HEAD OF THE CLASS
Armidale, the first of twelve new Armidale Class Patrol Boats was named in a ceremony on January 22. Navy News takes a look at the history behind the names chosen for these state-of-the-art boats.

Photo courtesy AUSTAL Ships

ARMIDALE

NUSHIP Armidale will be the second ship of that name.

HMAS Armidale was a Bathurst class corvette. Commissioned in 1942 she was employed on convoy escort duties on the Australian coastal and mainland to New Guinea convoy routes.

On December 1 that year she was overwhelmed and sunk by superior enemy forces during operations reinforce guerrilla forces operating in Timor and evacuate Dutch troops and Portuguese civilians.

Campaign/Battle Honours: PACIFIC 1942

ALBANY

NUSHIP Albany will be the first Australian warship to wear the name.

She commemorates the proud City of Albany, which was the point of departure for the first ANZAC convoy during WWI and is the major population centre southwest Western Australia.

The former DDG HMAS Perth is scuttled there as an artificial reef/dive site.

A part-time Naval Auxiliary patrol vessel based Victoria during WWII was also named Albany. Campaign/Battle Honours: Nil

ARARAT

NUSHIP Ararat will be the second ship of that name.

HMAS Ararat was a Bathurst Class corvette. Commissioned in June 1943 she was employed on convoy escort duties in Australian waters and then escorted convoys between Queensland and New Guinea.

In August 1944 Ararat was based at Manus Island and was almost constantly at sea on escort and patrol duties until the end of the year.

She continued to serve in New Guinea waters in 1945 before joining the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla for post war mine clearance operations until late 1946.

Ararat decommissioned in April 1947 and was sold in 1961. Campaign/Battle Honours: PACIFIC 1943-45 NEW GUINEA 1943-44

BATHURST NUSHIP

Bathurst will be the second ship of that name. HMAS Bathurst was the lead ship of a class of Australian designed and built minesweepers, more commonly known as corvettes.

Commissioned in 1940 the ship served in Australian waters until she deployed to Singapore in March 1941.

From June 1941 until September 1944, Bathurst served as a convoy escort with the RN’s Eastern Fleet, operating in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

Following further service in Australian waters, she was attached to the 21st Minesweeping Flotilla, British Pacific Fleet, and operated in New Guinea, the Philippines and later Hong Kong.

Bathurst was decommissioned in September 1946 and sold for scrap in 1948. Campaign/Battle Honours: INDIAN OCEAN 1942-44

BUNDABERG NUSHIP

Bundaberg will be the second ship of that name. HMAS Bundaberg was a Bathurst Class corvette.

Commissioned in 1942 she was employed on convoy escort duty in Australian waters until late 1943.

Deployed to New Guinea in 1944 she bombarded Japanese positions in the Admiralty Islands and took part in the landings at Sek Island.

In September 1945 she assisted in the recovery of Allied prisoners of war in Borneo and was present at Kuching for the official surrender ceremony of the Japanese forces in the area. Bundaberg was decommissioned in March 1946 and sold for scrap in 1961.

Campaign/Battle Honours: PACIFIC 1942-45 NEW GUINEA 1943-44

BROOME NUSHIP

Broome will be the second ship of that name.

HMAS Broome was a Bathurst class corvette commissioned in 1942.

Following initial service on patrol and convoy escort duties between Sydney and Cairns, she proceeded to New Guinea in November 1942.

In December, along with two of her sister ships, she embarked 2/9th Infantry Battalion at Milne Bay for the final assault on Buna.

The troops landed without loss at Oro Bay despite enemy air superiority and the dangers of uncharted waters.

After that excitement, during the first half of 1943 the ship returned to escorting convoys between Queensland and New Guinea before undertaking similar duties between Sydney and Brisbane in the latter half of that year. She returned to New Guinea in 1944 for escort and patrol duties.

In August 1945 Broome proceeded to Hong Kong for minesweeping, survey and anti piracy duties.

She returned to Australia in December 1945 and then decommissioned in August 1946 at Colombo, where she was transferred to the Turkish Navy.

