HMAS Paluma (A 01)

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For other ships of the same name, see HMAS Paluma.

Career (Australia)

Namesake:	Paluma, Queensland
Builder:	Eglo Engineering, Adelaide^[1]
Laid down:	21 February 1988^[1]
Launched:	6 February 1989^[1]
Commissioned:	27 February 1989^[1]
Motto:	"Search with diligence"
General characteristics
Displacement:	315 tonnes^[1]
Length:	36.6 metres^[1]
Beam:	13.7 metres^[1]
Draught:	2.2 metres^[1]
Propulsion:	2 Detroit V12 diesel engines^[1]
Speed:	12 knots^[1]
Range:	3500 nautical miles^[1]
Complement:	18^[1]
Sensors and processing systems:	2 x echo sounders, 2 x side-scan sonar, searchlight sonar^[1]

The fourth HMAS Paluma (A 01) is the lead ship of the Paluma class survey motor launches in the Royal Australian Navy. She is a twin hulled hydrographic survey ship designed to operate in the shallow territorial waters of Northern Australia and the Great Barrier Reef.^[1] Laid down 21 February 1988, launched on 6 February 1989 and commissioned on 27 February 1989, the ship was named for Paluma, Queensland.

1 Survey equipment
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Survey equipment

Paluma employs Wide Area GPS Enhancement and Differential GPS to maintain precise positioning.^[1] The two catamaran hulls are each equipped with both echo sounders and side-scan sonar to ensure accuracy when scanning the sea floor.^[1] Both hulls also have heave compensators to provide corrected depth information.^[1] Additionally the ship's Officer of the Watch has a Skipper searchlight sonar to provide early warning on shallows and unexpected dangers.^[1]