Police patrol boat Fearless starts civilian life as a fishing charter

Fearless, the decommissioned counter-terrorism and port security patrol boat formerly owned by Victoria Police, has officially sold for an undisclosed sum of money.

Auction house Manheims confirmed today that VicPol had approved the sale of 16-metre patrol boat after expressions of interest in the 26-tonne aluminium boat closed on September 3. The craft cost the state's taxpayers almost $800,000.

A spokeswoman for Manheim said Fearless’s new owner planned to use the boat for fishing charters.

Fearless was one of three decommissioned Victoria Police vessels up for sale. Other craft included a Haines Hunter 600r fitted with a 250hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard and showing 1468 hours that is believed to have sold for around $50,000, and a Bass Strait Offshore 24 fitted with twin 175hp Suzuki four-stroke engines showing 973 hours that is believed to have sold for around $96,000.

Oh, and don’t fret if you’re disappointed that you’ve missed out on one of the bargains of the year; Manheims is soon expected to list another nine recent water police retirees as Victoria’s law enforcement fleet gains a multimillion-dollar makeover announced earlier this year.

The upgrade will add 11 commissioned craft costing around $7.2 million. The new vessels will range in length from 6.3 metres to 16 metres, with large RIBs making up a big part of the new line-up.

Fearless joined the VicPol fleet in 2006. Then Water Police Inspector, Ken Ashworth, said the vessel “will form the backbone of any offshore search and rescue operation and will significantly improve response times”. Fearless delivered to VicPol “the capability to respond to incidents in Bass Strait, in almost any weather conditions,” Ashworth said.

Since 2006 Fearless has played a role in a number of significant offshore search and rescues. These include the successful rescue of three crew in eight-metre seas from the George Bass Expedition, a 2012 attempt to row across Bass Strait; and the search for a man who went overboard from the Spirit of Tasmania ferry in 2016.

Fearless, a bespoke vessel from Australian shipbuilder and defence contractor Austral, was commissioned for the NSW Police and delivered in 2000. While still in the hands of NSW Police, Fearless was one of the vessels charged with chasing down the Pong Su, a North Korean cargo ship attempting to traffick almost 125kg of heroin into Australia. After trying to flee to international waters, the Pong Su was eventually redirected to Sydney under Australian navy escort, confiscated and scuttled.

The aluminium fast patrol design vessel displaces 26 tonnes and is powered by twin 700hp Yanmars. It cruises at 22kt and has a top speed of about 27kt. Range is around 400nm.

Fearless was one of six deliveries of the 16-metre patrol boat to NSW Police.

SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Austral
Model: Patrol vessel
Length: 17m
Beam: 4.88m
Draft: 1.2m
Displacement: 26t
Construction: Aluminium
Speed: 22kt cruising/27kt max
Fuel: 3860L (3800L useable), diesel
Fuel use: 0.2t/h
Engines: 2 x 700hp Yanmar
Range: 400nm (est)
Survey class: 2B/2C
Passengers: 4 crew, 8 passengers