The Bathurst-class corvettes were a class of general purpose vessels designed and built in Australia during World War II. Originally classified as minesweepers, but widely referred to as corvettes, the Bathurst-class vessels fulfilled a broad anti-submarine, anti-mine, and convoy escort role.
A total of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes were built, at eight Australian shipyards: 36 were paid for by the Australian government and 24 were built on British Admiralty orders. Of these UK-owned vessels, 20 were officially commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and manned by RAN personnel, while four served in the Royal Indian Navy; none of the UK-owned vessels was commissioned into the Royal Navy. An order for three more Bathursts, to be constructed in India, was cancelled before they were laid down.
Although the Bathursts were designed for the anti-submarine and anti-mine roles, they also served as troop and supply transports, provided air defence for convoys and disabled ships, participated in shore bombardments, and undertook hydrographic surveys. Three ships were lost during the war: one to an air attack and two to collisions with friendly merchant ships. (Following the war, a fourth vessel sank after hitting a mine while sweeping the Great Barrier Reef.)
After the war, the Admiralty ships were sold to the Turkish Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, and civilian operators, while several RAN-owned vessels were transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy, temporarily reactivated to facilitate National Service Training, or sold to civilians. Four of the Dutch Bathursts were transferred to the Indonesian Navy; one of these was destroyed in 1956 by anti-government rebels. The rest of the RAN and Admiralty ships were sold for scrap to help fund other projects. Two vessels are preserved as museum ships.
Background
In 1937, in an initially unrelated development, the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (ACNB) approved the procurement of three net-laying boom defence vessels. The ships had to be capable of both anti-submarine and minesweeping duties. McNeil completed his drawings in February 1939; his proposal called for a 680-ton vessel, with a speed of , and a range of . (The second of these Bar-class boom vessels to be commissioned was instead named .)
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Although McNeil's "Kangaroo class" was never built, his general concept attracted interest in Australian naval circles, as it offered advantages over existing minesweeper and anti-submarine classes and could be built in Australia with local resources, with the exception of weapons and some specialised instrumentation. Although not perfectly suited for any specific role, the all-round general capability for minesweeping, anti-submarine warfare, patrol, and escort duties was seen as a good short-term solution until better vessels could be requisitioned or constructed.
In September 1939, following the outbreak of war, there was a new procurement process for seven ships of a design based on McNeil's concept.
Design
Each ship's company varied in size: the standard complement was 85, including 6 commissioned and 12 to 13 non-commissioned officers. Over 20,000 personnel served on a Bathurst during the war: the early ships were primarily manned by reservists, while the majority of the 'Hostilities Only' personnel recruited during the war served on a Bathurst-class vessel sometime during their career. Sailors were accommodated in ten-man messdecks, which were small, poorly lit rooms that were perpetually damp from seawater and sweat.
Armament and equipment
The most common armament for Bathurst-class corvettes was a 12-pounder gun or a 4-inch Mark XIX high-angle gun, three Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, two Lewis .303 machine guns, and two .303 Vickers machine guns. The corvettes carried up to 40 depth charges, which were deployed by 4 throwers and 2 chutes. Many of the 12-pounder carrying corvettes were refitted with the 4-inch during their service life, while one of the Oerlikons was often replaced with a Bofors 40 mm gun. Bathursts equipped with the 4-inch main gun were primarily allocated to northern waters, because of the increased air threat and the greater anti-aircraft capabilities of the 4-inch compared to the 12-pounder gun mounted on other corvettes.
thumb|left|'s [[QF 4 inch Mk XIX naval gun|4-inch Mk XIX gun during a training exercise in 1945]]
Due to the variety of shipyards constructing the corvettes, as well as the varying roles the Bathursts were pressed into, there was no true standardisation of armament. Some ships varied significantly from the common armament profile, while an individual ship's weapons outfit could vary significantly for different periods of her career. By comparison, the outfit of consisted of a single 4-inch gun and a single 40 mm gun.
The Bathursts were equipped with modified Type 128 asdic equipment, redesigned to be used without a gyroscopic stabiliser. Minesweeping equipment also varied across the class: ships equipped with the newer 'LL' minesweeping gear were distributed as evenly as possible throughout major Australian ports.
Construction
thumb|right|Minutes after the launch of at [[Mort's Dock & Engineering Company workers begin preparations to lay down the next vessel.]]
Construction of the ships required a significant expansion of the Australian shipbuilding industry. This was achieved by bringing disused dockyards back into production and establishing new facilities. The lead shipyard was Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Company in Sydney, which laid down the first ship, , in February 1940, and produced a further seven vessels. The other seven shipyards involved were Walkers Limited in Maryborough, Queensland (7 ships), Evans Deakin & Company in Brisbane (11 ships), Mort's Dock & Engineering Company in Sydney (14 ships), Poole & Steel in Sydney (7 ships), State Dockyard at Newcastle, New South Wales (1 ship), HMA Naval Dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria (8 ships), and BHP at Whyalla, South Australia (4 ships). Each ship cost approximately A£250,000 to build. The corvette's build time was comparable to that of an ; the fourteen-month construction time for was equal to or faster than the individual build time of half the corvettes.
