List of Bathurst-class corvettes
The Bathurst-class corvettes were a ship class of sixty vessels built in Australia during World War II and initially operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the British Admiralty (although the ships were manned by and commissioned into the RAN) and the Royal Indian Navy. Following the conclusion of World War II, many of the ships were sold or transferred to other organisations, and saw service in the Royal Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy, Indonesian Navy, Turkish Navy, Pakistan Navy and civilian service.
This list is divided into two sections. The first section, Primary service, lists the sixty vessels during their initial period of service, up until their decommissioning. Secondary service lists any vessels which later served in other navies, entered civilian service, or were recommissioned into the RAN for training purposes.
Primary service
36 of the Bathurst class were constructed for and manned by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). All of the four corvettes lost during activities related to World War II are in this group.
20 Bathurst class ships were constructed for the British Admiralty, but were crewed by and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy.
4 Bathurst class corvettes were constructed for the Royal Indian Navy (RIN). On 15 August 1947, India gained independence from the British Empire. After this date, the navy was referred to as the Indian Navy, and the prefix of all ships was changed from HMIS to INS.
Prefix | Name | Operator | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Paid off | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HMAS | Ararat | RAN | Evans Deakin & Company | 1942-07-06 | 1943-02-20 | 1943-06-16 | 1947-04-11 | Sold into private ownership, 1961-01-06 |
HMAS | Armidale | RAN | Mort's Dock & Engineering Company | 1941-09-01 | 1942-01-24 | 1942-06-11 | - | Sunk by 13 Japanese aircraft, 1942-12-01 |
HMAS | Ballarat | Admiralty | HMA Naval Dockyard | 1940-04-19 | 1940-12-10 | 1941-08-30 | 1946-09-27 | Sold into private ownership |
HMAS | Bathurst | Admiralty | Cockatoo Island Dockyard | 1940-02-10 | 1940-08-01 | 1940-12-06 | 1946-09-27 | Sold for scrap, 1948-06-21 |
HMAS | Benalla | RAN | HMA Naval Dockyard | 1942-03-24 | 1942-12-19 | 1943-04-27 | 1946-01-28 | Sold for scrap, 1958-02-20 |
HMAS | Bendigo | Admiralty | Cockatoo Island Dockyard | 1940-08-12 | 1941-03-01 | 1941-05-10 | 1946-09-27 | Sold into private ownership, 1947-05-05 |
HMIS | Bengal | RIN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1941-12-03 | 1942-07-07 | 1942-08-08 | 1960 | - |
HMIS | Bombay | RIN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1941-07-19 | 1941-12-06 | 1942-04-24 | 1960 | Sold for scrap, 1961 |
HMAS | Broome | Admiralty | Evans Deakin & Company | 1941-05-03 | 1941-08-06 | 1942-06-29 | 1946-06-29 | Transferred to the Turkish Navy |
HMAS | Bowen | RAN | Walkers Limited | 1942-02-09 | 1942-07-28 | 1942-11-09 | 1946-01-17 | Sold for scrap, 1956-05-18 |
HMAS | Bunbury | RAN | Evans Deakin & Company | 1941-11-01 | 1942-05-16 | 1943-01-03 | 1946-08-26 | Sold for scrap, 1961-01-06 |
HMAS | Bundaberg | RAN | Evans Deakin & Company | 1941-06-07 | 1941-12-01 | 1942-09-12 | 1946-03-26 | Sold for scrap, 1961-01-06 |
HMAS | Burnie | Admiralty | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1940-06-04 | 1940-08-25 | 1941-04-15 | 1946-06-05 | Transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy, 1946-06-05 |
HMAS | Cairns | Admiralty | Walkers Limited | 1941-03-31 | 1941-10-07 | 1942-03-11 | 1946-01-17 | Transferred to Royal Netherlands Navy, 1946-01-17 |
