ADV Cape Naturaliste

Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Cape Naturaliste, named after Cape Naturaliste in Western Australia, is an evolved Cape-class patrol boat of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

The ship is the third of ten evolved Cape-class patrol boats to be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy. Prior to Cape Naturaliste, the RAN already operated the Cape-class patrol boats ADV Cape Fourcroy and ADV Cape Inscription as well as the evolved Cape-class patrol boats ADV Cape Otway and ADV Cape Peron.

The ship was built by Austal in Henderson, Western Australia, commissioned on 4 November 2022 and based at HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin, Northern Territory. Cape Naturaliste was officially welcomed in Darwin in June 2023, alongside her sister ship ADV Cape Capricorn, becoming the first evolved Cape-class patrol boats to be based there. The patrol boat's primary duty lies in fisheries protection, immigration, customs and drug law enforcement operations.

The ship is one of the original six evolved Cape-class patrol boats the RAN ordered in April 2020 to replace the Armidale-class patrol boats in this role, at a projected cost of A$324million. This order was subsequently expanded by another two boats in April 2022, at an additional projected cost of $124million. In November 2023, the RAN ordered a further two evolved Cape-class patrols, at a cost of A$157.1million.