HMAS Westralia (F95)

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For other ships with the same name, see HMAS Westralia.

HMAS Westralia
HMAS Westralia after conversion to an LSI in 1944
History
Name
  • Westralia (1929–59)
  • Delfino (1959–1960)
  • Woolambi (1960–1961)
Owner
  • Huddart Parker, Melbourne (1929–1959)
  • Asian & Pacific Shipping Company, Fiji (1959–1961)
Builder
Harland and Wolff, Govan
Yard number843
Launched25 April 1929
Completed1929
Identification
FateSold for scrap in 1961
History
Australia
NameWestralia
Acquired1939
Commissioned17 January 1940
DecommissionedSeptember 1946
Reclassified
  • Armed merchant cruiser (1940–1943)
  • Landing Ship Infantry (1943–1946)
  • Troop transport (1946–1951)
  • Civilian ship (1951–1961)
Motto"Faithful and Bold"
Honours and
awards
FateReturned to owners
General characteristics
Tonnage8,108 tons gross, 4,717 tons net in 1931[1]
Length445 ft (136 m)
Beam60 ft (18 m)
Draught22 ft 6.5 in (6.871 m)
Propulsion2 Harland and Wolff oil engines, twin screws, 1,750 horsepower
Speed14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Capacity1,004 troops (as landing ship)
Complement541
Armament
  • (as AMC):
  • 7 × 6-inch guns
  • 2 × 3-inch anti-aircraft guns
  • 1 × Seagull V amphibian
  • (as LSI):
  • 1 × 6-inch gun
  • 2 × 3-inch anti-aircraft guns
  • 12 × 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns

HMAS Westralia (F95/C61) was an

Armed Merchant Cruiser
(AMC). Fitted with guns and commissioned in early 1940, Westralia was initially used to escort convoys in the Pacific and Indian oceans. In November 1940, the largest mutiny in RAN history occurred aboard the ship, with 104 men charged.

In 1943, Westralia was converted into a

Landing Ship, Infantry (LSI). The ship was used to transport units of the United States Army and United States Marine Corps, and took part in numerous amphibious landings. After being used to repatriate personnel at the end of the war, Westralia was decommissioned in 1946. Before she could be returned to her owners, the vessel was requisitioned again, this time for use as a troop transport supporting the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF). Westralia was not commissioned again, and operated by a merchant navy crew until 1951, when she was returned to Huddart Parker. In 1959, the ship was sold to the Asian and Pacific Shipping Co Ltd for use as a livestock carrier. Initially operated as Delfino, she was renamed Woolambi in 1960, before being sold for scrap
in 1961.

Construction and acquisition

Westralia was built at the

Harland and Wolff shipyard in Govan for the Huddart Parker company as a twin screw motor vessel.[2][3] Assigned the yard number 843, Westralia was launched on 25 April 1929, and completed later that year.[3][4]

Westralia was requisitioned for war service by the Australian government on 2 November 1939 as an

armed merchant cruiser (AMC).[2] She was fitted with seven 6-inch (150 mm) guns and two 3-inch (76 mm) anti-aircraft guns.[2] The ship was commissioned into the RAN on 17 January 1940, and assigned the pennant number F95.[3][5]

Operational history

Westralia in her pre-war configuration, on the Brisbane River

Westralia's time as an AMC was spent escorting convoys in the Pacific and Indian oceans, primarily from Australia and New Zealand. In early November, the ship escorted a

Koepang without incident on 12 December.[7] The two ships returned to Darwin on 16 December, then were instructed to make for Cairns; Westralia arrived on 25 December, with 117 soldiers aboard.[8]

The calls to transport troops had come at short notice, and feeding the soldiers had put a significant dent in Westralia's supplies, with the sailors spending most of December on short rations.

Action Stations and noted who did not report for duty.[10] The ship's master-at-arms was ordered to arrest those refusing to report for duty; 104 men were arrested and charged with mutiny (the largest number in RAN history), with the ringleaders confined in cells, and the rest agreeing to resume duties.[10] Westralia arrived in Darwin on 30 December, then was ordered to Sydney so an inquiry into the incident could be held: the records relating to the legal proceedings and punishments have been lost.[10]

During May 1942, Westralia was present in Sydney Harbour during the Japanese midget submarine attack.[11]

Between February and May 1943, Westralia was converted into a

Borneo.[2]

After the end of the war, Westralia was one of the ships at Ambon on 22 September 1945 for the surrender and occupation of the island where the 164 survivors of Gull Force prisoners had already been taken off on 10 September.[13] She was later used for the repatriation of Australian troops, before being paid off in September 1946. The ship earned five battle honours for her wartime service: "Pacific 1941–45", "New Guinea 1943–44", "Leyte Gulf 1944", "Lingayen Gulf 1945", and "Borneo 1945".[14][15]

Westralia sailed from Japan via Rabaul for Brisbane, due about 17 July 1946, and thereafter Sydney where she was to be converted to coastal passenger service.

Mediterranean until March 1950.[2] Westralia was finally reconverted and returned to her owners on 27 March 1951.[2][3] Westralia was sold to the Asian and Pacific Shipping Co Ltd in 1959, serving as a livestock carrier.[5] Initially operated as Delfino, she was renamed Woolambi in 1960, before being sold for scrap and towed to Japan for breaking up in December 1961.[5]

Citations

  1. ^ Lloyd's Register WES–WHI, PortCities Southampton-Plimsoll Ship Data
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Royal Australian Navy, HMAS Westralia (I)
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Armed Merchant Cruiser HMAS Westralia". uboat.net. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
  4. ^ "MV Westralia". Clyde built ships. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ a b c d Bastock, Australia's Ships of War, p. 220
  6. ^ Frame & Baker, Mutiny!, p. 158
  7. ^ Gill, G. Hermon (1957). Royal Australian Navy 1939–1942. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy. Vol. 1. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. p. 487. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  8. ^ Frame & Baker, Mutiny!, pp. 158–9
  9. ^ a b Frame & Baker, Mutiny!, p. 159
  10. ^ a b c d e Frame & Baker, Mutiny!, p. 160
  11. ^ Jenkins, Battle Surface!, pp. 193–4
  12. OCLC 271328006
    .
  13. ^ Gill 1968, p. 698.
  14. ^ "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  15. ^ "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  16. ^ The Argus Westralia's Last Trip as Troop Transport.

References

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