There’s something fishy about a patrol boat in Sydney Harbour

10 November 2011 By LEUT Andrew Ragless

HMAS Bundaberg sails under the Sydney Harbour Bridge to head out on patrol off the East Coast of Australia.

The Ardent Four patrol boat crew onboard HMAS Bundaberg are usually accustomed to crocodiles, stingers and tropical thunderstorms at this time of year.

But a not-so-routine patrol for HMAS Bundaberg this week afforded the opportunity for a little rest and relaxation time in Sydney for the crew of Ardent Four.

HMAS Bundaberg, an Armidale Class Patrol Boat normally berthed in Cairns and deployed in Northern Australian waters on Operation RESOLUTE, travelled south for a change to work with officers from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority and aid in their search for irregular fishing activity in the waters off the East coast.

The Commanding Officer of Bundaberg, Lieutenant Commander David Ince said the journey was a welcome break in routine for the Ardent Four crew.

“The tempo in patrol boats is high and the crew work pretty hard up in the tropics” he said, adding, “the change of scenery was very much welcome”.

On her return to Cairns, Bundaberg stopped in at HMAS Waterhen on Sydney Harbour’s north shore for refuelling.

“On a personal note, it was a great experience driving Bundaberg into my home port, past the Opera House, under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and showing off one of the Navy’s newer bits of kit to the city’s unsuspecting commuters”.

Bundaberg will arrive back at its home port of HMAS Cairns in a few weeks for a short break before continuing with Operation RESOLUTE tasks; detecting and deterring illegal activity in Australian waters from Cairns to Christmas Island.

Under the command of Joint Task Force 639, Operation RESOLUTE covers the entire Australian coastline and provides surveillance and response facilities to an area covering 10 per cent of the Earth’s surface.

View images of HMAS Bundaberg in Sydney Harbour on the Royal Australian Navy Media Library.