF) when the position is held by a Naval Officer. The navy has a O-11 position Admiral of the Fleet that is honorary and is currently held by Charles III , King of Australia . O-8 (rear admiral) to O-11 (admiral of the fleet) are referred to as flag officers , O-5 (commander) and above are referred to as senior officers , while S-1 (midshipman) to O-4 (lieutenant commander) are referred to as junior officers . All RAN Officers are issued
1947-532: The death of a marine biologist. Over the duration of the season, the CO and some of the crew became suspicious and later entwined in a conspiracy involving water containing a deadly toxin. The second season , known as Sea Patrol II: The Coup , revolved around insurgents on the fictional Samaru Islands attempting to overthrow the current government, and a group of Eastern European mercenaries and smugglers who near-fatally stabbed Charge, tried to kill XO and are in cahoots with
2006-539: The end of the decade it had fallen further to five, with just 3,500 personnel. In the late 1930s, as international tensions increased, the RAN was modernised and expanded, with the service receiving primacy of funding over the Army and Air Force during this time as Australia began to prepare for war. Early in the Second World War , RAN ships again operated as part of Royal Navy formations, many serving with distinction in
2065-495: The exception of Pete "Buffer" Tomaszewski , Nicole "Nikki" (Nav) Caetano , Billy "Spider" Webb and Commander Steven 'Steve' Marshall. The fifth season , known as Sea Patrol V: Damage Control , was the final season and began with a suicide bombing in an overseas bar. "Every hour of every day in all weathers young men and women of the Royal Australian Navy Patrol Boat Service battle the elements and
2124-502: The final episode of the first season. HMAS Kingston (PTF 205), a second fictional Fremantle -class boat, is mentioned in several episodes and appears in the ninth episode: Kingston shares her pennant number with real patrol boat HMAS Townsville . When the first season was being filmed, it was predicted that later seasons would replace Hammersley with the newer Armidale -class patrol boat . Subsequent seasons have used an Armidale class ship, also named HMAS Hammersley , with
2183-459: The first Australian casualties and deaths of the war occurred. On 14 September, HMAS Encounter barraged an enemy position at Toma with shells; it was the first time the RAN had fired upon an enemy and had shelled an inland location. On 17 September, German New Guinea surrendered to the encroaching ANMEF, with the overall campaign a success and exceeded the objectives set by the War Office. However,
2242-515: The first three seasons. The fifth season of Sea Patrol , "Damage Control", began airing in 2011 and consisted of 13 episodes. The Nine Network confirmed that this was to be the final season, due to reliance on government rebates that expire after 65 episodes. Completion of season five brought the total episode count to 68 episodes. All seasons of Sea Patrol have consisted of standalone episodes dealing with serious breaches of Australian law, such as illegal fishing , asylum seekers and other problems
2301-476: The former New South Wales, Victorian, Queensland, Western Australian, South Australian and Tasmanian ships and resources of their disbanded navies. The Defence Act 1903 established the operation and command structure of the Royal Australian Navy. When policymakers sought to determine the newly established force's requirements and purpose, there were arguments about whether Australia's naval force would be structured mainly for local defence or designed to serve as
2360-428: The insurgents and Samaruan constabulary. The third season , known as Sea Patrol III: Red Gold , began with the death of Josh "ET" Holiday , fiancé of Nicole "Nikki" (Nav) Caetano and a crew member of HMAS Hammersley during the first two seasons. The investigation of this death ran throughout the season. The fourth season , known as Sea Patrol IV: The Right Stuff , returned with most principal cast members, with
2419-729: The most senior sailor/soldier/airman in that service, and each wearing their own special insignia rather than their rank insignia. The Australian Army equivalent is the Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army (RSM-A) and the Royal Australian Air Force equivalent is the Warrant Officer of the Air Force (WOFF-AF). Chaplains in the Royal Australian Navy are commissioned officers who complete the same training as other officers in
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2478-551: The objective was found to be further inland and an expeditionary force was required. Meanwhile, HMAS Australia was tasked with scouring the Pacific Ocean for the German squadron. The Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) began recruiting on the same day that the taskforce arrived in New Britain , and consisted of two battalions: one of 1,000 men, and the other with 500 serving and former seamen. On 19 August,
2537-634: The odds to defend Australia's borders and enforce its economic zone. They provide security, support, and relief for the world's largest island". Each episode of Sea Patrol, from the third season begins with the words "Honour – Honesty – Courage – Integrity – Loyalty", which are the Royal Australian Navy Values. This series shows the gender and cultural diversity of the Navy, and deals with contemporary issues such as illegal fishing, boat people , drug-running , immigration , and people-smuggling , and have an underlying mystery that runs throughout
2596-581: The permanent forces, compared to the RAAF's 26.6% and the Army's 15.3%. Throughout the 2022-23 financial year 1,141 enlisted in the RAN on a permanent basis while 1,354 left, representing a net loss of 213 personnel. The following are some of the current senior Royal Australian Navy officers: Commissioned officers of the Australian Navy have pay grades ranging from S-1 to O-10. The highest rank achievable in
2655-416: The program from Digital Rights Group, a subsidiary of Portman. Despite being a US-based company, as of 2009, NBC Universal is yet to broadcast the series in the United States. Instead, Sea Patrol has had limited availability in America through the broadband provider Hulu , arranged directly by Digital Rights Group, and on the Roku Channel. Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy ( RAN )
