Former Chinese river steamer Whang Pu after escaping from Singapore. |
|
| Career (Royal Australian Navy) | |
|---|---|
| Owner: | China Steam Navigation Company |
| Builder: | Taikoo Dockyard Engineering Company, Hong Kong |
| Launched: | 1920 |
| Commissioned: | 1 October 1943 |
| Decommissioned: | 22 April 1946 |
| Fate: | Sold to shipbreakers in 1949. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Steamer |
| Length: | 320 ft (98 m)[1] |
| Beam: | 46.5 ft (14.2 m) |
| Draught: | 22.3 ft (6.8 m) |
| Speed: | 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
HMAS Whang Pu (FY-03) was a 3,204 tons former steamer that was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during the Second World War. The Chinese name translates to "Happy Times".[2] It was one of a group of vessels known as the "China Fleet" acquired by the RAN in similar circumstances.
Built by the Taikoo Dockyard Engineering Company, Hong Kong in 1920 for the China Steam Navigation Company.[3]
Whang Pu was requisitioned by the Admiralty on 31 December 1941 and was in the process of being converted at Singapore for service with the Royal Navy as a submarine depot ship.[2] Work was stopped in January 1942 and she sailed for Fremantle, Australia where she was used as a depot ship for Dutch submarine and minesweeper crews.
She was commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Whang Pu on 1 October 1943 and was fitted out in Melbourne as a mobile repair ship. She served in New Guinea waters and later at Morotai as a stores ship. She sailed to Hong Kong and was paid off on 22 April 1946 where she was returned to her owners.
Used as an accommodation ship, she was later sold in November 1949 for breaking up.[2]