Three additional Bathursts were to be built for the Royal Indian Navy by Garden Reach of Calcutta. All three were laid down on 3 May 1943, but were cancelled and broken up on the slipways in March 1945. The Bathursts were seen as 'maids of all work' by the RAN, even though the design was inappropriate for some roles; being too small, too slow, or inadequately armed or equipped.
Because of the dual, conflicting roles of local defence vessel and ocean-going escort, Bathursts based in Australia were under two different controllers for the first part of the Pacific War; operationally under the US Navy's Naval Commander South West Pacific Area Forces (COMSOUWESTPAC), and administratively under the Naval Officer In Charge (NOIC) of the ship's homeport. Following multiple incidents where a ship would be assigned to two different tasks simultaneously; conflicts between local needs, escort schedules, and maintenance requirements; and protests from the NOIC in Fremantle and Darwin, the Australian-based corvettes were placed completely under NOIC control in May 1942. Instead of directly assigning ships to convoys, COMSOUWESTPAC would indicate that ships would be needed from a particular port for escort duties, leaving the NOIC of that port free to allocate available ships. Ships of the class that served with the British Pacific Fleet, like many other ships serving with the fleet, had their pennant numbers changed to ones with a 'B' flag superior. was the only ship of the class destroyed by enemy action; It was for exemplary courage during this action that Ordinary Seaman Teddy Sheean was awarded, posthumously, the Victoria Cross.
The Bathursts were involved in several attacks on submarines during the war. This, the first RAN kill of a full-size submarine, was credited to , with sister ships and assisting.
In November 1942, an Indian Bathurst, , along with the Dutch tanker she was escorting, engaged and sank the Japanese commerce raider , and drove off her sister ship .
In early 1943, HMA Ships and were modified to serve as hydrographic survey ships. Their anti-aircraft armament made them appropriate for escort duties during the Allied invasion of Sicily. Eight of these ships cleared Victoria Harbour before the BPF arrived in Hong Kong at the end of the Japanese occupation, while three-, , and -were present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed.
The poor working and living conditions aboard the ships, combined with the heavy and often difficult workloads, led to mutinous acts aboard four ships during the war: , , , and . The incidents in Geraldton and Lithgow were minor and resolved without disciplinary charges, while the 'mutiny' aboard Toowoomba was caused by a lack of communication: after a hard day loading supplies, the sailors did not respond to an order to assemble on the quarterdeck as they felt they had laboured enough that day, but changed their mind when informed that the order to assemble was so the captain could thank them for their efforts, and reward them with drinks. This lack of respect was compounded while repairs were made to the corvette following an air attack off Oro Bay in April 1943, when the captain forced the rest of the company to live aboard, while he took residence at a hotel. A lack of pay, mail, and shore leave contributed to the sailors' frustration, and in response, 45 junior sailors refused to report for duties on 9 May until they could present their grievances to the commander. In response, he had the ship surrounded by armed guards and disabled the main gun. Relationships between commander and company did not improve until he was replaced at the end of 1943 for his botched handling of the event.
Only three Bathurst-class corvettes were lost during World War II. As well as Armidale, the other two ships were lost following collisions with merchant vessels of the United States: in June 1943, and in October 1944. Most were sold off during the 1950s, including four to the Royal New Zealand Navy, to help offset the cost of acquiring and operating two aircraft carriers. Four corvettes (, , , and ) were recommissioned in 1951 as training vessels for the National Service Program. was reactivated in 1953 for the same purpose. The gradual loss of minesweeping-capable ships was not rectified until late 1962, when the RAN purchased six s from the Royal Navy.
The 56 corvettes commissioned as Australian vessels travelled a combined total of during their service with the RAN.
Operators
thumb|right|upright| on display in [[Williamstown, Victoria. Castlemaine is one of two Bathurst-class corvettes preserved as museum ships.]]
World War II
- Royal Australian Navy
- Royal Indian Navy; later Indian Navy
Post-war
- Indonesian Navy
- Royal New Zealand Navy
- Royal Netherlands Navy
- Turkish Navy
- Pakistan Navy
- Civilian operators; one vessel later acquired by People's Liberation Army Navy
Surviving examples and monuments
Of the 60 vessels, only two examples remain. is a museum ship in Williamstown, Victoria.
The Royal Australian Navy Corvettes memorial at the Fremantle War Memorial was dedicated on 7 October 1984.
See also
- List of ship classes of the Second World War
Citations
References
Books
News and journal articles
Websites and other media
- Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre – Royal Australian Navy.