HMAS ADVANCE

HMAS ADVANCE was the third of 20 Attack class patrol boats built for the Royal Australian Navy between 1967 and 1969. The Attack Class was primarily designed for general patrol and survey work in Australian and New Guinean waters. These Australian-designed patrol boats used machinery and armament from Britain and the USA. An Australian modification to normal RAN specifications was the use of readily available commercial components in some of the fit-out.

HMAS ADVANCE shows the light-weight scantlings and the relatively simple and cramped living arrangements for the crew, typical during that period of naval history. It had twin diesel engines and had a maximum speed of 24 knots or a cruising speed of 15 knots. The vessel was lightly armed for small¬-scale encounters with:

- One x 40 mm single Mark 7 Bofors gun mounted forward
- Two x 12.7 mm Browning machine guns
- Rifles and hand guns
- One x 50 mm rocket flare launcher

HMAS ADVANCE represents a type of vessel engaged in some of the peacetime roles of the RAN undertaking patrol and related duties around the coastline. It demonstrated the willingness of the RAN toward maintaining surveillance and control over the Australian coastline, from incursions by illegal immigrants and foreign fishing activities within Australian territorial waters and in particular the northern approaches.

HMAS ADVANCE was in Darwin when Cyclone Tracy destroyed the city on Christmas day 1974, an event that is recognised as a national tragedy. It sustained damage, however a sister ship HMAS ARROW was lost.

HMAS ADVANCE was used in the ABC television series Patrol Boat in 1979. This was the first local attempt at a contemporary television adventure series centred on an arm of the defence forces and aimed at a general audience.