Bathurst-class corvette
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HMAS Latrobe
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders: | |
| Operators: | |
| Succeeded by: | Ton-class minesweeper (RAN) |
| Cost: | A£250,000 per vessel |
| Built: | 1940–1942 |
| In commission: | 1940–1960 (RAN) |
| Completed: | 60 |
| Cancelled: | 3, plus a 1938 prototype |
| Lost: | 5 |
| Preserved: | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Australian Minesweeper (Corvette) |
| Displacement: | 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, 2 shafts. 2,000 hp |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement: | Normally 85 |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
Type 128 asdic |
| Armament: |
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| Notes: | Characteristics varied between vessels, see individual ships for details |
The Bathurst-class corvettes were a class of general purpose vessels produced in Australia during World War II. Originally classified as minesweepers, but widely referred to as corvettes, the Bathurst-class vessels fulfilled a broad anti-submarine, anti-mine, and convoy escort role.
Sixty Bathurst-class corvettes were built in eight Australian shipyards to an Australian design. 36 were constructed for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), 20 were built on British Admiralty orders but manned and commissioned by the RAN, and 4 served in the Royal Indian Navy. Three more were ordered for construction in India, but were cancelled. Although designed for the anti-submarine and anti-mine role, the Bathursts operated as "maids-of-all-work" during the war; serving as troop and supply transports, supporting amphibious landings, providing air defence for convoys and disabled ships, participating in shore bombardments, and undertaking hydrographic surveys. Three ships were lost during the war—one to Japanese air attack and two to collisions with friendly merchant ships—while a fourth struck a friendly mine while sweeping the Great Barrier Reef in 1947 and sank.
After the war, the Admiralty ships were sold to the Turkish Navy, Royal Netherlands Navy, and civilian operators, while several RAN-owned vessels were transferred to the Royal New Zealand Navy, temporarily reactivated to facilitate National Service Training, or sold to civilians. Four of the Netherlands Bathursts were sold onward to the Indonesian Navy, one of which was destroyed in 1956 by rebels opposing the 'Guided Democracy' political system. The rest of the RAN and Admiralty ships were sold for scrap to help fund other projects. Two vessels are preserved as museum ships.
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Wikipedia