HMAS Pirie (ACPB 87)

HMAS Pirie (ACPB 87), named for the city of Port Pirie, South Australia, is an Armidale class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Design and construction
The Armidale class patrol boats are 56.8 m long, with a beam of 9.5 m, a maximum draft of 2.25 m, and a displacement of 270 tons. The semi-displacement vee hull is fabricated from aluminium alloy, and each vessel is built to a combination of Det Norske Veritas standards for high-speed light craft and RAN requirements. The Armidales can travel at a maximum speed of 25 kn, and are driven by two propeller shafts, each connected to an MTU 16V M70 diesel. The ships have a range of 3000 nmi at 12 kn, allowing them to patrol the waters around the distant territories of Australia, and are designed for standard patrols of 21 days, with a maximum endurance of 42 days.

The main armament of the Armidale class is a Rafael Typhoon stabilised 25 mm gun mount fitted with an M242 Bushmaster cannon. Two 12.7 mm machine guns are also carried. Boarding operations are performed by two 7.2 m, waterjet propelled rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs). Each RHIB is stored in a dedicated cradle and davit, and is capable of operating independently from the patrol boat as it carries its own communications, navigation, and safety equipment.

Each patrol boat has a standard ship's company of 21 personnel, with a maximum of 29. The Armidales do not have a permanently assigned ship's company; instead, they are assigned to divisions at a ratio of two vessels to three companies, which rotate through the vessels and allow the Armidales to spend more time at sea, without compromising sailors' rest time or training requirements. A 20-berth auxiliary accommodation compartment was included in the design for the transportation of soldiers, illegal fishermen, or unauthorised arrivals; in the latter two cases, the compartment could be secured from the outside. However, a malfunction in the sewerage treatment facilities aboard HMAS Maitland (ACPB 88) in August 2006 pumped hydrogen sulfide and carbon monoxide into the compartment, non-fatally poisoning four sailors working inside, after which use of the compartment for accommodation was banned across the class.

Pirie was constructed by Austal at their shipyard in Henderson, Western Australia. She was commissioned into the RAN in her namesake city on 15 July 2006.

Operational history
Pirie is assigned to Assail Division, is based in Darwin and performs border protection and fisheries protection patrols.

In 2006, the patrol boat was involved in unmanned aerial vehicle trials at Port Hedland, South Australia. In November, Pirie was formally assigned to border protection operations under Operation Resolute.

During 2008, Pirie participated in Exercise Singaroo with Australian and Singaporean vessels.

She attended the 2009 Chinese International Fleet Review.

During 2010, the vessel attented the Timor Fleet Review, then participated in that year's Exercise Cassowary, along with Australian and Indonesian units. Pirie was one of the ships that responded when a Suspected Illegal Entry Vessel carrying asylum seekers ran aground and sank off Christmas Island on 15 December 2010.