HMAS Warramunga (I44)

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HMAS Warramunga (I44/D123) was a Template:Sclass2 destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built during World War II, the destroyer entered service in late 1942. She was initially assigned to convoy escort duties, but was assigned to the joint Australian-American Task Force 74 in 1943, and was involved in supporting numerous amphibious landings through the South-east Asian region until the end of the war. From 1950 and 1952, Warramunga fought in the Korean War, then was converted into an anti-submarine destroyer. Returning to service in 1954, the destroyer was one of the first RAN ships to operate with the Far East Strategic Reserve, and undertook two tours with the organisation before she was decommissioned in 1959 and sold for ship breaking in 1963.

Description

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Warramunga was one of three Template:Sclass2 destroyers built for the RAN during World War II. The ship had a displacement of 2,031 tons, a length of Template:Convert overall and Template:Convert between perpendiculars, a beam of Template:Convert, and a mean draught of Template:Convert.<ref name=Cassells182>Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 182</ref> Propulsion machinery consisted of three drum boilers feeding Parsons impulse-reaction turbines, which supplied Template:Convert to the two propeller shafts.<ref name=Cassells183>Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 183</ref> The destroyer had a maximum speed of Template:Convert.<ref name=Cassells182/> She could travel Template:Convert at Template:Convert or Template:Convert at Template:Convert.<ref name=Cassells183/> The ship's company consisted of 7 officers and 190 sailors.<ref name=Cassells183/>

When she was launched in 1942, the ship's main armament consisted of six 4.7-inch Mark XII guns sited in three twin turrets.<ref name=Cassells182/> This was supplemented by two 4-inch Mark XVI* guns in a single twin turret, a quad-barrelled 2-pounder Mark VIII pom pom, six single 20 mm Oerlikons, a quadruple 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tube set, and a rail to launch depth charges.<ref name=Cassells182/> During 1945, the six Oerlikons were replaced with six 40 mm Bofors guns, and two depth charge throwers were added.<ref name=Cassells182/> In 1949, half of the torpedo payload and most of the depth charge payload was removed, to allow for the installation of a new motor cutter.<ref name=Cassells182/> In 1952, the aftmost 4.7-inch turret was replaced by a Squid anti-submarine mortar.<ref name=Cassells183/>

Construction and career

Warramunga was laid down by Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at its Cockatoo Island Dockyard on 10 February 1940.<ref name=Cassells183/> The destroyer was launched on 7 February 1942 by the wife of Francis Michael Forde, the Minister for the Army.<ref name=Cassells183/> Warramunga was commissioned into the RAN on 23 December 1942, the day after her completion.<ref name=Cassells183/> The ship's name comes from the Warramungu Aborigines.<ref name=Cassells182/>

World War II

Warramunga was originally assigned to convoy escort duty between Queensland and New Guinea.<ref name=Cassells183/> During April and May 1943, the destroyer was docked for refit.<ref name=Cassells183/> On completion, she was assigned to Task Force 74, which was operating off the coast of Queensland.<ref name=Cassells183/> In July, the Task Force provided cover for Operation Chronicle, the landings at Kiriwina and Woodlark Islands.<ref name=Cassells183/> After Template:HMAS was damaged by a Japanese torpedo on 20 July, Warramunga and sister ship Template:HMAS escorted the cruiser from Espiritu Santo to Sydney.<ref name=Cassells183/> After this, Warramunga escorted two convoys from Townsville to Milne Bay, then a force of US Marines from Melbourne to Goodenough Island.<ref name=Cassells183/> After a refit in Sydney, Warramunga escorted the cruiser Template:HMAS to Brisbane, where the two ships joined Task Force 74.<ref name=Cassells183/> On 29 October, Warramunga shelled Gasmata.<ref name=Cassells183/> On 15 December, the destroyer supported the amphibious landings at Arawe.<ref name=Cassells183/> On 26 December, Warramunga was involved in pre-landing bombardments at Cape Gloucester.<ref>Cassells, The Destroyers, pp. 183–4</ref>

File:HMAS Warramunga (I44) at anchor c1944.JPG

Warramunga in 1944.

