History
The RAN had been using Cairns as a regular stop since before World War II, and during the war, Cairns was the principal port-of-call for many ships prior to heading to Pacific destinations. There was no official RAN presence in Cairns until 1971, when facilities for the maintenance of the RAN's patrol boats were established. In 1974, HMAS Cairns was commissioned as the parent establishment for patrol vessels and hydrographic ships based at Cairns.
Cairns is currently responsible for all Australian naval activity from Rockhampton to Thursday Island and serves as the home base for Ardent Division of the Australian Patrol Boat Group, which consists of four of the navy's fourteen Armidale class patrol boats. The base also berths the RAN's entire hydrographic fleet, consisting of two Leeuwin class survey vessels and four Paluma class survey motor launches, plus four of the six Balikpapan class landing craft.
Read more about this topic: HMAS Cairns (naval Base)
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