2714-452: The return of Lisa McCune to television acting. Sea Patrol received mixed but generally positive reviews. The first season received an average 1.5 million viewers, which dropped during the early part of season two before returning to 1.5 million viewers for the final five episodes. Marieke Hardy , for The Age , commented "I don't really get Sea Patrol... the general gist of it leaves me somewhat cold", and further claimed that
2773-677: The same. Principal Chaplains and MSWOs, however, have gold braid on the peak of their white service cap. From January 2021, MSWOs and all chaplains wear the branch's new non-faith-specific rank insignia of a fouled anchor overlaying a compass rose, which represents a united team front, encompassing all faiths and purpose. Chaplains and MSWOs have insignia that reflect their religion on collar mounted patches (Cross for Christian, Crescent for Muslim etc, Compass rose for MSWOs.) The RAN currently operates nearly 50 commissioned vessels, made up of nine ship classes and three individual ships, plus 11 non-commissioned vessels. In addition, DMS Maritime operates
2832-402: The scripts were not well written and that the actors were not given the opportunity to shine. Michelle Over, a reviewer for militarypeople.com.au , scored the first episode a disappointing 6.5 out of 10. Over also predicted that the series would begin jumping the shark at episode 5, primarily due to a lack of quality scripts and an unlikeness to the real life of a Navy officer. Shortly after
2891-425: The series "in over 100 territories" were sold to Sparrowhawk Media by Nine Network's international distribution representative, Portman Film and Television. This deal gave Sea Patrol the ability to be seen on various international versions of the Hallmark Channel . As a part of this initial deal, either one or both of the first two seasons of Sea Patrol were seen on Hallmark Channels in many territories throughout
2950-418: The series began, the Royal Australian Navy created "The Real Sea Patrol", an interactive website about the activities and personnel on board the Australian patrol boat HMAS Larrakia , designed as a promotional and recruiting tool to capitalise on the series. From 1 April 2008, full episodes of Sea Patrol were offered as free download, as part of ninemsn 's catch-up TV service. This download required
3009-412: The series. For the first season of Sea Patrol , the fictional HMAS Hammersley (PTF 202) was portrayed by two real Fremantle -class patrol boats : HMAS Wollongong was used for filming in Sydney, while HMAS Ipswich was used for six weeks of filming off Dunk Island in Queensland. Hammersley serves under the fictional naval command structure of "NAVCOM", and was decommissioned during
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#17331059663263068-498: The world. Some of the 61 countries in which these early seasons aired on Hallmark included: the United Kingdom, Serbia , Belgium, Indonesia , India, Russia, Italy, South Africa, Mexico, Vietnam , and Palau . In Germany, the series aired since 2011 on Das Vierte . And since 2014 on the new channel Ebru TV. Later in 2007, NBC Universal Global Networks bought Sparrowhawk. In 2008, NBC Universal Global Networks extended its inherited commitment to Sea Patrol by purchasing series three of
3127-424: Was a Fremantle -class patrol boat in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Starting in the late 1960s, planning began for a new class of patrol boat to replace the Attack class , with designs calling for improved seakeeping capability, and updated weapons and equipment. The Fremantle s had a full load displacement of 220 tonnes (220 long tons; 240 short tons), were 137.6 feet (41.9 m) long overall , had
3186-495: Was expanded significantly and at its height the RAN was the fourth-largest navy in the world, with 39,650 personnel operating 337 warships, but no active submarines. A total of 34 vessels were lost during the war, including three cruisers and four destroyers. After the Second World War, the size of the RAN was again reduced, but it gained new capabilities with the acquisition of two aircraft carriers, Sydney and Melbourne . The RAN saw action in many Cold War –era conflicts in
3245-452: Was formed with members of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve who could not find billets in the RAN. Following the entrance of the Ottoman Empire in alliance with the Central Powers, HMAS AE2 was committed to the initial naval operation of the Gallipoli campaign . After the failure of the naval strategy, an amphibious assault was planned to enable the Allies' warships to pass through the Dardanelles and capture Constantinople . The RANBT
3304-419: Was previously made up of seven Force Element Groups , but after the New Generation Navy changes, this was restructured into four Force Commands: The Royal Australian Navy consists of over 50 commissioned vessels and over 16,000 personnel. Ships commissioned into the RAN are given the prefix HMAS ( His/Her Majesty's Australian Ship ). The RAN has two primary bases for its fleet: the first, Fleet Base East ,
3363-422: Was sent ashore, along with the invasion, for engineering duties. Later in the war, most of the RAN's major ships operated as part of Royal Navy forces in the Mediterranean and North Seas, and then later in the Adriatic, and then the Black Sea following the surrender of the Ottoman Empire . In 1919, the RAN received a force of six destroyers, three sloops and six submarines from the Royal Navy, but throughout
3422-399: Was the primary ship used for filming the 13-episode Australian television drama series Sea Patrol . Ipswich was rebadged as the fictional HMAS Hammersley (pennant number 202), and spent six weeks operating off Dunk Island with both the show's cast and her normal crew aboard. Footage of Ipswich at sea was mixed with scenes shot on and around sister ship HMAS Wollongong while
3481-420: Was to deprive the Imperial German Navy 's East Asia Squadron of regional intelligence by removing their access to wireless stations. On 11 August, three destroyers and HMAS Sydney prepared to engage the squadron at German Anchorages in New Guinea, which did not eventuate as the vessels were not present. Landing parties were placed on Rabaul and Herbertshohe to destroy its German wireless station; however,
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