At the start of 1944, Warramunga helped cover the Landing at Saidor, before leaving Task Force 74 for refits in Sydney.<ref name=Cassells184>Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 184</ref> After rejoining the task fore at the start of February, Warramunga participated in amphibious landings in the Admiralties, at Tanamera Bay, Wakde-Sarmi, and Biak.<ref name=Cassells184/> From May to July, the destroyer was assigned to patrol and escort duties.<ref name=Cassells184/> On 22 July, Warramunga and the cruiser Template:HMAS sailed to Sydney for refits and leave.<ref name=Cassells184/> Returning in August, the destroyer was involved in the Morotai landings on 15 September.<ref name=Cassells184/> Warramunga was part of the covering force for the Leyte landings, and after Australia and Template:USS were damaged during the operation, escorted the two cruisers back to port for repairs.<ref name=Cassells184/>

At the start of 1945, while assigned to Manus Island, WarramungaTemplate:'s Oerlikon guns were replaced with Bofors taken from a disabled US Landing Ship Dock.<ref name=Cassells184/> During the invasion of Lingayen Gulf in January, Warramunga was nearly hit by a Japanese kamikaze aircraft, which instead crashed into the destroyer Template:USS.<ref name=Cassells184/> On 1 May, the destroyer supported the landing at Tarakan, then nine days later participated in landings at Wewak, before sailing to Australia for a two-month refit.<ref name=Cassells184/> On her return to Subic Bay, Warramunga was present for the Japanese surrender of the Philippines.<ref name=Cassells184/> The destroyer then sailed for Japan, and was present in Tokyo Bay on Victory over Japan Day (2 September 1945), when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The destroyer earned five battle honours for her wartime service: "Pacific 1943–45", "New Guinea 1943–44", "Leyte Gulf 1944", "Lingayen Gulf 1945", and "Borneo 1945".<ref name=newhonours>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=honourslist>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> After the end of World War II, Warramunga assisted in the repatriation of prisoners-of-war, and served four tours of duty with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force.<ref>Cassells, The Destroyers, pp. 184–5</ref> On January 28, 1949, the Warramunga rescued 35 survivors from the Taiping, including the 2 people from the cargo ship Chienyuan. Other passengers were rescued by the fishermen from the Zhoushan Islands. Some survivors were unnamed. One survivor died shortly after being rescued.

Korean War

File:USS Manatee (AO-58) refueling HMAS Warramunga (D123) off Korea on 27 June 1951 (NH 96261).jpg

Template:USS refuels Warramunga during the Korean War on 27 June 1951.

On 6 August 1950, Warramunga sailed to join United Nations forces involved in the Korean War.<ref name=Cassells185>Cassells, The Destroyers p. 185</ref> Most of the ship's first tour consisted of patrols and shore bombardments.<ref name=Cassells185/> In February 1951, Warramunga and the U.S. Navy destroyer Template:USS were sent to recover an intelligence party.<ref name=Cassells185/> En route, it was learned that the party had been captured by the North Koreans, who had set up the extraction to capture the recovery party, and when the two destroyers received the light signal, shelled the area and killed the North Koreans.<ref name=Cassells185/> During May and June, the destroyer underwent repairs for gale damage.<ref name=Cassells185/> On 6 September, she returned to Sydney and docked for refit.<ref name=Cassells185/>

On 11 January 1952, Warramunga sailed for a second Korean War tour.<ref name=Cassells185/> During this second tour, which concluded on 12 August, the ship operated on coastal patrols, and fired 4,151 4.7-inch shells.<ref name=Cassells185/> A sixth battle honour, "Korea 1950–52" was awarded to the destroyer to recognise these deployments.<ref name=honourslist/> On 12 November, the destroyer docked for conversion into an anti-submarine destroyer, including the replacement of her aft gun turret with a Squid mortar.<ref name=Cassells185/>

Post-war

Warramunga returned to duty in February 1955, and remained in Australian waters until May 1955, when she sailed to the Far East for exercises with the Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy.<ref name=Cassells185/> Warramunga stayed in the area, and became one of the first Australian warships assigned to the Far East Strategic Reserve.<ref name=Cassells185/> She returned on 19 December.<ref name=Cassells185/> In April 1957, the destroyer was involved in South East Asia Treaty Organisation exercises.<ref name=Cassells186>Cassells, The Destroyers p. 186</ref> In 1958, she operated again with the Strategic Reserve.<ref name=Cassells186/>

Decommissioning and fate

Warramunga paid off to reserve at Sydney on 7 December 1959.<ref name=Cassells186/> The ship was marked for disposal on 22 May 1961.<ref name=Cassells186/> She was sold to Kinoshita and Company Limited on 15 February 1963, and was towed to Japan for ship breaking.<ref name=Cassells186/>

References

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Further reading

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