 HMAS Bundaberg in Sydney Harbour during 1942 | |
| Career (Australia) |  |
|---|---|
| Namesake: | City of Bundaberg, Queensland |
| Builder: | Evans Deakin and Company |
| Laid down: | 7 June 1941 |
| Launched: | 1 December 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 12 September 1942 |
| Decommissioned: | 26 March 1946 |
| Honours and awards: |
|
| Fate: | Sold for scrap in 1961 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Bathurst-class corvette |
| Displacement: | 650 tons (standard), 1,025 tons (full war load) |
| Length: | 186 ft (57 m) |
| Beam: | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Draught: | 8.5 ft (2.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | triple expansion engine, 2 shafts |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) at 1,750 hp |
| Complement: | 85 |
| Armament: |
|
HMAS Bundaberg (J231/M231), named for the city of Bundaberg, Queensland, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).[1]
Design and construction[]
In 1938, the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (ACNB) identified the need for a general purpose 'local defence vessel' capable of both anti-submarine and mine-warfare duties, while easy to construct and operate.[2][3] The vessel was initially envisaged as having a displacement of approximately 500 tons, a speed of at least 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), and a range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi)[4] The opportunity to build a prototype in the place of a cancelled Bar-class boom defence vessel saw the proposed design increased to a 680-ton vessel, with a 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) top speed, and a range of 2,850 nautical miles (5,280 km; 3,280 mi), armed with a 4-inch gun, equipped with asdic, and able to fitted with either depth charges or minesweeping equipment depending on the planned operations: although closer in size to a sloop than a local defence vessel, the resulting increased capabilities were accepted due to advantages over British-designed mine warfare and anti-submarine vessels.[2][5] Construction of the prototype HMAS Kangaroo did not go ahead, but the plans were retained.[6] The need for locally built 'all-rounder' vessels at the start of World War II saw the "Australian Minesweepers" (designated as such to hide their anti-submarine capability, but popularly referred to as "corvettes") approved in September 1939, with 60 constructed during the course of the war: 36 (including Bundaberg) ordered by the RAN, 20 ordered by the British Admiralty but manned and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy.[2][7][8][9][1]
Bundaberg was laid down by Evans Deakin and Company at Brisbane on 7 June 1941, launched on 1 December 1941 by Mrs. Hurwood, wife of the Director of Evans Deakin, and commissioned on 12 September 1942.
Operational history[]
The ship was awarded the battle honours "Pacific 1942–45" and "New Guinea 1943–44" for her service during World War II.[10][11]
Fate[]
Bundaberg paid off to reserve on 26 March 1946, and was sold for scrap to the Kinoshita Company of Japan on 6 January 1961.
Citations[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "HMAS Bundaberg (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy. http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-bundaberg-i.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Stevens, The Australian Corvettes, p. 1
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 103
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–4
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–5
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 104
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 105, 148
- ↑ Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, p. 29
- ↑ Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 108
- ↑ "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. http://www.navy.gov.au/Navy_Marks_109th_Birthday_With_Historic_Changes_To_Battle_Honours.
- ↑ "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Units_entitlement_list.pdf.
References[]
Books[]
- Donohue, Hector (October 1996). From Empire Defence to the Long Haul: post-war defence policy and its impact on naval force structure planning 1945–1955. Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. 1. Canberra: Sea Power Centre. ISBN 0-642-25907-0. ISSN 1327-5658. OCLC 36817771.
- Stevens, David (2005). A Critical Vulnerability: the impact of the submarine threat on Australia's maritime defense 1915–1954. Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. 15. Canberra: Sea Power Centre Australia. ISBN 0-642-29625-1. ISSN 1327-5658. OCLC 62548623.
- Stevens, David; Sears, Jason; Goldrick, James; Cooper, Alastair; Jones, Peter; Spurling, Kathryn (2001). Stevens, David. ed. The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence. III. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-554116-2. OCLC 50418095.
Journal and news articles[]
- Stevens, David (May 2010). "The Australian Corvettes". Sea Power Centre – Australia. http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Semaphore_2010_5.pdf.
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The original article can be found at HMAS Bundaberg (J231) and the edit history here.