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EspañolBATHURST CLASS CORVETTE
The '''Bathurst'' class corvettes' were a class of minesweepers produced in Australia during World War II. 60 ''Bathurst'' class corvettes in total were commissioned; 36 for the Royal Australian Navy, 20 for the Admiralty (these were crewed by Australians and were absorbed into the RAN after the war), and 4 for the Indian Navy.[1] They were a variant of the Royal Navy's ''Bangor'' class minesweeper.
| Contents |
| Construction |
| Role |
| Armament |
| Operators |
| Surviving examples |
| Bibliography |
| References |
| External links |
Construction
The 60 ''Bathurst'' class vessels were constructed at eight Australian shipyards; Walkers Limited in Maryborough, Queensland, Evans Deakin & Co in Brisbane, Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney, Morts Dock & Engineering Co in Sydney, Poole & Steele Limited in Sydney, NSW State Dockyard at Newcastle, New South Wales, HMA Naval Dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria, and Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd at Whyalla, South Australia.[2]
Role
The ''Bathurst'' class ships performed a wide range of tasks during the war, including escorting convoys, sweeping minefields, hydrographic surveys, transporting troops and bombarding enemy positions.
Armament
The most common armament for ''Bathurst'' class corvettes was 1 x 12-pounder gun, 3 x Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, 2 x Lewis .303 machine guns, and 2 x Vickers .303 machine guns. The corvettes carried up to 40 depth charges, which were deployed by 4 throwers and 2 chutes.[3][4] Some of the corvettes were armed with a 4-inch HA gun instead of the 12-pounder gun, and at a point during the war many of the 12-pounder carrying corvettes were refitted with the 4-inch.[5] Also, on many vessels, one of the Oerlikons was later replaced by a Bofors 40 mm gun.
Due to the variety of shipyards constructing the corvettes, as well as the varying roles ''Bathurst'' class ships were pressed into, there was no true standardisation of armament. Some ships varied significantly from the common armament profile. At one stage, HMAS ''Geraldton'' carried six Oerlikon cannons, a number later reduced to four.[6] HMAS ''Junee'' only carried a single 4-inch gun and a single 40 mm anti-aircraft gun, possibly the lightest armament on a ''Bathurst'' class corvette.[7]
Operators
Surviving examples
Of the 60 vessels, only two examples remain. HMAS ''Castlemaine'' is a museum ship in Williamstown, Victoria. HMAS ''Whyalla'' is a land-based tourist attraction in Whyalla, South Australia.
Bibliography
★ Corvette Links
★ Royal Australian Navy, 1942-1945, , G. Hermon, Gill, Australian War Memorial, , NLA registry number Aus 68-1798
★ HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre - Royal Australian Navy.
★
★ HMAS Geraldton (I)
★
★ HMAS Glenelg
★
★ HMAS Goulburn
★
★ HMAS Gympie
★
★ HMAS Junee
References
1. ''Corvette Links''
2. Gill (1968), p 104
3. ''HMAS Goulburn - HMA Ship Histories''
4. ''HMAS Glenelg - HMA Ship Hisories''
5. ''HMAS Gympie - HMA Ship Histories''
6. ''HMAS Geraldton (I) - HMA Ship Histories
7. ''HMAS Junee - HMA Ship Histories''
External links
★ Royal Australian Navy link
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