Aurora Australis

Aurora Australis was an Australian icebreaker. Built by Carrington Slipways and launched in 1989, the vessel is owned by P&O Maritime Services. It was regularly chartered by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) for research cruises in Antarctic waters and to support Australian bases in Antarctica. Design and construction Designed as a multi-purpose research and resupply ship, Aurora Australis was built by Carrington Slipways in Tomago, New South Wales. The vessel was launched in September 1989. Aurora Australis is long, and has a beam of , draught of and moulded depth of . Her displacement is 8,158 tons, gross tonnage 6,574 and deadweight tonnage 3,911 tons. Her propulsion machinery consists of two Wärtsilä medium-speed diesel engines in father-son arrangement, one 16-cylinder 16V32D producing 5,500 kW and one 12-cylinder 12V32D producing 4,500 kW. Both engines are coupled to a single shaft through a reduction gear, driving a single, left-hand-turning controllable-pitch propeller. Slow speed manoeuvring is achieved with three manoeuvring thrusters, one forward and two aft. Aurora Australis has a maximum speed of , and a cruising speed of . The vessel can break level ice up to thick at . Aurora Australis had a crew of 24 and could carry up to 116 passengers accommodated in three or four-bunk cabins with attached bathrooms. The ship has a cargo capacity of for break bulk or 29 twenty-foot equivalent containers, and a supply tank that can hold of fuel. The ship is fitted with laboratories for biological, meteorological, and oceanographic research, and was designed with a trawl deck for the deployment and recovery of research instruments while at sea. The ship's hangar and helideck allow for the operation of up to three helicopters, usually Eurocopter Squirrels or Sikorsky S-76s.