Armidale Class Patrol Boat Crew Assail Four
| |
| Commanding Officer | Lieutenant Commander Troy Van Tienhoven |
|---|---|
Assail Four is the fourth of six crews and four Armidale Class patrol boats that forms the Assail Division, based in Darwin.
The crew of Assail Four was stood up in August 2006, under the command of LEUT James Harper. Prior to picking up their new ship, the crew was involved in initial preparations, training and familiarisation courses for Armidale class patrol boats.
On 25 October 2006, Assail Four flew down to HMAS Stirling in Western Australia to pick up NUSHIP Broome. The crew then commenced dutywatch certification training, before finally sailing back to Darwin.
After Christmas and New Year, Assail Four conducted workups, before sailing to the Western Australian town of Broome in February 2007 to attend the commissioning ceremony for HMAS Broome.
Since then Assail Four have been actively engaged in Operation Resolute, the ADF contribution to the whole of government to protect Australia's borders and offshore maritime interests.
In January 2008, LCDR Troy Van Tienhoven assumed command of Assail Four. Shortly after, Assail Four sailed HMAS Maitland to Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, India, via Singapore, to take part in Exercise Milan 2008.
The crew spent a week taking part in exercises with 12 other navies, social engagements including ship tours and a cocktail party and partaking in the local attractions. One of the highlights was a soccer match between Assail Four and a team from the Bangladesh Navy in which Assail Four romped home in a 10 to 1 victory.
After the exercise, Assail Four continued on with their South-East Asian deployment, stopping in Phuket in Thailand, Kelang in Malaysia and Singapore before returning to Darwin.
In July 2009, Assail Four had the honour of hosting the Governor-General of Australia, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC and His Excellency Mr Michael Bryce AM AE. As part of Navy Week in Darwin, the Governor-General went to sea on board HMAS Maitland and observed exercises including the boarding of an illegal fishing vessel.
Assail Four has been featured in the media on various occasions, the most notable being a feature on Channel Nine news and the Today show which was shown in most states and territories in July 2009.
