| HMAS Strahan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Career (Australia) |  |
| Namesake: | Town of Strahan, Tasmania |
| Builder: | NSW State Dockyard at Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Laid down: | 9 October 1942 |
| Launched: | 12 July 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 14 March 1944 |
| Decommissioned: | 25 January 1946 |
| Motto: | "With Fair Winds" |
| Honours and awards: |
Battle honours: Pacific 1944-45 New Guinea 1944 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap in 1961, broken up in 1963 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Bathurst class corvette |
| Displacement: | 815 tons |
| Length: | 186 ft 2 in (56.74 m) |
| Beam: | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Draught: | 8.5 ft (2.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | triple expansion engine, 2 shafts, 2,000 horsepower |
| Speed: | 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) |
| Complement: | 85 |
| Armament: |
1 x 4-inch gun 2 x 20 mm Oerlikons 1 x 40 mm Bofors Machine guns Depth charges chutes and throwers |
HMAS Strahan (J363/M363), named for the town of Strahan, Tasmania, 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]
Construction[]
Strahan was laid down by the NSW State Dockyard at Newcastle, New South Wales on 9 October 1942.[1] She was launched on 12 July 1943 by Mrs. J. J. Cahill, wife of the Minister for Public Works and Local Government, and commissioned into the RAN on 14 March 1944.[1]
Operational history[]
Strahan began her career in May 1944, arriving in New Guinea after completing trials to serve as an escort and anti-submarine vessel.[1] In October 1944, Strahan was present in Morotai Harbour when the recently captured island was attacked by Japanese aircraft.[1] The corvette was attacked by a dive-bomber, but was able to drive off the Japanese plane before she was damaged.[1]
In May 1945, Strahan travelled to Adelaide via Sydney, where she underwent a refit.[1] Following this, she was immediated deployed back in New Guinea, and in June 1945 fired upon Japanese gun emplacements on Kairiru Island.[1]
Following the end of World War II, Strahan was assigned to the 21st Minesweeping Flotilla in Hong Kong, and performed in minesweeping and anti-piracy patrols.[1] Strahan struck a mine while on patrol on 26 September 1945, and had to be towed into Hong Kong Harbour.[1] She was repaired, and returned to Australia.[1] Strahan was decommissioned into reserve in Sydney on 25 January 1946.
The corvette received two battle honours for her wartime service: "Pacific 1944-45" and "New Guinea 1944".[2][3]
Fate[]
Strahan was sold to the Kinoshita Australia company for scrap on 6 January 1961.[1] She was broken up at Green Point in Sydney during March 1963.
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 "HMAS Strahan". Sea Power Centre Australia. Archived from the original on 5 February 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090205231041/http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Strahan. Retrieved 15 September 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.
External links[]
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