![]() | |
History | |
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![]() | |
Namesake | Town of Katoomba, New South Wales |
Builder | Poole & Steel |
Laid down | 9 September 1940 |
Launched | 16 April 1941 |
Commissioned | 17 December 1941 |
Decommissioned | 2 August 1948 |
Honours and awards |
|
Fate | Sold for scrap |
General characteristics | |
Class and 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 | 1 × 12-pounder gun, 3 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (1 later replaced with 1 × Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60), Machine guns, Depth charges chutes and throwers |
HMAS Katoomba (J204/M204), named after the tourist resort of Katoomba, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially crewed and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). [1]
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 Katoomba) ordered by the RAN, 20 ordered by the British Admiralty but crewed and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy. [2] [7] [8] [9] [1]
Katoomba was laid down by Poole & Steel at Balmain, New South Wales on 9 September 1940. [1] She was launched on 16 April 1941 by Mrs. Lloyd, then deputy mayoress of Katoomba, and was commissioned into the RAN on 17 December 1941. [1]
Katoomba entered active service with an assignment to Darwin, where she arrived on 19 December 1941. [1] The next day, Katoomba, along with sister ships Deloraine and Lithgow, and the United States destroyer Edsall, was involved in the prosecution and successful sinking of Japanese submarine I-124, the first enemy submarine sunk in Australian waters. [1] Katoomba was present during the Japanese bombing of Darwin on 19 February, but was not significantly damaged. [1]
At the end of June, Katoomba was reassigned as a convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol ship in the waters of northern Queensland and New Guinea. [1] On 14 August, Katoomba was sent to assist United States submarine S-39, which had run aground on a reef off Rossel Island. [1] Attempts to refloat the submarine were unsuccessful, and on 16 August, the corvette left Rossel Island with S-39’s entire crew of 47 embarked. [1] The submarine was gutted and left to break up naturally. [1] On 28 November, Katoomba and sister ship Ballarat were attacked by a force of ten Japanese dive bombers. [1] The corvettes escaped without serious damage. [1] Katoomba was attacked again during January 1943, when a force of six Japanese aircraft attacked the corvette and the Dutch merchant ship Van Heutz. [1] Katoomba escaped serious damage, but the merchantman was hit, with one man killed and three injured. [1]
In February 1944, Katoomba ended her escort duties, and after a short period on patrol, was sent to Sydney for refitting. [1] Upon her return to New Guinea waters in early May 1944, the corvette was assigned as an anti-submarine patrol ship. [1] She remained in this role until the start of March 1945, although during this period she was occasionally used as an escort ship. [1] The corvette returned to Australian waters, spent three months in Fremantle, then was assigned to Darwin, where she operated until the end of World War II. [1]
After the war's end, Katoomba was sent to the Japanese surrender at Timor, before assignment to mine-clearance duties throughout New Guinea waters. [1] She returned to Sydney in October 1946, and was prepared for decommissioning, but was instead reactivated to help clear the coast of Queensland of mines. [1]
Katoomba received three battle honours for her wartime service: "Darwin 1942", "Pacific 1942–45", and "New Guinea 1942–44". [10] [11]
Katoomba arrived in Fremantle on 16 January 1948, and was paid off into reserve on 2 August. [1] She remained in reserve until 2 May 1957, when she was sold for breaking up as scrap to the Hong Kong Rolling Mills. [1]
![]() | |
History | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Namesake | Town of Katoomba, New South Wales |
Builder | Poole & Steel |
Laid down | 9 September 1940 |
Launched | 16 April 1941 |
Commissioned | 17 December 1941 |
Decommissioned | 2 August 1948 |
Honours and awards |
|
Fate | Sold for scrap |
General characteristics | |
Class and 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 | 1 × 12-pounder gun, 3 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (1 later replaced with 1 × Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60), Machine guns, Depth charges chutes and throwers |
HMAS Katoomba (J204/M204), named after the tourist resort of Katoomba, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially crewed and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). [1]
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 Katoomba) ordered by the RAN, 20 ordered by the British Admiralty but crewed and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy. [2] [7] [8] [9] [1]
Katoomba was laid down by Poole & Steel at Balmain, New South Wales on 9 September 1940. [1] She was launched on 16 April 1941 by Mrs. Lloyd, then deputy mayoress of Katoomba, and was commissioned into the RAN on 17 December 1941. [1]
Katoomba entered active service with an assignment to Darwin, where she arrived on 19 December 1941. [1] The next day, Katoomba, along with sister ships Deloraine and Lithgow, and the United States destroyer Edsall, was involved in the prosecution and successful sinking of Japanese submarine I-124, the first enemy submarine sunk in Australian waters. [1] Katoomba was present during the Japanese bombing of Darwin on 19 February, but was not significantly damaged. [1]
At the end of June, Katoomba was reassigned as a convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol ship in the waters of northern Queensland and New Guinea. [1] On 14 August, Katoomba was sent to assist United States submarine S-39, which had run aground on a reef off Rossel Island. [1] Attempts to refloat the submarine were unsuccessful, and on 16 August, the corvette left Rossel Island with S-39’s entire crew of 47 embarked. [1] The submarine was gutted and left to break up naturally. [1] On 28 November, Katoomba and sister ship Ballarat were attacked by a force of ten Japanese dive bombers. [1] The corvettes escaped without serious damage. [1] Katoomba was attacked again during January 1943, when a force of six Japanese aircraft attacked the corvette and the Dutch merchant ship Van Heutz. [1] Katoomba escaped serious damage, but the merchantman was hit, with one man killed and three injured. [1]
In February 1944, Katoomba ended her escort duties, and after a short period on patrol, was sent to Sydney for refitting. [1] Upon her return to New Guinea waters in early May 1944, the corvette was assigned as an anti-submarine patrol ship. [1] She remained in this role until the start of March 1945, although during this period she was occasionally used as an escort ship. [1] The corvette returned to Australian waters, spent three months in Fremantle, then was assigned to Darwin, where she operated until the end of World War II. [1]
After the war's end, Katoomba was sent to the Japanese surrender at Timor, before assignment to mine-clearance duties throughout New Guinea waters. [1] She returned to Sydney in October 1946, and was prepared for decommissioning, but was instead reactivated to help clear the coast of Queensland of mines. [1]
Katoomba received three battle honours for her wartime service: "Darwin 1942", "Pacific 1942–45", and "New Guinea 1942–44". [10] [11]
Katoomba arrived in Fremantle on 16 January 1948, and was paid off into reserve on 2 August. [1] She remained in reserve until 2 May 1957, when she was sold for breaking up as scrap to the Hong Kong Rolling Mills. [1]