HMAS Bungaree
.jpg) HMAS Bungaree in Sydney Harbour | |
| Career (Australia) |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Caledon Shipbuilding |
| Commissioned: | 9 June 1941 |
| Decommissioned: | 7 August 1946 |
| Notes: | Bungaree was owned by the Adelaide Steamship Company |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 3,043 tonnes (gross) |
| Length: | 357 ft 2 in (108.86 m) |
| Beam: | 48 ft 8 in (14.83 m) |
| Draught: | 20 feet 8 inches (6.30 m) |
| Propulsion: | Triple expansion and geared turbine, 2,500 HP |
| Speed: | 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h) |
| Capacity: | 467 mines |
| Complement: | 175 |
| Armament: | 2 x 4 inch guns, 1 x 12 pounder gun, 8 x Oerlikon 20 mm, 2 x Bofors 40 mm gun, 6 x Vickers machine gun |
HMAS Bungaree was an auxiliary minelayer of Royal Australian Navy (RAN), serving during World War II.
Contents
Construction
Acquisition
The civilian merchant freighter Bungaree was requisitioned by the RAN in October 1940, and was commissioned into the RAN on 9 June 1941 after being converted into a minelayer. Following her conversion, HMAS Bungaree had a capacity of 423 naval mines and was originally armed with two 4-inch (100 mm) guns for protection.[1] She was later modified to carry 467 mines.
Operational history
Bungaree laid her first minefield off Port Moresby in August 1941 and, as Australia's only minelayer, laid over 10,000 mines in defensive minefields in Australian and New Zealand waters during World War II.[2] Bungaree was present in Sydney Harbour during the Japanese midget submarine attack on 31 May 1942.[3]
As the Allies moved onto the offensive the need for defensive minefields lessened, with Bungaree re-tasked as a survey ship from January 1944 and a store ship from August 1944.
Decommissioning and fate
HMAS Bungaree was decommissioned on 7 August 1946 and was returned to her owners on 5 November 1947.[4] The mines she laid in Australian waters were swept by the RAN between 1945 and 1948.
Notes
- ↑ G. Herman Gill (1957), Official History of Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy. Volume I 1939 – 1942. Australian War Memorial, Canberra. Page 420.
- ↑ Straczek, J.H.. "RAN in the Second World War". Royal Australian Navy. http://www.navy.gov.au/RAN_in_the_Second_World_War. Retrieved 2008-09-19.
- ↑ Jenkins, David (1992). Battle Surface! Japan's Submarine War Against Australia 1942–44. Milsons Point: Random House Australia. pp. 193–194. ISBN 0-09-182638-1.
- ↑ All-Time List of RAN Ships
References
- Straczek, Joe (2000). "Bungaree - One and Only". Australian Warship Review 6/2000: 17.
