The Royal Australian Navy’s use of the 86 metre HMAS Jervis Bay was the first high-speed application in an extended defence role and presented an opportunity for other nations to gauge the military potential of the latest Incat technology. It is a matter of history that the craft made quite an impact during its tenure with the Navy. The Maritime Commander, Rear Admiral Geoff Smith AM, RAN, commented at her decommissioning, "She was precisely the vessel we wanted in the East Timor crisis, we needed to transport personnel quickly, reliably and in large numbers." Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral David Shackleton joined in the tribute stating "HMAS Jervis Bay, affectionately referred to as the "Dili Express", served Australia well and successfully filled a shortfall in the Navy's operational capability". He went on to say; "She has been extensively trialed and assessed during her service and the RAN has obtained much valuable data for use in the future. Jervis Bay Commanding Officer Jon Dudley has seen the benefits of the catamaran in real world situations. "The first time we made a run into Dili, the port was totally trashed," said Dudley. "There was lot of confusion, a lot of things strewn on the wharf, and, there were no port services. With nothing to help us, we were still able to land troops quickly. The catamaran definitely gave us a big advantage." HMAS Jervis Bay stunned US Seventh Fleet personnel during peacekeeping operations around East Timor in 1999 producing speeds nearing forty-five knots, more than twice the speed of any such vessel in the US Navy, and on arrival in East Timor she unloaded at a pace the new class of navy assault ships can’t match. "The innovative hull form, high speed, automation and minimal crew makes the fast catamaran the equivalent of a Pentium II computer dropping off on our doorstep while we’ve been working on a computer the size of a garage", said Captain Wall, Commodore of the Tarawa ARG. "It is exciting and I strongly believe the US Navy should give it a thorough evaluation".