On This Day

1946-1959 > Post WW2

April 1, 1947

The modified River class frigate HMAS CULGOA, (CMDR H. L. Gunn, RAN), was commissioned. CULGOA was laid down at Williamstown Naval Dockyard, VIC on 15 July 1943, and launched on 22 September 1945. On completion she had been immediately placed into Reserve Mrs Showers, (Wife of CAPT H. A. Showers, RAN), performed the launching ceremony. She was to have originally to have been called Macquarie, but the name was changed while she was still on the stocks.

March 31, 1947

After a short commission, which lasted only 15 months, HMAS Barwon paid off into Reserve. Barwon was sold as scrap to HC Sleigh for Mitsubishi (Australia) Pty Ltd. She was later resold to the Japanese firm Amakasu Sangyo Kisen Co Ltd.

March 16, 1947

HMAS GOULBURN, (minesweeper), was sold out of service and renamed BENITA.

February 7, 1947

HMAS Dubbo paid off into Reserve at Sydney. On 20 February 1958 she was sold for scrap to Mitsubishi Shoji Kaisha Ltd, Tokyo. In June 1958 the Japanese salvage vessel Tukoshima Maru departed Sydney for Japan with Dubbo and another former RAN vessel, the repair and maintenance vessel Platypus, in tow

February 3, 1947

HMAS STUART, (destroyer), was sold out of service and broken up at Ryde, Sydney.

January 10, 1947

HMAS Koopa was returned to her owners, Brisbane Tug and Steamship Company Ltd, on 10 January 1947

September 30, 1946

Three seamen from HMAS QUIBERON, (destroyer), were washed overboard during exercise off Port Phillip, VIC. Despite immediate action to recover the sailors, two, Ordinary Seamen, D.R. Egglestone and C. E. Revitt, were lost.

September 27, 1946

HMAS Ballarat paid off into Reserve at Sydney and was sold to a Hong Kong shipping company, China Traders Ltd, on 10 July 1947. Ballarat (I) did not leave Australian waters and in December 1950 she was resold to the Ta Hing Company (Hong Kong) Ltd. She was subsequently refitted for the Chinese coastal trade and renamed Carmencita. In January 1951, however, the Commonwealth Government issued a Statutory Order banning her from proceeding to Chinese waters. In 1953 she was again sold, on this occasion to John Manners and Co (Aust) Pty Ltd, Sydney. It has been reported that the ship was broken up in 1953.

HMAS Bathurst was placed in Reserve for disposal after steaming 160,165 miles. She was sold on 21 June 1948 to T Carr and Co of Sydney as scrap.

HMAS Bendigo paid off at Sydney. Since commissioning she had steamed 280,100 kilometres. Bendigo was sold as a seagoing vessel on 5 May 1947 to Ta Hing Co (Hong Kong) and was renamed Cheung Hing. She was later acquired by the Navy of the People’s Republic of China, converted from a merchant ship and rearmed for naval service under the name of Loyang.

HMAS Goulburn paid off. She was sold as a seagoing vessel to Captain SP Bell, of Pacific Enterprise Incorporated, for £12,500 on 13 October 1947. She was later resold to PJ Lobo & Co, Hong Kong, for £15,000, and again to AH Carrol, acting as agent for Ta Hing Co (Hong Kong) Ltd, in December 1950. However, a Commonwealth Statutory Order issued in January 1951 barred her removal from Australian waters. Goulburn was resold to John Manners & Co (Aust) Pty Ltd, of Sydney, in 1953 and renamed Benita

September 24, 1946

The merchant ship BANTAM was sunk as a gunnery target off Sydney by HMAS CONDAMINE, (frigate).

September 19, 1946

HMAS Westralia paid off at Sydney after steaming 120,978 miles in naval service. She subsequently provided a service between Sydney and Kure for the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces from December 1947 until April 1949 with a merchant seaman crew. She was then chartered to the British Ministry of Transport for use as a Troop Carrier and left Sydney in August 1949 and after service in the Mediterranean returned to Sydney in March 1950. Reconversion for peacetime service was again begun and on 27 March 1951 Westralia was returned to her owners

September 2, 1946

The WRANS were officially disbanded although the final members did not leave until 1947

August 27, 1946

The diesel tug HMAS BRONZEWING, was commissioned. BRONZEWING was laid down in Mort’s Dock, Sydney, and launched on 2 February 1946.

August 26, 1946

HMAS Bunbury paid off in Sydney bringing her seagoing career to a close after steaming 101,000 miles since commissioning. Bunbury was sold on 6 January 1961 to Kinoshita (Australia) Pty Ltd for breaking up

August 24, 1946

HMS Broome (formerly HMAS Broome) was handed over to the Turkish Navy at Istanbul and renamed Alanya. In mid-April 1946 Broome had been paid off and recommissioned into the Royal Navy. On 8 May 1946 the ship sailed from Fremantle for Colombo en route to Istanbul where she arrived on 22 August 1946.

August 21, 1946

HMAS BROOME, (minesweeper), was transferred to the Turkish Navy and renamed ALANYA.

August 14, 1946

HMAS KALGOORLIE, (minesweeper), was transferred to the Netherlands Navy and renamed TERNATE.

August 10, 1946

HMAS GAWLER, (minesweeper), was transferred to the Turkish Navy and renamed AYVALIK.

August 8, 1946

HMAS TOWNSVILLE, (minesweeper), was sold out of service for breaking up.

August 7, 1946

HMAS Bungaree decommissioned on and returned to her owners on 5 November 1947. Bungaree was subsequently on-sold twice and in 1960 was renamed Eastern Mariner. Whilst operating in South Vietnamese waters she struck a mine in the Saigon River and was wrecked on 26 May 1966.

HMAS IPSWICH was transferred to the Netherlands Navy and renamed MOROTAI.

August 6, 1946

HMAS PIRIE, (minesweeper), was transferred to the Turkish Navy, and renamed AMASRA.

August 5, 1946

HMAS Rockhampton paid off into Reserve at Sydney, having steamed some 176,077 miles. She was sold as scrap to Kino Shito (Australia) Pty Ltd in January 1961.

July 30, 1946

The diesel tug HMAS EMU, was commissioned. EMU was laid down in Mort’s Dock, Sydney, and launched on 25 June 1946.

July 29, 1946

RAFA Kurumba paid off. She was sold in January 1948 to Artemis Maritime Co Inc, Panama, who renamed her Angeliki. She was later re-named Evangelos

July 17, 1946

LEUT J. F. Bell, RAN, qualified as the first officer in the RAN to be trained in ship construction. He achieved the highest marks in his course.

July 12, 1946

HMAS Cessnock paid off at Sydney. She was sold on 23 April 1947 to the Nan Chiao Shipping and Salvage Co Ltd, Shanghai, for breaking up.