Paluma-class motor launch

HMAS Benalla on Sydney Harbour in October 2013
Class overview
NamePaluma
BuildersEglo Engineering, Adelaide
OperatorsRoyal Australian Navy
In serviceMarch 1988 – March 1990
In commissionFebruary 1989 – June 2023
Completed4
Retired4
General characteristics
TypeMotor launch
Displacement320 tonnes
Length36.6 m (120 ft) length overall
Beam13.7 m (45 ft)
Draught1.9 m (6 ft 3 in)
Propulsion2 Detroit V12 diesel engines
Speed12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Range1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Endurance14 days
Complement3 officers, 11 sailors (plus accommodation for 4 additional)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Radar:
  • JRC JMA-3710-6 navigational radar
  • Sonars:
  • ELAC LAZ 72 side-scan mapping sonar
  • Skipper 113 hull-mounted scanning sonar
ArmamentNone fitted

The Paluma-class motor launch was a class of four hydrographic survey motor launches operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in Port Adelaide between 1988 and 1990, the four catamarans were primarily based at HMAS Cairns in Cairns, Queensland, and operated in pairs to survey the waters of northern Australia.