Patrol boat


A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. However, large size patrol vessels are also operated by multiple navies and coastguards. There are many designs for patrol boats, and they generally range in size. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, police, or customs, and may be intended for marine, estuarine, or river environments.
Per their name, patrol boats are primarily used to patrol a country's exclusive economic zone, but they may also be used in other roles, such as anti-smuggling, anti-piracy, fishery patrols, immigration law enforcement, or search and rescue. Depending on the size, organization, and capabilities of a nation's armed forces, the importance of patrol boats may range from minor support vessels that are part of a coast guard, to flagships that make up a majority of a navy's fleet. Their small size and relatively low cost make them one of the most common naval vessels in the world.
Patrol boats are of varying types, including: offshore patrol vessels, patrol boat fast, patrol boat with surface-to-surface missile, patrol boat inshore, patrol boat with SAM, patrol boat riverine, patrol boat with torpedo.

Classification

The classification of a patrol boat is often subjective, but they are generally small naval vessels that are used to patrol national waters or a certain jurisdiction. They may be as large as a corvette or even a frigate, though the term may also be used for vessels as small as a yacht or rigid inflatable boat. They can include gunboat, fast attack craft, torpedo boats, and missile boats. They may be broadly classified as inshore patrol vessels or offshore patrol vessels. OPVs and medium size cutters are usually the smallest ship in a navy's fleet that are large and seaworthy enough to patrol off-shore in the open ocean, while IPVs are typically too small to do so and are instead kept in lakes or rivers, or close to coasts; IPVs specifically used in rivers can also be called "riverine patrol vessels". Large patrol vessels, offshore patrol vessels and Large cutters are the largest type of patrol ships and are typically more than 100 m in length. Some OPVs may possess significant armament and may approach corvettes in terms of armed capability.
Seagoing patrol boats are typically around 30 m in length and usually carry a single medium caliber artillery gun as main armament, and a variety of lighter secondary armament such as machine guns, while others include the sophisticated close-in weapon system. Depending on their role, vessels in this class may also have more sophisticated sensors and fire control systems that would enable them to carry torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, and surface-to-air missiles.

History

During both World Wars, in order to rapidly build up numbers, all sides created auxiliary patrol boats by arming motorboats and seagoing fishing trawlers with machine guns and obsolete naval weapons. Some modern patrol vessels are still based on fishing and leisure boats.
The United States Navy operated the of armed hydrofoils for years in a patrol boat role. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Navy ordered 193 aluminum hulled Patrol Craft, Fast, also known as Swiftboats, for brown water naval operations. The Patrol Boat, River was a fiberglass hulled vessel also designed and used for inland river operations during the Vietnam War, and became an icon of water operations during the war due to its use in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now.
Most modern designs are powered by gas turbine arrangements such as CODAG, and speeds are generally in the range. The largest OPVs might also have a flight deck and helicopter embarked. In times of crisis or war, these vessels are expected to support the larger vessels in a navy, though some smaller navies are mostly composed of just patrol boats.

Specific nations

Albania

[Albanian Naval Force]

Algeria

[Algerian National Navy]

[Argentine Naval Prefecture]

[Royal Australian Navy]

  • Australian [Border Force Marine Unit">Marine Unit (Australian Border Force)">Australian [Border Force Marine Unit]

  • ACV Triton
  • – replaced all but two of the Bay-class which underwent a life extension. Two Evolved Cape-class patrol boats ordered to replace the remaining two Bay-class patrol boats.

    Others

  • – Australian-built, gifted by the Australian Government to 12 Pacific Island countries
  • – Australian-built replacements for the Pacific class, gifted to the same 12 Pacific Island nations and Timor-Leste

    Bahamas

[Royal Bahamas Defence Force]

  • Bahrain

[Royal Bahrain Naval Force]

35m Fast Patrol Vessels- USA -built by Swiftships, Commissioned in 2021

Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Navy classified its medium size patrol ships as large patrol craft which are armed with either anti-ship missiles or torpedoes. Those ships typically have heavier armaments but less range than OPVs.

