HMAS Goulburn
Template:Use Australian English Template:Use dmy dates
Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship characteristicsHMAS Goulburn (J167/B243/A117), named for the city of Goulburn, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 20 ordered by the British Admiralty but subsequently manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).<ref name=SPC>Template:Cite web</ref>
Design and construction
Template:Main 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.<ref name=Hindsight1>Stevens, The Australian Corvettes, p. 1</ref><ref name=StevensACV103>Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 103</ref> The vessel was initially envisaged as having a displacement of approximately 500 tons, a speed of at least Template:Convert, and a range of Template:Convert<ref name=StevensACV103.4>Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–4</ref> 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 Template:Convert top speed, and a range of Template:Convert, armed with a 4 inch Mk XIX 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.<ref name=Hindsight1/><ref>Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–5</ref> Construction of the prototype Template:HMAS did not go ahead, but the plans were retained.<ref name=StevensACV104>Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 104</ref> 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 Goulburn) ordered by the British Admiralty but manned and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy.<ref name=Hindsight1/><ref>Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 105, 148</ref><ref name=Donohue29>Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, p. 29</ref><ref name=Stevens108>Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 108</ref><ref name=SPC/>
At 743 tons standard displacement, Goulburn exceeded the designed standard displacement of the Bathurst class ships by 93 tons.<ref name=SPC/>
Goulburn was laid down by the Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney, New South Wales on 10 July 1940.<ref name=SPC/> She was launched on 16 November 1940 by the wife of Rear Admiral John Gregory Crace, the commander of the Australian Squadron, and was commissioned on 28 February 1941.<ref name=SPC/>
Operational history
After entering active service, Goulburn was assigned to minesweeping duties along the east and south-east coasts of Australia, and was one of several ships attempting to locate mines deployed by the German auxiliary cruiser Pinguin and the auxiliary minelayer Passat.<ref name=SPC/> Although operating in this role from 23 April to 31 May 1941, the corvette located only a single mine.<ref name=SPC/>
On 16 June, Goulburn and sister ship Burnie were assigned to the China Station and sailed to Singapore.<ref name=SPC/> The corvettes operated as convoy escorts, minesweepers, and anti-submarine patrol ships until January 1942.<ref name=SPC/> Goulburn was then deployed to Batavia and used as a minesweeper and convoy escort throughout the Sunda Islands.<ref name=SPC/> On 27 February, the corvette passed the ABDA cruiser force shortly before the beginning of the Battle of the Java Sea.<ref name=SPC/> Although removed from the main battle area, Goulburn was attacked by three waves of three Japanese dive bombers, but was undamaged.<ref name=SPC/> On 29 February, Goulburn departed for Australia, arriving in Fremantle on 9 March with only seven tons of fuel remaining.<ref name=SPC/> The corvette was assigned to convoy escort runs along the Queensland coast until the end of 1943, then entered a three-month refit.<ref name=SPC/>
After refitting, Goulburn was deployed to New Guinea waters as an escort and patrol vessel.<ref name=SPC/> During June 1944, the corvette supported landings at Dugumu Bay and Sogari Island.<ref name=SPC/> On 25 September, native scouts and a US Army Intelligence officer were embarked to be transported to the Malpia Islands.<ref name=SPC/> The native scouts were landed on 27 September to assess Japanese troop strength throughout the island group.<ref name=SPC/> After the scouts failed to rendezvous with the ship two days later, and following a failed search attempt by six sailors and the US officer, it was assumed that the scouts had been captured.<ref name=SPC/> This was confirmed when American PT boats attempted to land troops on the island a few days later, meeting heavy Japanese resistance.<ref name=SPC/> Before leaving the area, Goulburn shelled a village on Pegun Island believed to hold Japanese troops.<ref name=SPC/> At the start of October, the corvette was tasked with retrieving another native scout group. After several failed attempts to locate the scouts, they were retrieved from Mois Aoeri Island.<ref name=SPC/> While returning to the ship, the shore party was able to capture three Japanese soldiers attempting to escape in a canoe.<ref name=SPC/> After observing numerous Japanese personnel on shore, and receiving conformation that several hundred Japanese were based on the island, Goulburn opened fire on the main camp.<ref name=SPC/> After these operations, the corvette returned to convoy escort duties until December 1944, then returned to Australia.<ref name=SPC/>
Goulburn spent the first part of 1945 operating in Australian waters, before returning to New Guinea in May.<ref name=SPC/> She spent a month on escort and minesweeping duties, before sailing to Darwin and escorting a floating dry dock to Milne Bay.<ref name=SPC/> The corvette remained in New Guinea waters until the end of the war on 15 August.<ref name=SPC/> On 30 August, Goulburn and two sister ships escorted a convoy to Hong Kong, arriving on 21 September.<ref name=SPC/> The corvette was involved in minesweeping operations throughout Chinese waters, before returning to Sydney in December 1945.<ref name=SPC/>
The ship received two battle honours for her wartime service: "Pacific 1942–44" and "New Guinea 1942–44".<ref name=newhonours>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=honourslist>Template:Cite web</ref>
Decommissioning and fate
Goulburn was paid off on 27 September 1946.<ref name=SPC/> She was sold to Pacific Enterprise Incorporated on 13 October 1947, and after several re-sales, ended up in the possession of the Ta Hing Company of Hong Kong in December 1950.<ref name=SPC/> However, a Commonwealth Statutory Order prevented the ship from leaving Australian waters, and she was sold again to John Manners & Co of Sydney in 1953.<ref name=SPC/> The corvette was broken up for scrapping at Iron Cove in 1953.
Citations
References
- Books
- Journal and news articles