Bathurst-class corvette
HMAS Latrobe
| |
Class overview | |
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Builders |
|
Operators | World War II
Post-war |
Succeeded by | Ton-class minesweeper (RAN) |
Cost | A£250,000 per vessel |
Built | 1940–1942 |
In commission | 1940–1960 (RAN) |
Completed | 60 |
Cancelled | 3, plus a 1938 prototype |
Lost | 5 |
Preserved | 2 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Australian minesweeper (corvette) |
Displacement | 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, 2 shafts. 2,000 hp |
Speed | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement | Normally 85 |
Sensors and processing systems | Type 128 asdic |
Armament |
|
Notes | Characteristics varied between vessels, see individual ships for details |
The Bathurst-class corvettes were a class of general purpose vessels designed and built in Australia during World War II. Originally classified as minesweepers, but widely referred to as corvettes, the Bathurst-class vessels fulfilled a broad anti-submarine, anti-mine, and convoy escort role.
A total of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes were built, at eight Australian shipyards: 36 were paid for by the Australian government and 24 were built on
Although the Bathursts were designed for the anti-submarine and anti-mine roles, they also served as troop and supply transports, provided air defence for convoys and disabled ships, participated in shore bombardments, and undertook hydrographic surveys. Three ships were lost during the war: one to an air attack and two to collisions with friendly merchant ships. (Following the war, a fourth vessel sank after hitting a mine while sweeping the Great Barrier Reef.)
After the war, the Admiralty ships were sold to the
Background
In 1937, in an initially-unrelated development, the
During July 1938, the RAN Director of Engineering, Rear Admiral Percival McNeil, was instructed to develop plans for a local defence vessel, with a
Although McNeil's "Kangaroo class" was never built, his general concept attracted interest in Australian naval circles, as it offered advantages over existing minesweeper and anti-submarine classes and could be built in Australia with local resources, with the exception of weapons and some specialised instrumentation.[2][5] Although not perfectly suited for any specific role, the all-round general capability for minesweeping, anti-submarine warfare, patrol, and escort duties was seen as a good short-term solution until better vessels could be requisitioned or constructed.[6][7]
In September 1939, following the outbreak of war, there was a new procurement process for seven ships of a design based on McNeil's concept.[2][5] Additional orders were soon placed by both the ACNB and the British Admiralty, and a total of 60 Bathurst-class ships were built, including 36 ordered by the RAN for home duties and 24 paid for by the Admiralty. Of these British-ordered vessels, 20 vessels were commissioned into the RAN and crewed by Australian personnel, on the understanding that they would be attached to Royal Navy fleets; a further four vessels were commissioned into the Royal Indian Navy.[6]
The Bathurst class were officially classified as "Australian Minesweepers" (AMS) to hide their intended primary role in anti-submarine duties, although the Bathursts were popularly referred to as corvettes.[6][8]
Design
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Each ship's company varied in size: the standard complement was 85[
Six large escort vessels based on a scaled-up version of the Bathurst design were considered for construction in mid-1941, but the design was determined to be inferior to the River-class frigate.[11]
Armament and equipment
The most common armament for Bathurst-class corvettes was a
Due to the variety of shipyards constructing the corvettes, as well as the varying roles the Bathursts were pressed into, there was no true standardisation of armament. Some ships varied significantly from the common armament profile, while an individual ship's weapons outfit could vary significantly for different periods of her career.[14] At one stage, HMAS Geraldton carried six Oerlikon cannons, a number later reduced to four.[17] By comparison, the outfit of HMAS Junee consisted of a single 4-inch gun and a single 40 mm gun.[18]
The Bathursts were equipped with modified Type 128 asdic equipment, redesigned to be used without a gyroscopic stabiliser.[19] Minesweeping equipment also varied across the class: ships equipped with the newer 'LL' minesweeping gear were distributed as evenly as possible throughout major Australian ports.[16]
Each was fitted with a
Construction
Construction of the ships required a significant expansion of the Australian shipbuilding industry. This was achieved by bringing disused dockyards back into production and establishing new facilities.
