Units to blocks to ships
During Hunter’s prototyping, five blocks (03, 04, 05, 10 and 16) were constructed based on the UK’s Type 26 City class frigate, which is Hunter’s design reference ship.
The work began in December 2020 and faced challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic but still manufactured the first steel unit in under a year. This 28-tonne unit was soon joined by three other units to form Block 16. At 452 square metres, Block 16 is the equivalent of 2.5 average-sized Australian homes and took 45,000 production hours to complete.
With 22 blocks making up a Hunter class, these five prototype blocks were selected because they represented technological feats that had to be met in order to successfully build a frigate.
Hunter mast-ery
The HCFP is a country-wide endeavour and, between 2023 and 2026, its Mast Proof-of-Concept (PoC) project was undertaken by teams in Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne. With the work primarily carried out at the Henderson shipyard, south of Perth, the mast was a brand-new design.
For this work, an approximate 20% segment of the full-scale mast was created. Unlike the steel blocks, the Mast PoC was made from aluminium, a material that is two thirds lighter with different manufacturing requirements. Henderson was chosen for the project because of its acclaimed history constructing masts for the Anzac class frigates.
Mast prototyping also included machining radar seats, which are used for housing radar equipment. This was extremely fine work where the seat had to be within a very tight tolerance. The team at Henderson has now commenced production on the mast for NUSHIP Hunter.
Prototyping, building and outfitting
Hunter’s prototyping has provided opportunities to mobilise local industry, increasing small-to-medium enterprises’ capabilities in the process, and has also run concurrent with NUSHIP Hunter’s construction in recent times. Prototyping continued to be an important part of the program even while winding down.
In its last phase, prototyping focused on outfitting, which is one of the final stages in the shipbuilding process. Outfitting involves the integration of non-structural equipment; Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC); electrical and pipe routed systems.
The outfit prototyping saw the installation of a crew accommodation space, a representation of a cabin where naval officers and sailors would work, relax and sleep. This finer, intricate work included adding bunks, carpet, plumbing and furniture. Even after years, Prototype Block 16 was still utilised as a workhorse.
Hunter’s prototyping legacy represents a collaborative undertaking where every aspect of the program fired on all cylinders. It demonstrated innovation, validated capability and set up Hunter’s future.