Career (Australia)
Ordered:	2 April 1996
Builder:	NQEA Ltd, Cairns
Launched:	23 June 1998
Commissioned:	27 May 2000
Homeport:	HMAS Cairns
Motto:	"With Determination"
Fate:	Active
General characteristics
Displacement:	2,550 tons
Length:	233. Events 68 - Galba, Governor of Hispania, names himself legatus senatus populique Romani, breaking the line of Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. 6 ft (71. 2 m)
Beam:	49. 9 ft (15. 2 m)
Draught:	14. 1 ft (4. 3 m)
Propulsion:	Diesel-electric; 4 GEC Alsthom 6RK 215 diesel generators, 4,290 hp (3. 2 MW) sustained. 2 Alsthom motors, 1. 94 MW, 2 shafts. 1 Schottel bow thruster.
Speed:	14 kts
Range:	18,000 nm at 9 kts
Boats and landing craft carried:	Three 10 metre Survey Motor Boats, equipped with shallow water multi-beam echo-sounders and short range UHF differential GPS Two light utility boats One Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB)
Complement:	46
Sensors and processing systems:	Navigation: STN Atlas 9600 ARPA; I-band. Sonar: C-Tech CMAS 36/39; hull mounted; high frequency active. Atlas Fansweep-20 multibeam echo sounder. AD 25 single beam echo sounder. Also fitted with Klein 2000 towed light-weight sidescan sonar.
Aircraft carried:	1 x AS 350B Squirrel (not permanently embarked).

HMAS Melville is the second ship of the Leeuwin Class of Hydrographic Survey vessels of the Royal Australian Navy. The Royal Australian Navy ( RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Melville is named after Melville Island to the North of Darwin, Northern Territory. Melville Island lies in the eastern Timor Sea, off the coast of the Northern Territory of Australia. Melville is the first commissioned ship of the Royal Australian Navy to carry this name, although the Navy base in Darwin bore the name "HMAS Melville" from from 1940 to 1975. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. ^[1] Melville and her sister ship HMAS Leeuwin were built by NQEA in Cairns.

Melville has the ability to carry three fully equipped 9 metre Survey Motor Boats for surveys in waters not suitable for the Melville itself. ^[2] HMAS Melville can carry a Squirrel helicopter from 723 Squadron. 723 Squadron is a Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm training squadron ^[3]

References