HMAS Armidale (J240)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

HMAS Armidale in September 1942
Career (Australia (RAN))
Namesake:	City of Armidale, New South Wales
Builder:	Morts Dock & Engineering Co in Sydney
Laid down:	1 September 1941
Launched:	Floated 24 January 1942
Commissioned:	11 June 1942
Motto:	"Stand Firm"
Fate:	Sunk by 13 Japanese aircraft on 1 December 1942
Badge:
General characteristics
Class and type:	Bathurst class corvette
Displacement:	650 tons (standard), 1,025 tons (full war load)
Length:	186 ft (57 m)
Beam:	31 ft (9.4 m)
Draught:	8.5 ft (2.6 m)
Propulsion:	triple expansion engine, 2 shafts
Speed:	15 knots at 1,750 hp
Complement:	85
Armament:	1 x 4-inch gun 3 x Oerlikons Machine guns Depth charges chutes and throwers

HMAS Armidale (J240), named for the city of Armidale, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).^[1]

HMAS Armidale was attacked off Betano by thirteen Japanese aircraft on 1 December 1942, sinking with the loss of 40 of her crew and 60 embarked men of the Netherlands East Indies Army.^[1] She was the only Bathurst class corvette to be lost to enemy action.^[2]

[edit] Construction

Armidale was laid down by Morts Dock & Engineering Co in Sydney on 1 September 1941.^[1] As the ship was built in a dock she was floated on 24 January 1942,^[1] with the ceremony officiated by Reverend A. G. Rix.^{[citation needed]} Armidale was commissioned on 11 June 1942.^[1]

[edit] Operational history

Following commissioning, Armidale's primary role was the escort of convoys along the Australian coast and from Australia to New Guinea.^[1] In October 1942, Armidale was reassigned to the 24th Minesweeping Flotilla, operating out of Darwin.^[1]

On 29 November 1942, Armidale and HMAS Castlemaine were ordered to Betano, to deliver reinforcements for guerrilla forces operating in Timor, and to evacuating Dutch troops and Portuguese women and children.^[1] En route, the two ships were attacked by Japanese aircraft on three occasions, all times resulting in no casualties.^[1] Arriving offshore of Betano before dawn of 1 December 1942, the two vessels failed to make contact with the Australian Coastwatchers of Sparrow Force.^[1] Later that morning, the ships encountered HMAS Kuru, which was heading to Darwin with 70 passengers.^[1] The passengers were transferred to Castlemaine, while Armidale and Kuru remained on station to make a second attempt,^[1] following orders from Commodore Pope, the Naval Officer in Charge at Darwin.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Japanese attack

At 3:15 p.m., Armidale was attacked by thirteen Japanese aircraft.^[1] She was hit by two torpedoes and sank within five minutes; the crew and Netherlands East India Army soldiers evacuating to two boats, a Carley float, and a raft.^[1] Kuru was attacked by a second group of aircraft, but escaped with minimal damage.^{[citation needed]}

The survivors remained together until midday on 2 December 1942, when one of the boats set out in an effort to find rescuers.^[1] They were located by HMAS Kalgoorlie on 6 December.^[1] The survivors were able to direct Kalgoorlie to the second boat and Carley float, who were collected on 7 December.^[1]

This raft of Armidale survivors were not seen again after this photo was taken on 8 December 1942

On 5 December, the raft parted company from the rest of the group, and although they were sighted and photographed by a Catalina Flying Boat, retrieval was not possible due to the rough seas, and later searches failed to rediscover the raft.^[1]

[edit] Reaction

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

Commodore Pope was blamed for the deaths of those lost in the sinking, both for ordering Armidale and Kuru back to Betano following the failed contact and reports of harassment by Japanese aircraft, and for the delay between the sinking and commencement of search operations.^{[citation needed]} However, in the subsequent Naval Board of Enquiry, he was exonerated on all counts.^{[citation needed]}

Frank Walker states in HMAS Armidale, the ship that had to die that policy was changed by the Royal Australian Navy, to prevent minimally armed vessels like the Bathurst class corvettes into areas of heavy enemy presence while attempting to perform tasks similar to Armidale.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] References

• Stevens, David; Sears, Jason; Goldrick, James; Cooper, Alastair; Jones, Peter; Spurling, Kathryn, (2001). in Stevens, David: The Royal Australian Navy, The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195-54116-2. 

Military of Australia Portal

Coordinates: 10°00′S 126°30′E / -10, 126.5