HMAS | Castlemaine | RAN | HMA Naval Dockyard | 1941-01-17 | 1941-08-07 | 1942-06-17 | 1945-12-14 | Training hulk at HMAS Cerberus until 1973-09, museum ship since late 1973 |
HMAS | Cessnock | Admiralty | Cockatoo Island Dockyard | 1941-04-16 | 1941-10-17 | 1941-01-26 | 1946-07-12 | Sold for scrap, 1947-04-23 |
HMAS | Colac | RAN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1941-04-18 | 1941-08-30 | 1942-01-06 | 1953-01-30 | Tank cleaning vessel until 1983-09-30, sunk as a target by HMAS Ovens on 1987-03-04 |
HMAS | Cootamundra | RAN | Poole & Steel | 1942-02-26 | 1942-12-03 | 1943-04-30 | 1959-06-08 | Sold for scrap, 1962-03-28 |
HMAS | Cowra | RAN | Poole & Steel | 1942-08-12 | 1943-05-27 | 1943-10-08 | 1953-06-26 | Sold for scrap, 1961-01 |
HMAS | Deloraine | RAN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1941-03-19 | 1941-07-26 | 1941-11-22 | 1948-06-30 | Sold for scrap, 1956-08-08 |
HMAS | Dubbo | RAN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1941-10-13 | 1942-03-07 | 1942-07-31 | 1947-02-07 | Sold for scrap, 1958-02-20 |
HMAS | Echuca | RAN | HMA Naval Dockyard | 1941-02-22 | 1942-01-17 | 1942-09-07 | 1948-06-28 | Transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy, 1952-03-05 |
HMAS | Fremantle | RAN | Evans Deakin & Company | 1942-02-11 | 1942-08-18 | 1943-03-24 | 1946-01-25 | Recommissioned as training ship, 1952 |
HMAS | Gawler | Admiralty | Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd | 1941-01-24 | 1941-10-04 | 1942-08-14 | 1946-04-05 | Transferred to the Turkish Navy, 1946-04-05 |
HMAS | Geelong | RAN | HMA Naval Dockyard | 1940-10-16 | 1941-04-22 | 1942-01-16 | - | Sunk following collision, 1944-10-18 |
HMAS | Geraldton | Admiralty | Poole & Steel | 1940-11-20 | 1941-08-16 | 1942-04-06 | 1946-06-14 | Transferred to the Turkish Navy, 1946-06-14 |
HMAS | Gladstone | RAN | Walkers Limited | 1942-08-04 | 1942-11-26 | 1943-03-22 | 1956-07-16 | Sold into civilian service, 1956 |
HMAS | Glenelg | RAN | Cockatoo Island Dockyard | 1942-03-02 | 1942-09-25 | 1942-11-16 | 1946-01-14 | Sold for scrap, 1957-05-02 |
HMAS | Goulburn | Admiralty | Cockatoo Island Dockyard | 1940-07-10 | 1940-11-16 | 1941-02-28 | 1946-09-27 | Sold into civilian service, 1947-10-13 |
HMAS | Gympie | RAN | Evans Deakin & Company | 1941-08-27 | 1942-01-30 | 1942-11-04 | 1946-05-23 | Sold for scrap, 1961-01-06 |
HMAS | Horsham | RAN | HMA Naval Dockyard | 1941-06-26 | 1942-05-16 | 1942-11-18 | 1945-12-17 | Sold for scrap, 1956-08-08 |
HMAS | Inverell | RAN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1941-12-07 | 1942-05-02 | 1942-09-17 | 1946-06-14 | Transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy, 1952-03-05 |
HMAS | Ipswich | Admiralty | Evans Deakin & Company | 1941-03-06 | 1941-08-11 | 1942-06-13 | 1946-07-05 | Transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy, 1946-07-05 |
HMAS | Junee | RAN | Poole & Steel | 1943-02-17 | 1943-11-16 | 1944-04-11 | 1946-01-21 | Recommissioned as training ship, 1953-02-25 |
HMAS | Kalgoorlie | Admiralty | Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd | 1940-07-27 | 1941-08-07 | 1942-04-07 | 1946-05-08 | Transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy, 1946-05-08 |
HMAS | Kapunda | RAN | Poole & Steel | 1941-08-27 | 1942-06-23 | 1942-10-21 | 1946-01-14 | Sold for scrap, 1961-01-06 |
HMAS | Katoomba | RAN | Poole & Steel | 1940-09-09 | 1941-04-16 | 1941-12-17 | 1948-08-02 | Sold for scrap, 1957-05-02 |
HMAS | Kiama | RAN | Evans Deakin & Company | 1942-11-02 | 1943-07-03 | 1944-01-26 | 1946-04-03 | Transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy, 1952-03-05 |
