Английская Википедия:HMAS Fremantle (J246)

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HMAS Fremantle (J246/M246), named for the port city of Fremantle, Western Australia, 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

Шаблон:Main 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 Шаблон:Convert, and a range of Шаблон:Convert[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 Шаблон:Convert top speed, and a range of Шаблон:Convert, 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 Шаблон:HMAS 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 Fremantle) 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]

Fremantle was laid down by Evans Deakin & Co at Brisbane, Queensland. She was launched on 18 August 1942 by the wife of Prime Minister John Curtin, and commissioned into the RAN on 24 March 1943.[1]

Operational history

World War II

When Fremantle entered active service in April 1943, she was immediately assigned to convoy escort duties along the east coast of Australia.[1] This continued until August 1943, when the corvette was assigned as a convoy escort between Darwin and Thursday Island.[1] She continued this duty until June 1945, when she was ordered to New Guinea waters to act as a guard ship.[1] Fremantle remained in New Guinea waters until the end of World War II.[1] The ship received two battle honours for her wartime service; "Darwin 1943" and "Pacific 1943–45".[10][11]

Following the war's end, Fremantle was sent to Hong Kong, where she joined the 21st Minesweeping Flotilla in August 1945 and was involved in mine clearance in Chinese waters.[1] On completion, the corvette returned to Australia, visiting her namesake city for the first time on 18 November 1945, before arriving in Melbourne and paying off into reserve on 25 January 1946.[1]

Post-war

Fremantle was recommissioned on 10 December 1952 as a training ship for National Service trainees.[1] Based in the port of Fremantle, the corvette was also involved in fisheries protection, monitoring of the Japanese pearling fleet, and hydrographic surveys.[1]

Decommissioning and fate

Fremantle paid off to reserve for the second time on 22 June 1959. She was sold for scrapping to Kinoshita (Australia) Pty Ltd on 6 January 1961.[1]

Citations

Шаблон:Reflist

References

Books
Journal and news articles

External links

Шаблон:Commons category

Шаблон:Bathurst class corvette

  1. 1,00 1,01 1,02 1,03 1,04 1,05 1,06 1,07 1,08 1,09 1,10 1,11 Шаблон:Cite web
  2. 2,0 2,1 2,2 Stevens, The Australian Corvettes, p. 1
  3. Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 103
  4. Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–4
  5. Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–5
  6. Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 104
  7. Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 105, 148
  8. Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, p. 29
  9. Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 108
  10. Шаблон:Cite news
  11. Шаблон:Cite web