HMAS Attack (P 90) was the lead ship of the s used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Launched in April 1967 and commissioned in November that year, the ship was largely commercial in design and was used to protect fisheries in Australia's northern waters, and to support the survey ship . The vessel remained in RAN service until 1985 when it was transferred to the Indonesian Navy and renamed Sikuda.
Design and construction
The Attack class was ordered in 1964 to operate in Australian waters as patrol boats based on lessons learned through using the s on patrols of Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation, and to replace a variety of old patrol, search-and-rescue, and general-purpose craft. Initially, nine were ordered for the RAN, with another five for Papua New Guinea's Australian-run coastal security force, although another six ships were later ordered to bring the class to twenty vessels.
The patrol boats had a displacement of 100 tons at standard load and 146 tons at full load, were in length overall, had a beam of , and draughts of at standard load, and at full load.Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Ships Since 1946, p. 86Blackman (ed.), Jane's Fighting Ships, 1968–69, p. 18 The vessels' propulsion machinery consisted of two 16-cylinder Paxman YJCM diesel engines, which supplied to the two propellers, producing a top speed of and a range of at . The ship's company consisted of three officers and sixteen sailors. Its main armament was a bow-mounted Bofors 40 mm gun, supplemented by two .50-calibre M2 Browning machine guns and various small arms. The ships were designed with as many commercial components as possible: the Attacks were to operate in remote regions of Australia and New Guinea, and a town's hardware store would be more accessible than home base in a mechanical emergency.The patrol boat, Australian National Maritime Museum
Attack was built by Evans Deakin and Company at Brisbane, Queensland,Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Ships Since 1946, p. 87 launched on 8 April 1967Gillett & Graham, Warships of Australia, p. 227. and commissioned on 17 November 1967. Although it was the lead ship of the class, Attack was the second ship commissioned into the RAN, four days behind .
Operational history Following its commission, Attack served in the RAN for 17 years, during which time she was employed mainly in the waters to Australia's north, protecting fisheries. She was also used to support survey work conducted by .Gillett & Graham, Warships of Australia, pp. 227–228. The patrol boat was in Darwin Harbour when Cyclone Tracy struck in the early hours of 25 December 1974. Unable to slip her moorings as conditions deteriorated, Attack attempted to use her engines to remain head-on to the storm. Dragging the cyclone buoy, the vessel was eventually washed aground on rocks close to Larrakeyah Barracks. She was refloated and towed to Cairns by HMAS Stuart and was repaired and returned to service.
Attack paid off on 21 February 1985. She was transferred to the Indonesian Navy on 24 May 1985 and renamed Sikuda.Prézelin and Baker, The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World 1990/1991, p. 250
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