[Bangladesh Navy]

;Large patrol craft
;Offshore patrol vessel
  • ARES 150
;Inshore patrol vessel
;ASW patrol boat
;Patrol gunboat
;Offshore patrol vessel
  • Leader class
;Inshore patrol vessel
;Fast patrol vessel
;Coastal patrol vessel
  • Tawfique class
;Riverine patrol craft
;Patrol vessel

[Barbados Coast Guard]

  • Belgium

  • Castor
  • ''Pollux''

    Brazil

  • Grajaú-class offshore patrol vessel
  • Bracuí-class patrol vessel – ex-
  • Imperial Marinheiro-class offshore patrol vessel
  • Piratini-class patrol vessel
  • J-class patrol vessel
  • Roraima-class river patrol vessel
  • Pedro Teixeira-class river patrol vessel
  • offshore patrol vessel

  • Brunei

  • offshore patrol vessel
  • patrol vessel
  • KH 27-class patrol boat
  • FDB 512-class patrol boat
  • Bendaharu-class patrol vessel
  • Perwira-class patrol vessel
  • Saleha-class patrol vessel
  • Pahlawan-class patrol vessel

    Bulgaria

  • ''Obzor''

    Canada

[Royal Canadian Navy]

Cape Verdean Coast Guard">Cape Verdean Armed Forces#Coast Guard">Cape Verdean Coast Guard

[Chilean Navy]

  • China (PRC)

[People's Liberation Army Navy]

  • Harbour security boat – four newly built 80-ton class harbour security / patrol boats, and more are planned in order to take over the port security / patrol duties currently performed by the obsolete Shantou, Beihai, Huangpu, and Yulin-class gunboats, which are increasingly being converted to inshore surveying boats and range support boats
  • Shanghai III -class gunboat – 2
  • Shanghai II-class gunboat
  • Shanghai I -class gunboat – 150+ active and at least 100 in reserve
  • Huludao -class gunboat – 8+
  • – less than 25
  • – less than 30
  • – less than 15
  • – less than 40

    [China Coast Guard]

  • Colombia

[Colombian Navy]

  • Diligente-class patrol boat
  • Nodriza-class patrol boat
  • PAF-I-class patrol boat
  • PAF-II-class patrol boat
  • PAF-III-class patrol boat
  • PAF-IV-class patrol boat
  • Patrullera Fluvial Ligera-class patrol boat
  • Riohacha-class gunboat
  • Fassmer-80 class – built in Colombia by COTECMAR

    Croatia

  • Šolta
  • ''Omiš''

    Denmark

[Royal Danish Navy]

  • OPV – 3 vessels
  • IPV – 6 vessels
  • patrol vessel
  • OPV – 4 ships
  • IPV – 3 vessels
  • IPV – 9 vessels
  • Hvidbjørnen-class OPV – 4 ships

    Ecuador

[Ecuadorian Navy]

[Egyptian Navy]

  • 35m Fast Patrol Vessels- USA -built by Swiftships

    Eritrea

[Eritrean Navy]

  • Eritrea-class 60m patrol vessel

    Others

  • Protector-class patrol boat

    Finland

[Finnish Navy]

[French Navy]

[Hellenic Navy]

  • s and derivatives and
  • s
  • Nasty-class coastal patrol vessels – formerly torpedo boats
  • Esterel-class coastal patrol vessels

    [Hellenic Coast Guard]

  • – acting as offshore patrol vessels
  • Stan Patrol 5509 OPV
  • Vosper Europatrol 250 Mk1 OPV
  • Abeking & Rasmussen patrol vessels – class Dilos
  • POB-24G patrol vessels – class Faiakas
  • CB90-HCG
  • Lambro 57 and derivatives – all being boats for coastal patrols