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HMAS Cowra
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] Design and construction.jpg) 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] Operational historyCowra 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] Decommissioning and fateCowra 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] Citations
References
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to HMAS Cowra (J351).
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