HMAS | Latrobe | RAN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1942-01-27 | 1942-06-19 | 1942-11-06 | 1953-03-13 | Sold for scrap, 1956-05-18 |
HMAS | Launceston | Admiralty | Evans Deakin & Company | 1940-12-23 | 1941-06-30 | 1942-04-09 | 1946-03-23 | Transferred to the Turkish Navy, 1946 |
HMAS | Lismore | Admiralty | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1940-02-26 | 1940-08-10 | 1941-01-24 | 1956-06-03 | Transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy, 1946-06-03 |
HMAS | Lithgow | RAN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1940-08-19 | 1940-12-21 | 1941-06-14 | 1948-06-08 | Sold for scrap, 1956-10-08 |
HMAS | Maryborough | Admiralty | Walkers Limited | 1940-04-16 | 1940-08-17 | 1941-06-12 | 1945-12 | Sold into private ownership, 1947-05-09 |
HMIS | Madras | RIN | Cockatoo Island Dockyard | 1941-08-04 | 1942-02-17 | 1942-05-12 | 1960 | - |
HMAS | Mildura | RAN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1940-09-23 | 1941-03-15 | 1941-07-23 | 1948-05-21 | Recommissioned as training ship, 1951 |
HMAS | Pirie | Admiralty | Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd | 1941-05-19 | 1941-12-03 | 1942-10-10 | 1946-04-05 | Transferred to the Turkish Navy, 1946-04-05 |
HMAS | Parkes | RAN | Evans Deakin & Company | 1943-03-16 | 1943-10-30 | 1944-05-25 | 1945-12-17 | Sold for scrap, 1957-05-02 |
HMIS | Punjab | RIN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1941-05-26 | 1941-10-10 | 1942-03-20 | 1949 | Transferred to Pakistan during Partition. |
HMAS | Rockhampton | RAN | Walkers Limited | 1940-11-06 | 1941-06-26 | 1942-01-21 | 1946-08-05 | Sold for scrap, 1961-01-06 |
HMAS | Shepparton | RAN | HMA Naval Dockyard | 1941-11-14 | 1942-08-15 | 1943-02-01 | 1946-05-10 | Sold for scrap, 1958-02-20 |
HMAS | Stawell | RAN | HMA Naval Dockyard | 1942-06-18 | 1943-04-03 | 1943-08-07 | 1946-03-26 | Transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy, 1952-03-05 |
HMAS | Strahan | RAN | NSW State Dockyard | 1942-10-09 | 1943-07-12 | 1944-03-14 | 1946-01-25 | Sold for scrap, 1961-01-06 |
HMAS | Tamworth | Admiralty | Walkers Limited | 1941-08-25 | 1942-03-14 | 1942-08-08 | 1946-04-30 | Transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy, 1946-04-30 |
HMAS | Townsville | RAN | Evans Deakin & Company | 1940-11-16 | 1941-05-13 | 1941-12-19 | 1946-08-05 | Sold for scrap, 1956-08-08 |
HMAS | Toowoomba | Admiralty | Walkers Limited | 1940-08-06 | 1941-03-26 | 1941-08-09 | 1946-06-05 | Transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy, 1946-06-05 |
HMAS | Wagga | RAN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1942-03-08 | 1942-07-25 | 1942-12-18 | 1945-11-28 | Recommissioned as training ship, 1951-12-12 |
HMAS | Wallaroo | RAN | Poole & Steel | 1941-04-24 | 1942-02-18 | 1942-07-15 | - | Sunk following collision, 1943-06-11 |
HMAS | Warrnambool | RAN | Morts Dock & Engineering Company | 1940-11-13 | 1941-05-08 | 1941-09-23 | - | Sunk by mine, 1947-09-13 |
HMAS | Whyalla | Admiralty | Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd | 1940-06-24 | 1941-05-12 | 1942-01-08 | 1946-05-16 | Sold into private ownership, 1947-02-10 |
HMAS | Wollongong | Admiralty | Cockatoo Island Dockyard | 1941-01-29 | 1941-07-05 | 1941-10-23 | 1946-02-11 | Transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy, 1946-02-11 |
Secondary service
Prefix | Name | Original name | Operator | Origin | Commissioned/entered service | Decommissioned/left service | Fate |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HMNZS | Inverell | HMAS Inverell | Royal New Zealand Navy | Acquired from RAN | 1952-03-05 | 1976-08-19 | Sold for scrap, 1977-11-01 |