Campaign/Battle Honours: PACIFIC 1942-45 NEW GUINEA 1942-44

CHILDERS NUSHIP

Childers will be the second ship of that name. HMVS Childers (I) (1884-1918) was a 1st Class torpedo boat purchased by the colony of Victoria in 1884.

She served in the Victorian, Commonwealth and Royal Australian Navies until her decommissioning in 1918.

The name Childers provides a tangible link with the beginnings of the RAN and reinforces the message that the Navy has been serving Australia for more than 100 years.

Campaign/Battle Honours: Nil

LARRAKIA NUSHIP

Larrakia will be the second ship of that name. The first HMAS Larrakia was a Darwin based patrol vessel during WWII.

The name also reflects the Larrakeyah Army Base, which is also the location of the Navy’s patrol boats based in Darwin.

Campaign/Battle Honours: PACIFIC 1942-44

LAUNCESTON NUSHIP

Launceston will be the third ship of that name.

The first HMAS Launceston was a Bathurst Class corvette. Commissioned in 1942 she served in Australian waters until joining the RN’s Eastern Fleet in September 1942.

Launceston was then employed on convoy escort duty in the Indian Ocean until her return to Australia in September 1944.

On 11 February 1944, she took part in the destruction of a Japanese submarine off the east coast of India. Then, following a period of anti-submarine patrols off

Fremantle, Launceston participated in operations to capture Okinawa.

At the cessation of hostilities the corvette was based at Hong Kong for minesweeping and patrol duties. She decommissioned in April 1946 and the following month recommissioned in the Royal Navy prior to being transferred to the Turkish Navy.

The second HMAS Launceston is a Fremantle class patrol boat.

The fifth of class she was commissioned in March 1982.

Campaign/Battle Honours: PACIFIC 1942-45 INDIAN OCEAN 1942-44 OKINAWA 1945

MAITLAND NUSHIP

Maitland will be the second ship of that name.

The first HMAS Maitland was a Naval Depot located in Newcastle from August 1940 to September 1946. Campaign/Battle Honours: Nil

PIRIE NUSHIP Pirie will be the second ship of that name and is named for the municipality of Port Pirie in South Australia.

HMAS Pirie was a Bathurst class corvette.

Commissioned in 1942 she was initially assigned to convoy escort duties between Australian east coast ports and New Guinea.

On 11 April 1943 Pirie was subjected to a determined attack by a large force of Japanese aircraft.

She experienced six near misses and one direct hit which resulted in the deaths of one officer and six ratings. The tedium of convoy and minesweeping work continued until the end of the war.

Then, on 31 August 1945, Pirie entered Tokyo Bay and was present at the formal Japanese surrender.

HMAS Pirie was decommissioned in 1946 and later transferred to the Turkish Navy.

Campaign/Battle Honours: PACIFIC 1942-45 NEW GUINEA 1943-44 OKINAWA 1945

WOLLONGONG NUSHIP

Wollongong will be the third ship of that name.

The first HMAS Wollongong was a Bathurst class corvette. She commissioned in October 1941 and was employed on convoy escort duty on the Australian east coast.

In January 1942 she proceeded to Singapore and was the last Australian warship to leave before the city’s surrender to Japanese forces.

From September 1942 until Febraury 1945 she was attached to the RN’s Eastern Fleet and served in the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea, apart from a period from mid to late 1943 when she served in the Mediterranean.

Wollongong visited Sicily three days after the Allied invasion and twice entered the Atlantic Ocean to rendezvous with two 75-ship convoys.

In September 1943 she assisted in the destruction of a German submarine.

Following her return to Australia, she served in the Manus Island area before participating in operations to capture Okinawa.

She was scrapped in 1968.

The second HMAS Wollongong is a Fremantle class patrol boat.

Campaign/Battle Honours: PACIFIC 1942-45 INDIAN OCEAN 1942-45 SICILY 1943 MEDITERRANEAN 1943 OKINAWA 1945

 

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