Operational History
Samarai arrived in Port Moresby on 16 April 1968, before travelling with her sister ship Aitape for her home port at the RAN base HMAS Tarangau at Los Negros Island, Manus Province on 3 January 1968. Primary roles of the new patrol boats were fisheries protection and sea training, but also undertook search and rescue, medical evacuation and monitoring of navigational aids roles. The ship's company was a made up of both Australian and PNG servicemen. Prior to the arrival of the Attack-class patrol boats, surveillance of PNG waters was conducted by small coastal craft and occasional visits by larger RAN warships, but the PNG Division was now able to chase and apprehend vessels suspected of illegal fishing.
Samarai was one the five Attack-class patrol boats of the RAN PNG Division transferred to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force's (PNGDF) Maritime Element (now Maritime Operations Element) on 14 November 1974 when the PNGDF took over maritime functions from the RAN. They formed the PNGDF Patrol Boat Squadron based at Manus. The Attack class was removed from PNGDF service prior to 1998, although the current status of HMPNGS Samarai is not known with certainty.
Read more about this topic: HMAS Samarai (P 85)
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