VESSEL REVIEW | Dauntless – Self-righting patrol and rescue boat for Australia’s Tasmania Police

The Tasmania Police of Australia recently welcomed a new all-weather response boat into service. Built by local company Hart Marine to a design originally developed by French naval architects Pantocarene, Dauntless is a monohull FRP vessel with self-righting ability and a projected lifespan of over 30 years.

The new boat has a length of 11.89 metres, a beam of 4.9 metres, a draught of 0.9 metres, and wheelhouse seating for three crewmembers, though up to five additional personnel may also be accommodated on board via the aft deck and the forward cabin. The latter has berths for four people as well as a sanitary space. Behind the crew seats in the wheelhouse is adequate space for accommodating a stretcher.

Two Scania 560kW diesel engines with 2,000 litres of total fuel tankage drive Hamilton waterjets to deliver a maximum speed of more than 40 knots, allowing the boat and its crew to quickly respond to emergencies in and around its home station of Hobart. The waterjets also ensure improved manoeuvrability and handling even in rough seas. To guarantee extended endurance, the boat will sail at a more economical 28 knots.

Notable features on Dauntless are also found in some of the pilot boats manufactured by Hart Marine. These include a wave-piercing bow to minimise vertical acceleration and slamming for improved crew comfort, forward-angled windscreens to reduce glare, and handrails being placed directly onto the wheelhouse exterior. By having the handrails installed in this configuration instead of on the main deck perimeter, crews are provided with added flexibility when transferring to and from the boat while still benefiting from improved safety when walking between the bow and the stern.

The open aft working deck provides operators with a safe and functional operating area that can also support dive missions. As with the other police and rescue boats in the Hart Marine product line, Dauntless has a 500-kilogram crane for use in lifting rescue craft, jetskis, and other smaller vessels onto the aft deck.

The boat’s electronics suite includes a Furuno radar and a Teledyne FLIR 360-degree rotating thermal camera mounted on the main cabin roof to help facilitate search and rescue operations even under low-visibility conditions.

Dauntless is being operated out of Hobart by the Tasmania Police’s Marine and Rescue Services unit, replacing a similarly named boat that was built in 1985.

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