![]() HMAS Cowra
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History | |
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Namesake | Town of Cowra, New South Wales |
Builder | Poole & Steel |
Laid down | 12 August 1942 |
Launched | 27 May 1943 |
Commissioned | 8 October 1943 |
Decommissioned | 4 December 1946 |
Recommissioned | 20 February 1951 |
Decommissioned | 26 June 1953 |
Reclassified | Training ship (1951) |
Honours and awards |
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Fate | Sold for scrap in 1961 |
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 | 10 ft (3.0 m) |
Propulsion | triple expansion engine, 2 shafts |
Speed | 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) |
Complement | 85 |
Armament |
HMAS Cowra (J351/M351), named for the town of Cowra, 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]
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. [2] [3] The vessel was initially envisaged as having a displacement of approximately 500 tons, a speed of at least 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), and a range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi) [4] 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 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) top speed, and a range of 2,850 nautical miles (5,280 km; 3,280 mi), armed with a 4-inch 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. [2] [5] Construction of the prototype HMAS Kangaroo did not go ahead, but the plans were retained. [6] 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 (including Cowra) ordered by the RAN, 20 ordered by the British Admiralty but manned and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy. [2] [7] [8] [9] [1]
Cowra was laid down by Poole & Steel at Balmain, New South Wales on 12 August 1942. [1] She was launched on 27 May 1943 by the wife of Percy Spender, the Federal Treasurer and member of the Advisory War Council, and was commissioned into the RAN on 8 October 1943. [1]
Cowra began active service in November 1943 as a convoy escort along the east coast of Australia. [1] She continued until March 1944, when she was reassigned to New Guinea as an escort and anti-submarine patrol vessel. [1] In June 1944, the corvette sailed to Melbourne for refits, which concluded on 19 August. [1] She returned to New Guinea at the end of the month, and for the next eleven months was primarily assigned to escort and patrol duties near Morotai. [1] In January 1945, Cowra fired on Japanese shore positions at Yalela Bay, before visiting Brisbane briefly in February 1945. [1] On 17 July, she was recalled to Australian waters, where she spent the rest of World War II. [1] The ship was awarded two battle honours—"Pacific 1943–45" and "New Guinea 1944"—for her wartime service. [10] [11]
Following the end of the war, Cowra was assigned to the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla, and performed mine clearance operations in the waters of Australia, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. [1] On 2 December 1946, Cowra returned to Sydney and was decommissioned into reserve. [1]
On 20 February 1951, Cowra was recommissioned for use as a training ship for National Service trainees. [1]
Cowra was paid off for the second time on 26 June 1953. [1] In January 1961, the corvette was sold to the Kinoshita Company of Japan for scrapping.
A memorial to the ship located outside the Cowra Services Club was dedicated on 15 March 2006. [12]