program in October 2015, in order to extend hull life until a replacement class of larger vessels enters service from 2022. The patrol boats were refitted two at a time in Singapore, with the RAN chartering the s Cape Byron and Cape Nelson from mid-2015 until the end of 2016 to supplement naval patrol boat availability. During work on the first two patrol boats, the estimated cost of work-per-vessel doubled to A$7 million. Operational history The Armidale-class ships are operated by the Australian Patrol Boat Group and are primarily tasked with border protection and fisheries patrols. Multiple Armidale-class boats are assigned to patrols of Australian waters at any given time as part of Operation Resolute (and later Operation Sovereign Borders), with an ability to surge further vessels when required. On introduction of the Armidale class, the Australian Patrol Boat Group was reorganised into four divisions, named after Attack class ships: 1st/Attack Division (HMAS Coonawarra, Darwin) Six Armidale Class patrol boat crews (Attack 1–6) 2nd/Assail Division (HMAS Coonawarra) Six Armidale Class patrol boat crews (Assail 1–6) 3rd/Ardent Division (HMAS Cairns, Cairns) Six Armidale Class patrol boat crews (Ardent 1–6) 4th/Aware Division (Dampier, Western Australia) Three Armidale Class patrol boat crews (Aware 1–3) (based in Darwin)The Patrol Boat force has subsequently been reorganised to allocate a single crew to each platform. At the start of 2014, the long transit differences and near-constant deployment of the patrol boats for Operation Resolute was impacting on the ability to keep the vessels properly maintained. In August 2014, a fire broke out aboard while undergoing refit work at a civilian shipyard in Hemmant, Queensland.Radulova, Fire! Navy patrol boat HMAS Bundaberg engulfed in flames during maintenance work in a Brisbane dry dock The patrol boat was damaged beyond repair and was decommissioned on 18 December. In November 2017 the RAN began deploying Armidale-class patrol boats to the Philippines. The boats have been used to conduct counter-terrorism patrols in the Sulu Sea with the Philippine Navy. Fleet list Appearances in fiction From the second season onwards of Sea Patrol, an Australian military drama series, the fictional Armidale-class patrol boat HMAS Hammersley (pennant number 82) is used as the main setting. In 2008, two ships were conflated to represent Hammersley: 42 of the 86 days of filming were spent aboard , with later pick-up filming aboard . ReplacementDefending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030, the 2009 Department