HMAS Ballarat (J184)
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HMAS Ballarat (J184), named for the city of Ballarat, Victoria, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II and one of 20 built for the Admiralty but manned by personnel of and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).[1]
Design and construction
Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". 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 Script error: No such module "convert"., and a range of Script error: No such module "convert".[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 Script error: No such module "convert". top speed, and a range of Script error: No such module "convert"., armed with a 4-inch gun, equipped with asdic, and able to be 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 Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities". 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 ordered by the RAN, 20 (including Ballarat) ordered by the British Admiralty but manned and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy.[2][7][8][9][1]
Ballarat was laid down by HMA Naval Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, on 19 April 1940.[1] She was launched on 10 December 1940 by the wife of Albert Dunstan, then Premier of Victoria, and commissioned into the RAN on 30 August 1941.[1]
Operational history
Ballarat entered service on 20 September 1941, and on her arrival in Sydney three days later was immediately assigned to the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla.[1] On 1 November, she was given the duty of providing anti-submarine protection to converted ocean liner Queen Mary, prior to her departure as part of a troop convoy to the Middle East.[1] Ballarat departed for Darwin on 14 November, towing an oil lighter.[1] On her arrival on 8 December, the corvette began escort patrols between Darwin and Timor.[1] She headed to Singapore in early 1942, then was assigned to Banka Strait, where she was employed in rescue and demolitions work.[1] On 14 February, Ballarat carried out one of the largest rescue operations in the region, collecting 215 survivors from the torpedoed merchant vessel MV Derrymore.[1] Amongst the survivors was John Gorton, who would later become Prime Minister of Australia.[1] Ballarat was also involved in the evacuation of Sumatra, and was the last RAN ship to leave.[1]
On the conclusion of this assignment, the corvette returned to Australian waters and resumed convoy operation between Australia and New Guinea.[1] In November 1942, Ballarat and sister ship Katoomba were attacked by Japanese dive bombers.[1] In December 1942, Ballarat and sister ships Broome and Colac were involved in the deployment of troops to Buna; Ballarat performing four troop deployments over the month.[1]
The corvette was ordered to the east coast of Australia in April 1943, to counter the increasing Japanese submarine threat.[1] She remained in this role until January 1944, when she returned to Darwin to perform patrols to Thursday Island.[1] Ballarat was again used as a troop transport in August 1944, moving soldiers from the Eilanden River in Papua New Guinea to Merauke, Indonesia.[1] In 1945 she returned to Sydney to perform minesweeping operations prior to the arrival of the British Pacific Fleet, and then participated in the invasion of Okinawa.[1]
Ballarat was present in Tokyo Bay on Victory over Japan Day (2 September 1945), when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed.[10] She was then deployed on minesweeping duties in the Hong Kong area, during which she struck a mine on 6 November 1945.[1] She returned to Melbourne on 13 December, and was decommissioned into reserve on 27 September 1946.[1] BallaratTemplate:'s wartime service was recognised by three battle honours: "Pacific 1941–45", "New Guinea 1942–44", and "Okinawa 1945".[11]
Ballarat was sold on 10 July 1947 to China Traders Ltd of Hong Kong, who then sold her on to the Ta Hing Company (Hong Kong) Ltd in December 1950.[1] Refitted as a coastal trader and renamed Carmencita, the corvette never entered civilian service as a Statutory Order issued by the Australian Government prevented the ship from entering Chinese waters.[1] Instead, she was sold a third time to John Manners and Co (Aust) Pty Ltd in 1953, who broke the ship up for scrap in the same year.[1]
Citations
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- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b c Stevens, The Australian Corvettes, p. 1
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 103
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–4
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–5
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 104
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 105, 148
- ↑ Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, p. 29
- ↑ Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 108
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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References
- Books
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- Journal and news articles
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External links
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