HMAS Fremantle ( FCPB 203 ) HMAS " Fremantle " ( FCPB 203 ) , named for the city of Fremantle , Western Australia , was the lead ship of the " Fremantle " class patrol boats , entering service in the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) in 1980 and decommissioning in 2006 . " Fremantle " was the only ship of the class not constructed in Australia , and it is claimed that her delivery voyage was the longest ever made by a patrol boat . Design . Starting in the late 1960s , planning began for a new class of patrol boat to replace the " Attack " class , with designs calling for improved seakeeping capability , and updated weapons and equipment . In 1976 , Brooke Marine of the United Kingdom won the contract to produce the lead ship . The " Fremantle " s had a full load displacement of , were long overall , had a beam of , and a maximum draught of . Main propulsion machinery consisted of two MTU series 538 diesel engines , which supplied to the two propeller shafts . Exhaust was not expelled through a funnel , like most ships , but through vents below the waterline . The patrol boat could reach a maximum speed of , and had a maximum range of at . The ship ' s company consisted of 22 personnel . Each patrol boat was armed with a single 40 mm Bofors gun as main armament , supplemented by two . 50 cal Browning machineguns and an 81 - mm mortar , although the mortar was removed from all ships sometime in the late 1990s . The main weapon was originally to be two 30 - mm guns on a twin - mount , but the reconditioned Bofors were selected to keep costs down ; provision was made to install an updated weapon later in the class ' service life , but this did not eventuate . Construction . Construction of " Fremantle " began in October 1977 , and she was launched on 16 February 1979 . During sea trials , " Fremantle " was revealed to be 20 tons over the contract ' s proscribed weight , leading to unpopularity in the media . However , the design proved its worth when it was diverted from trial to successfully rescue a British sailor thrown from a fishing trawler . Because of the sea trials , " Fremantle " was not commissioned until 17 March 1980 . Delivery of previous Brooke Maine patrol boats to the client nations was normally done by loading the craft on a heavy lift ship . It was instead decided in 1979 to sail " Fremantle " to Australia ; the RAN wanted to learn as much about the capabilities of the new design as quickly as possible , and the loss of an Omani Navy patrol vessel from a heavy lift ship during a storm was a cause of concern . On 7 June 1980 , " Fremantle " left Lowestoft , England on the delivery voyage to Australia . The voyage took 82 days , 48 spent at sea . During this voyage , " Fremantle " travelled through the Mediterranean Sea , Suez Canal , Red Sea , along the coast of India , through Maritime Southeast Asia , then down the east coast of Australia to Sydney . During this voyage , " Fremantle " was tested to limits ; encountering windstoms reaching Force 6 , a sandstorm in the Red Sea , high - temperature and - humidity conditions , and a monsoon . By the time " Fremantle " arrived in Australia on 27 August 1980 , she had already sailed . This is claimed to be the longest voyage undertaken by a single patrol boat . Operational history . During her career , " Fremantle " was primarily involved in operations against illegal fishing and illegal immigration , and supporting Australian Coastwatch and the Australian Customs Service . Decommissioning and fate . On 11 August 2006 , HMAS " Fremantle " was decommissioned at HMAS " Coonawarra " , Darwin . " Fremantle " was the eighth ship of her class to be decommissioned . " Fremantle " was in service for 26 years , and travelled a distance of from commissioning .