Isobel Queen | HMAS Maryborough | Australian General Trading and Shipping Syndicate | Purchased from RAN | 9 May 1947 | c. 1953 | Sold for scrap in 1953 | |
HMAS | Mildura | HMAS Mildura | Royal Australian Naval Reserve | Recommissioned as training vessel for National Service trainees | 20 February 1951 | 11 September 1953 | Towed to Brisbane for use as immobilised training hulk |
Mildura | HMAS Mildura | Royal Australian Naval Reserve | Used as immobilised training hulk | 8 December 1954 | c. 1965 | Sold for scrap on 8 September 1965 | |
HMS | Pirie | HMAS Pirie | Royal Navy | Acquired from RAN | 5 April 1946 | c. 1946 | Transferred into the Turkish Navy |
TCG | Amasra | HMAS Pirie | Turkish Navy | Acquired from Royal Navy | c. 1946 | 26 March 1984 | Left service |
HMNZS | Stawell | HMAS Stawell | Royal New Zealand Navy | Acquired from RAN | 5 March 1952 | c. late 1950s | Sold for scrap in July 1968 |
HNLMS | Tidore | HMAS Tamworth | Royal Netherlands Navy | Acquired from RAN | 30 April 1946 | c. December 1949 | Transferred to the Indonesian Navy |
KRI | Pati Unus | HMAS Tamworth | Indonesian Navy | Acquired from the Royal Netherlands Navy | c. December 1949 | c. 1969 | Left service |
HNLMS | Boeroe | HMAS Toowoomba | Royal Netherlands Navy | Acquired from RAN | 5 June 1946 | c. 1958 | Left service |
HNLMS | Morotai | HMAS Ipswich | Royal Netherlands Navy | Acquired from RAN | 5 July 1946 | c. 1949 | Transferred to the Indonesian Navy |
KRI | Hang Tuah | HMAS Ipswich | Indonesian Navy | Acquired from the Royal Netherlands Navy | c. 1949 | 28 April 1958[1] | Destroyed by mercenaries[1] |
HMAS | Wagga | HMAS Wagga | Royal Australian Naval Reserve | Recommissioned as training vessel for National Service trainees | 12 December 1951 | 28 October 1960 | Sold for scrap in March 1962 |
Rip | HMAS Whyalla | Victorian Public Works Department | Acquired from RAN | 10 February 1947 | c. 1984 | Sold to Whyalla City Council | |
HMAS | Whyalla | HMAS Whyalla | Whyalla City Council | Victorian Public Works Department | c. late 1984 | - | Museum ship |
HMAS Ararat | Burns Philp & Co Ltd of Darwin | Acquired from RAN | 6 January 1961 | c. 1961 | Sold to Fujita Salvage Company of Japan | ||
HMAS Ararat | Fujita Salvage Company of Japan | Acquired from Burns Philp & Co Ltd of Darwin | c. 1961 | Scrapped | |||
Carmencita | HMAS Ballarat | Ta Hing Company (Hong Kong) Ltd | Acquired from RAN | December 1950 | c. 1953 | Sold for scrap | |
Cheung Hing | HMAS Bendigo | Ta Hing Company (Hong Kong) Ltd | Acquired from RAN | 5 May 1947 | - | Acquired by People's Liberation Army Navy | |
Loyang | HMAS Bendigo | People's Liberation Army Navy | Acquired from Ta Hing Company (Hong Kong) Ltd | - | c. 1988 | Last record of service | |
HMNZS | Kiama | HMAS Kiama | Royal New Zealand Navy | Acquired from the RAN | date unknown | 19 August 1976 | Disposed of |
HNLMS | Ceram | HMAS Burnie | Royal Netherlands Navy | Acquired from the RAN | 1946-07-05 | 1958 | Left service |
HNLMS | Ambon | HMAS Cairns | Royal Netherlands Navy | Acquired from the RAN | 1946-01-17 | 1950 | Transferred to the Indonesian Navy |
KRI | Banteng | HMAS Cairns | Indonesian Navy | Acquired from the Royal Netherlands Navy | 1950-04-06 | c. 1968 | Sold for scrap |
Citations
Unless indicated here, all information is taken from each ship's corresponding Ship History page on the Sea Power Centre website.
References
- Various. "Ship Histories (and subpages)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre - Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- Lind, Lew (1986) [1982]. The Royal Australian Navy - Historic Naval Events Year by Year (2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7301-0071-5. OCLC 16922225.