HMAS

Diamantina

(II)

HMAS Diamantina (II) was the fifth of six Huon Class Minehunter Coastal vessels delivered to the RAN between 1998 and 2002. Diamantina was able to undertake extended mine countermeasures operations in widely dispersed and environmentally diverse threat areas within Australia and regional waters.

The ship was the most advanced of its type in the world. Like her sister ships, Diamantina was made of fibre reinforced plastic and had a unique single skin solid hull that had no ribs or frames and provided high underwater shock resistance and very low magnetic and noise levels. This hull was designed to flex inwards if an undersea explosion occured nearby. All machinery/equipment was mounted on cradles or suspended from bulkheads to further enhance resistance to shock damage and protect ship systems.

The minehunter's principal task is to keep Australia's maritime focal points for trade free from the threat of mines. The ship used high frequency sonar to search for, detect and then classify mine-like objects. Once detected, the ship deployed a remote controlled mine disposal vehicle or clearance divers to identify and, if necessary, neutralise the mine.

The Huon Class Minehunters were all named after Australian rivers. Diamantina was the second RAN ship to carry the name. HMAS Diamantina (I) was a River Class Frigate that was in service from 1945-1980. She saw action during the Second World War, and from 1959 to decommissioning was employed as an oceanographic survey vessel.