The initial rate of construction was slow, due to a variety of factors: delays in equipment delivery from overseas, industrial problems, a lack of qualified labour, and the difficulty of naval overseers in supporting all eight shipyards at once primary among them.[2][22] The initial prediction was that two vessels per month would enter service through 1941, but by June 1940, only five of the seventeen ordered so far had been laid down, and the RAN was advised at the end of 1940 that only seven would be completed December 1940.[22] The prioritisation of Admiralty orders by the Australian government meant that RAN-ordered ships were further delayed, although the Admiralty later allowed the first four of their ships to remain in local waters until replacements entered service.[2] Rate of construction increased by late 1941, although the increasing need of shipbuilding resources for repairs as the war progressed slowed the rate of construction back down.[26] The corvette's build time was comparable to that of an Essex-class aircraft carrier; the fourteen-month construction time for USS Franklin was equal to or faster than the individual build time of half the corvettes.[27]
Three additional Bathursts were to be built for the Royal Indian Navy by
Role
The two main purposes the ships were intended for were minesweeping and anti-submarine escort. However, the corvettes found themselves performing a wide range of duties, including troop and supply transport, bombardment, assault landings support, survey and hydrography mapping, and providing aid to disabled ships.[6][29] The Bathursts were seen as 'maids of all work' by the RAN, even though the design was inappropriate for some roles; being too small, too slow, or inadequately armed or equipped.[8] It was not until March 1943 that sufficient ships were available to take the individual variations and capabilities of the Bathursts into account: prior to this, they were the first (and often only) available vessel.[30]
Because of the dual, conflicting roles of local defence vessel and ocean-going escort, Bathursts based in Australia were under two different controllers for the first part of the Pacific War; operationally under the US Navy's Naval Commander South West Pacific Area Forces (COMSOUWESTPAC), and administratively under the Naval Officer In Charge (NOIC) of the ship's homeport.[31] Following multiple incidents where a ship would be assigned to two different tasks simultaneously; conflicts between local needs, escort schedules, and maintenance requirements; and protests from the NOIC in Fremantle and Darwin, the Australian-based corvettes were placed completely under NOIC control in May 1942.[32] Instead of directly assigning ships to convoys, COMSOUWESTPAC would indicate that ships would be needed from a particular port for escort duties, leaving the NOIC of that port free to allocate available ships.[32]
Bathurst-class ships were assigned up to three different pennant numbers during the course of their career. With the exception of HMAS Ararat (K34), all of the Bathurst-class corvettes were given numbers with the 'J' flag superior, designating them as minesweepers.[33] Ships of the class that served with the British Pacific Fleet, like many other ships serving with the fleet, had their pennant numbers changed to ones with a 'B' flag superior.[33] At the end of World War II, a reorganisation of the pennant system saw the Bathursts given new numbers with 'M' as the flag superior, which was the new designator for minesweepers.[33]
Operational history
World War II
In the early part of their war service, Bathursts were involved in the evacuation of several locations which fell to the initial Japanese advance, and in the transportation of supplies and reinforcements to Australian and Dutch guerrilla operations in Timor.[34] HMAS Armidale was the only ship of the class destroyed by enemy action;[25] she was sunk by torpedoes from Japanese aircraft on the afternoon of 1 December 1942 while transporting personnel of the Netherlands East Indies Army to Betano, Timor.[35]
The Bathursts were involved in several attacks on submarines during the war.[36] On 20 January 1942, the Japanese submarine I-124 was sunk outside Darwin.[37] This, the first RAN kill of a full-size submarine, was credited to HMAS Deloraine, with sister ships Katoomba and Lithgow assisting.[37] On 11 September 1943, HMAS Wollongong assisted in the destruction of the German submarine U-617.[29] On 11 February 1944, the corvettes Ipswich and Launceston, along with the Indian sloop HMIS Jumna, were responsible for the sinking of the Japanese submarine Ro-110 in the Bay of Bengal.[38]
In November 1942, an Indian Bathurst, HMIS Bengal, along with the Dutch tanker Ondina she was escorting, engaged and sank the Japanese commerce raider Hōkoku Maru, and drove off her sister ship Aikoku Maru.[39]
In early 1943, HMA Ships Benalla and Shepparton were modified to serve as hydrographic survey ships.[36] The corvettes were assigned to Task Group 70.5 of the United States Seventh Fleet, and were used to survey waters prior to several amphibious landings during the war.[36]
