HMAS Balikpapan

HMAS Balikpapan Statistics

Pennant	L 126
Class	Landing Craft Heavy
Based	Darwin
Laid down	May 1971
Launched	15 August 1971
Builder	Walker Ltd, Maryborough, Queensland
Commissioned	8 December 1971
Displacement	323 tonnes (loaded, 511 tonnes)
Length	44.75 metres4,475 cm 0.0448 km 0.0278 mi 146.818 ft 1,761.811 in
Beam	10 metres1,000 cm 0.01 km 0.00621 mi 32.808 ft 393.701 in
Armament	Two x 0.50 inch machine guns
Main Machinery	Two x GE diesels
Speed	9 knots4.63 m/s 16.668 km/h 0.00463 km/s 911.418 ft/min 15.19 ft/s
Company	13 (2 officers, 11 sailors)

HMAS Balikpapan was named after the final landing of the Pacific War when the RAN’s complete amphibious squadron, HMA Ships Manoora (I), Westralia (I) and Kanimbla (I), put troops of the Australian 7^th Division ashore into Borneo on July 1945. HMAS Balikpapan, the prototype LCH, was originally operated by Army Water Transport. She transferred to the RAN in September 1974.