| HMAS Stawell | |
|---|---|
 HMAS Stawell during 1944 | |
| Career (Australia) |  |
| Namesake: | Town of Stawell, Victoria |
| Builder: | HMA Naval Dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria |
| Laid down: | 18 June 1942 |
| Launched: | 3 April 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 7 August 1943 |
| Decommissioned: | 26 March 1946 |
| Motto: | "Without Fear or Favour" |
| Honours and awards: |
Battle honours: Pacific 1943-45 New Guinea 1943-44 Borneo 1945 |
| Fate: | Sold to RNZN |
| Career (New Zealand) | |
| Acquired: | 5 March 1952 |
| Decommissioned: | Late 1950s |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap in 1968 |
| General characteristics during RAN service | |
| 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, 2,000 horsepower |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) at 1,750 hp |
| Complement: | 85 |
| Armament: |
1 x 4-inch gun 3 x 20 mm Oerlikons Machine guns Depth charges chutes and throwers |
HMAS Stawell (J348/M348) was a Bathurst class corvette named for the town of Stawell, Victoria.[1] Sixty Bathurst class corvettes were constructed during World War II, and Stawell was one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).[1]
The corvette later served in the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) as HMNZS Stawell.
Construction[]
Stawell was laid down by HMA Naval Dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria on 18 June 1942.[1] She was launched on 3 April 1943 by Mrs. J. J. Dedman, wife of the Minister for War Organisation, and commissioned into the RAN on 7 August 1943.[1]
Operational history[]
RAN[]
The majority of Starwell’s career was spent in three areas. Initially, she served as a convoy escort along the east coast of Australia.[1] Following this, Stawell participated in a variety of escort, minesweeping, and combat roles throughout New Guinea waters.[1] In the final third of her career, the ship spent time in Hong Kong waters, performing minsweeping and anti-piracy duties.[1] Stawell returned to Brisbane in November 1945.[1]
The corvette received three battle honours for her wartime service: "Pacific 1943-45", "New Guinea 1943-44", and "Borneo 1945".[2][3]
RNZN[]
Stawell was removed from RAN service on 26 March 1946.[1] On 5 March 1952, Stawell and three other Bathurst class corvettes (HMA Ships Echuca, Inverell, and Kiama) were transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).[4]
She was commissioned into the RNZN,[when?] given the prefix HMNZS, and remained in service until the late 1950s, when she was placed into reserve.[1]
Fate[]
Stawell was sold to Pacific Scrap Limited of Auckland, New Zealand in July 1968, and was broken up for scrap.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 "HMAS Stawell (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre - Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 7 August 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090807082524/http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Stawell_(I). Retrieved 27 August 2008.
- ↑ "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. http://web.archive.org/web/20110613184920/http://www.navy.gov.au/Navy_Marks_109th_Birthday_With_Historic_Changes_To_Battle_Honours. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ↑ "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. http://web.archive.org/web/20110614064156/http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Units_entitlement_list.pdf. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- ↑ "HMAS Inverell (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre - Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 7 August 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090807082444/http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Inverell_(I). Retrieved 27 August 2008.
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The original article can be found at HMAS Stawell and the edit history here.