Eight corvettes were deployed to the Mediterranean in May 1943.[40] Their anti-aircraft armament made them appropriate for escort duties during the Allied invasion of Sicily.[40] A month later, four Bathursts were part of an eight-ship escort for a 40-strong convoy to Gibraltar when it was attacked by 50 German torpedo bombers; the corvettes' air defence destroyed nine aircraft, and only two merchant ships received damage.[36] During their time in the Mediterranean, several corvettes reached the Atlantic Ocean.[36]
In early 1945, eighteen Bathurst-class corvettes were assigned to the British Pacific Fleet.[41] Eight of these ships cleared Victoria Harbour before the BPF arrived in Hong Kong at the end of the Japanese occupation, while three-Ballarat, Cessnock, and Ipswich-were present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed.[36][42]
The poor working and living conditions aboard the ships, combined with the heavy and often difficult workloads, led to
Only three Bathurst-class corvettes were lost during World War II.[25] As well as Armidale, the other two ships were lost following collisions with merchant vessels of the United States: HMAS Wallaroo in June 1943, and HMAS Geelong in October 1944.[25]
Post-war
After the war, the 20 Admiralty-owned vessels were disposed of; five to the
Of the 33 surviving RAN vessels, twelve were formed into the
The last ship to leave RAN service was HMAS Wagga on 28 October 1960.[55] The gradual loss of minesweeping-capable ships was not rectified until late 1962, when the RAN purchased six Ton-class minesweepers from the Royal Navy.[56]
The 56 corvettes commissioned as Australian vessels travelled a combined total of 6,700,000 nautical miles (12,400,000 km; 7,700,000 mi) during their service with the RAN.[57] A total of 83 personnel were killed in service across the entire service life of the class.[57]
Operators
World War II
Post-war
- Indonesian Navy
- Royal New Zealand Navy
- Royal Netherlands Navy
- Turkish Navy
- Pakistan Navy[citation needed]
- Civilian operators; one vessel later acquired by People's Liberation Army Navy
Surviving examples and monuments
Of the 60 vessels, only two examples remain.[58] HMAS Castlemaine is a museum ship in Williamstown, Victoria.[58] HMAS Whyalla is a land-based tourist attraction in Whyalla.[58]
A monument to the 56 Australian-operated corvettes is located at the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre, at Garden Island, Sydney. The monument, Corvettes, was unveiled by Rear Admiral Peter Sinclair on 12 November 1995.[57] Also at Garden Island, Sydney, a stained glass window listing the names of the corvettes frames the upper balcony doors of the Naval Chapel.[59]
The Royal Australian Navy Corvettes memorial at the Fremantle War Memorial was dedicated on 7 October 1984.[60]
See also
- List of ship classes of the Second World War
Citations
- ^ a b c Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–104
- ^ a b c d e f g h The Australian Corvettes, p. 1
- ^ a b Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 103
- ^ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 104
- ^ a b Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 105
- ^ a b c d e f g h Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, p. 29
- ^ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 148
- ^ a b c Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 108
- ^ a b c d e Frame & Baker, Mutiny!, p. 165
- ^ Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p 115
- ^ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, .p 166
- ^ a b HMAS Goulburn – HMA Ship Histories
- ^ a b HMAS Glenelg – HMA Ship Histories
- ^ a b Lind, The Royal Australian Navy – Historical Naval Events Year by Year, p. 173
- ^ HMAS Gympie – HMA Ship Histories
- ^ a b Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 228
- ^ HMAS Geraldton (I) – HMA Ship Histories
- ^ a b HMAS Junee – HMA Ship Histories
- ^ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp 154–155
- ^ Frame & Baker, Mutiny!, p. 164
- ^ Mellor, The Role of Science and Industry, p. 455
- ^ a b c Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 152
- ^ a b Mellor, The Role of Science and Industry, p. 457
- ^ Gill, Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945, p. 104
- ^ a b c d Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, opp. p. 112
- ^ Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, pgs. 121, 132
- ^ Colebatch, The enemy within that killed Curtin
- ^ a b c Lenton,British and Empire Warships of the Second World War, p. 258
- ^ a b Dennis et al, The Oxford Companion to Australian military history, p. 78
- ^ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p 227
- ^ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 188
- ^ a b Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 189
- ^ a b c Lind, The Royal Australian Navy – Historic Naval Events Year by Year, p 315
- ^ Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, pp. 129–30
- ^ HMAS Armidale (I) – HMA Ship Histories
- ^ a b c d e f g h The Australian Corvettes, p. 2
- ^ a b Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 183
- ^ Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 148
- ^ Visser, Jan (1999–2000). "The Ondina Story". Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942. Archived from the original on 21 March 2011.
