The Navy Vol_49_Part1 1987 - Navy League of Australia

ACRYDUX•The original Yacht Acrylic iFrom Boom Covers to Tote Bags,If s Making Waves!It is expected that the Government will order up to six furtherminehunters in 1988. when RUSHCUTTER and SHOALWATER willti.v. .• completed extensive evaluation (rialsFrom The Minister"The commissioning of HMAS RUSHCUTTER marks the start of theredevelopment of a strong mine countermeasures capability in the RAN.and may open Important defence export piospects." the Defence MinisterMr Beazley said at the ceremony to commission the new minehunter intothe RAN on Saturday. November 1. 1986"Our present inability 10 keep our waters clear of mines is. perhaps,the most glaring deficiency in the AI >! This government places thehighest priority on remedying that deficiency"The RUSHCUTTER is the first prototype of the new andrevolutionary Bay Class of vessels designed to hunt mines in the shallowwaters of harbours and channels (t has a catamaran hull of glassreinforcedplastic with extremely low magnetic and acoustic signatures,and is equipped with the most advanced mine detection and mine disposalsystems"HMAS RUSHCUTTER has been built by Carrington Slipways PtyLtd of Tomago. near Newcastle. NSW "Mr Beazley said $88 million had been allocated for the construction ofihe special shipbuilding facilily at Tomago. two prototype minehunters,with support infrastructure, and an extensive test and evaluation programme Construction of the second prototype is welt under way"The Navy will trial HMAS RUSHCUTTER and her sister ship(HMAS SHOALWATER) over the next year, to demonstrate theirperformance Following successful completion of the trials, a productionprogramme of some four vessels is planned"Because of its potential performance and low cost, there areexcellent prospects for exports." Mr Beazley said "In keeping with theGovernment's recent decision to assist Australian industry in the export ofmilitary products my Department is assisting the builders in their marketingefforts, and the Commonwealth is exploring ways of encouraging andassisting ihe company to exploit their advantage through commercialexport sales Within the limits of available specialist resources, and subjectto full cost recovery, my Department can provide:• "assistance at a Government level, and through using Defence Offsetsprogramme, to encourage overseas companies to facilitate salesdirectly to their Governments through collaborative or co-productionarrangements,• "technical support, including the use of test ranges and other facilitiesand provision of technical reports and publications.• "Defence personnel to assist in training and marketing.• "access to RAN facilities to facilitate offers of spares support services Ifoverseas customers, and• "access to AUSTRADE and the Defence Attaches in establishing initialmarket contracts"There is already considerable interest from a wide range of navies,which we expect to become more intense as the Navy's trials establish thecost-effectiveness of these unique vessels The tests canied out byCarringtons on HMAS RUSHCUTTER. lead us to feel confident that thenew minehunters will do the i< >b they were designed for "^"^y/Mm^^'^^j^Acrydux - Chosen by the America's Cup even mast and boom coven.Challengers for their boom covers.Acrydux by Bradmill - It's the tough, acrylic canvasmade of 100% dope dyed color-fast fibre. Acrydux is waterresistant and rotproof, and for those that worry aboutbreathability, there's minimal sweating or condensation.Because Acrydux is a synthetic it also featuresminimal shrinkage for boat covers, sail and tote bags -For more information on Acrydux and its manymarine applications contact Bradmill Australia.ACRYDUXUNDOtSU.IT'SfiOTVOUCOVHtED. IIH \l)\|!lJanuary. 1987Pacje Savtn