Here is a series of questions for the group. What Sea States were the Fremantle-class patrol boats designed for?
Also, what Sea States are the ACPB's really designed for? I am aware that the ACPB's are supposed to be able to conduct all ops up to Sea State 4, and conduct surveillance ops in Sea State 5. At what point though does the conditions corresponding to a particular Sea State actually becoming damaging to the ACPB? And the same question for the FCPB's.
What I am trying to get at , is part of the decision making process which led to the ACPB's and their respective limitations in service to the RAN today.
The apparent consensus is that the ACPB's really are insufficient for what the RAN needs. This is both in terms of where the RAN operates and the conditions patrol vessels will face in those areas of operation. It is also apparent that the resources of the ACPB's are insufficient for many tasks, having the ability to reasonably accomodate too few people aboard. Having space to hold a score of people picked up off a SIEV or illegally fishing trawler is good, but if the SIEV has dozens (or more) of passengers, then the ACPB's will be overtaxed, possibly dangerously so.
Now in addition to determining why/who set the ACPB Sea State operations level, who had a hand in determining the "passenger" capacity requirement?
-Cheers