- ^ a b Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 141
- ^ Dennis et al, The Oxford Companion to Australian military history, p. 113
- ^ Allied Ships Present in Tokyo Bay During the Surrender Ceremony, 2 September 1945
- ^ a b Frame & Baker, Mutiny!, p. 161
- ^ Frame & Baker, Mutiny!, pp. 164–7
- ^ Frame & Baker, Mutiny! p. 171
- ^ a b Frame & Baker, Mutiny! p. 173
- ^ Frame & Baker, Mutiny! pp. 179–80
- ^ Frame & Baker, Mutiny! pp. 182–4
- ^ Conboy & Morrison 1999, p. 116.
- ^ Lind 1986, p. 236.
- ^ Stevens et al, The Royal Australian Navy, p. 162
- ^ Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, pp. 169–70
- ^ HMAS Inverell (I) – HMA Ship Histories
- ^ a b Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 172
- ^ HMAS Wagga – HMA Ship Histories
- ^ Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 189
- ^ a b c Information plaque, Corvettes memorial, Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre
- ^ a b c Corvette Links
- ^ Nesdale, The Corvettes, p. vii
- ^ Royal Australian Navy Corvettes monumentaustralia.org.au, Retrieved 24 March 2021
References
Books
- Conboy, Kenneth; Morrison, James (1999). Feet to the Fire CIA Covert Operations in Indonesia, 1957–1958. Annapolis: ISBN 1-55750-193-9.
- 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. Vol. 1. Canberra: Sea Power Centre. OCLC 36817771.
- Frame, Tom; Baker, Kevin (2000). Mutiny! Naval Insurrections in Australia and New Zealand. St. Leonards, NSW: OCLC 46882022.
- Gill, G. Hermon (1968). Royal Australian Navy, 1942–1945. OCLC 848228.
- Lenton, H. T. (1998). British and Empire Warships of the Second World War. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 1-85367-277-7.
- Lind, Lew (1986) [1982]. The Royal Australian Navy – Historic Naval Events Year by Year (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Reed Books. OCLC 16922225.
- Mellor, David Paver (1958). The Role of Science and Industry. Australia in the War of 1939–1945, Series 4 – Civil. Vol. V. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. OCLC 4092792.
- Nesdale, Iris (1982). The Corvettes: Forgotten Ships of the Royal Australian Navy. Adelaide: Iris Nesdale. ISBN 0949552003.
- Stevens, David (2005). A Critical Vulnerability: the impact of the submarine threat on Australia's maritime defence 1915–1954. Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Vol. 15. Canberra: Sea Power Centre Australia. 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 (vol III). South Melbourne: OCLC 50418095.
News and journal articles
- Sydney Morning Herald.
- Stevens, David (May 2010). "The Australian Corvettes" (PDF). Hindsight (Semaphore). 2010 (5). Sea Power Centre – Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 March 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
Websites and other media
- "Allied Ships Present in Tokyo Bay During the Surrender Ceremony, 2 September 1945". Naval Historical Center – U.S. Navy. 27 May 2005. Archived from the original on 14 August 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2010.
Taken from Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPAC/CINCPOA) A16-3/FF12 Serial 0395, 11 February 1946: Report of Surrender and Occupation of Japan
- "Corvette Links". Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy.
- "HMAS Armidale (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- "HMAS Geraldton (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 15 January 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- "HMAS Glenelg (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- "HMAS Goulburn (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- "HMAS Gympie (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 20 August 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- "HMAS Inverell (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- "HMAS Junee". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- "HMAS Wagga". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- L, Klemen (2000). "Forgotten Campaign: The Dutch East Indies Campaign 1941–1942".
Further reading
- Briggs, Mark (2022). "The Australian Bathurst-class Minesweeper Corvette". In Jordan, John (ed.). Warship 2022. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. pp. 178–190. ISBN 978-1-4728-4781-2.
- Henshaw, John (2021). Capable Beyond our Dreams: Australia's Bathurst - Class Corvettes 1940 - 1960 (PDF). Canberra: Sea Power Centre – Australia. ISBN 978-0-9807774-1-3.