- Author
- NHSA Webmaster
- Subjects
- RAN operations, Ship design and development, WWII operations
- Tags
- None noted.
- RAN Ships
- None noted.
- Publication
- December 1977 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)
Warramunga picked up the nickname of ‘Little Mo’ after this operation, but the nickname of ‘The Munga’ was still the favourite one. She returned to Sydney on 12th August 1952, but in the six months in Korea she had steamed 40,000 miles and fired off 4,151 rounds of 4.7 inch ammunition. Her totals for her two tours of duty in Korea are very impressive, and were the highest figures recorded by any ship in the RAN engaged on that duty.
Her total mileage was 112,000 miles, which compares very favourably with the 40,000 miles put up by the aircraft carrier Sydney. Her main armament fired 6,053 rounds, her twin four inch HA/LA guns fired 931 rounds. She fired 8,501 rounds of 40mm and 6,681 rounds from her pom-poms. The last two figures will give an indication of the close ranges that were used. She really liked to get close to her enemies.
After her return to Sydney steps were taken to modernize the ship for the new role of an anti-submarine escort. On 12th November 1952 she hauled the White Ensign down for the first time in ten years. In those ten years she had steamed a total of 400,225 miles. She now embarked on a very upsetting period.
The conversion was to be carried out by Garden Island Naval Dockyard. The job went very slowly, too slowly for ACNB’s liking. A definite commissioning date was called for. Garden Island came up with a date, and then found that they just couldn’t meet it. Face had to be saved and the ship re-commissioned in an absolutely shocking state.
At the time the White Ensign was hoisted two of her three boilers were still under repair, steam had not been put on the main engines. Accommodation was chaotic, and an old dormitory had to be found ashore for the crew to sleep in. She was very fortunate to receive as her skipper the one man in the RAN that could really handle the job. Commander L.M. Hinchliffe DSC was an old hand with destroyers, and his sheer personality alone got results.
When a ship commissions she is in all respects ready for sea, yet on the first time ‘Hinch’ was able to get the ship away from the wharf, she was able to use two boilers only, and the lighting in the boiler rooms consisted of temporary festoons only. The crew were about the wildest bunch ever put together in one ship, but they were the right crew for ‘The ‘Munga’. They got things done and Warramunga was soon brought up to a high peak of efficiency. The First Lieutenant was Bill Perrin, an ex-Lower Deck man, and a first rate officer. It was strange that after Hinchliffe and Perrin got the old girl working well that the Navy Board should see fit to start chopping and changing the crew about.
But the crew was still a team. This was demonstrated during exercises near Singapore in 1955 when a long-range anti-aircraft shoot was carried out by a mixed Royal Navy and RAN fleet. Warramunga shot the drogue target down. In this case it was a Lower Deck effort, as no gunnery officer was carried in her role of A/S escort, and the GI, Petty Officer John Peese, carried out the duties of GI and gunnery officer combined.
For her final commission Warramunga raised her ensign on 19th October 1954 and when she paid off finally on 12th December 1957, Garden Island had still not finished the job. As regards her machinery she was a bit antiquated and to fill the boilers with water when no steam was available a small portable ‘Wee Mac’ pump had to be used. This piece of equipment was sent ashore for repair when the ship was under conversion, and lost. When the ship finally paid off the ‘Wee Mac’ pump was still missing. Getting water into the boilers was a problem in Warramunga.
During conversion the old ship lost Y twin 4.7 inch mounting, and her old pom-pom. A twin Bofors replaced the pom-pom, and a three barrelled ahead throwing weapon (Squid) replaced the after guns. Extra weight was worked into the ship, but when three boilers were in use she could still knock out 32 knots. She was still a good ship. She was a very remarkable ship in many ways. She supplied three Chiefs-of-the-Naval Staff, and one State Governor. The present Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral A.M. Synnot AO CBE commanded the ship from July 1956 to November 1957.
Amongst her many distinguished passengers was Princess Alexandra, who was a real favourite with the crew. Warramunga is probably the only RAN destroyer to be able to record that a Princess had her lunch in the Chief Petty Officers Mess.
Warramunga was a ship with a heart, a beautiful piece of fighting efficiency. It would be quite in order to say that the Tribal class was, with the possible exception of the old Admiralty ‘S’ class, the most beautiful destroyers ever built. Of the three Tribals built for the RAN, Warramunga. stands out above the other two.
By May 1958 she had steamed her 500,000th mile and added another 25,000 before she retired. By comparison, Arunta steamed 357,275 miles and Bataan steamed 279,394. Warramunga almost equalled the combined totals of the other two.
To complete her story Warramunga paid off for the last time on 7th December 1959, and was placed in reserve. Declared for disposal on 22nd May 1961 she was finally sold to Kinoshita and Co. of Japan on 15th February 1963. She left for Japan soon after that date and became razor blades. She has gone now but her memory will live for some time to come. On Anzac Day each year the HMAS Warramunga Association is well represented, and as some of her ex-crew members are still reasonably young, her banners will be seen for many years yet. She was a wonderful ship.