HMAS Horsham

HMAS Horsham
Career (Australia)
Namesake:	City of Horsham, Victoria
Builder:	HMA Naval Dockyard
Laid down:	26 June 1941
Launched:	16 May 1942
Commissioned:	18 November 1942
Decommissioned:	17 December 1945
Fate:	Sold for scrap in 1956
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:	8.5 ft (2.6 m)
Propulsion:	triple expansion engine, 2 shafts, 2,000 horsepower
Speed:	15.5 knots (28.7 km/h)
Complement:	85
Armament:	1 x 4-inch gun 1 x 12-pounder gun 1 x 2-pounder gun 1 twin 0.5-inch gun

HMAS Horsham (J235/M235), named for the city of Horsham, Victoria, 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).

Construction

Horsham was laid down by HMA Naval Dockyard at Melbourne, Victoria on 26 June 1941.. She was launched on 16 May 1942, and was commissioned into the RAN on 18 November 1942.

Operational history

Horsham entered active service in January 1943. She was initially assigned to Fremantle as an anti-submarine patrol ship, where she remained until August 1944. The corvette was then deployed to Darwin as a survey ship, and remained there until the end of World War II. In September 1945, Horsham was present at the Japanese surrender of Timor. She continued in the survey role until November 1945, when she returned to Fremantle.

Decommissioning and fate

Horsham paid off into reserve in Fremantle on 17 December 1945. She was sold for scrapping to the Hong Kong Delta Shipping Company on 8 August 1956.