The former HMAS Diamantina (K377) in 2008
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History | |
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Name: | Diamantina |
Namesake: | Diamantina River |
Builder: | Walkers Ltd., Maryborough |
Laid down: | 12 April 1943 |
Launched: | 6 April 1944 |
Commissioned: | 27 April 1945 |
Decommissioned: | 9 August 1946 |
Recommissioned: | 22 June 1959 |
Decommissioned: | 21 February 1980 |
Motto: | "Whoever Leads Protects" |
Honours and awards: |
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Status: | Preserved as a museum ship at Queensland Maritime Museum |
Badge: | ![]() |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | River-class frigate |
Displacement: |
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Length: | |
Beam: | 36 ft 6 in (11.1 m) |
Draught: | 9 ft (2.7 m); 13 ft (4.0 m) (deep load) |
Propulsion: | 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW) |
Speed: | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
Range: | 500 long tons (510 t; 560 short tons) oil fuel; 5,180 nautical miles (9,590 km; 5,960 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
Complement: | 140 |
Armament: |
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HMAS Diamantina (K377/F377/A266/GOR266), named after the Diamantina River in Queensland, is a River-class frigate that served the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Constructed in the mid-1940s, Diamantina was active from 1945 until 1946, was placed in reserve, then was recommissioned as a survey ship from 1959 until 1980.
Following her second decommissioning, the frigate was preserved at the Queensland Maritime Museum as a museum ship. She was the last World War II-era frigate to leave RAN service, and of the 151 River-class frigates constructed for 19 navies worldwide, Diamantina is the only one preserved as a museum ship.
Diamantina had a displacement of 2,120 tons fully loaded, or 1,420 standard displacement tons. She was equipped with two triple expansion engines driving twin screws at 5,500 indicated horsepower (4,100 kW). She had a range of 5,180 nautical miles (9,590 km; 5,960 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), with a top speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). She was armed with two single-mounted QF 4-inch (101.6 mm) Mk.XVI guns fore and aft and eight single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikons, although these were later replaced by three single-mounted QF 40 mm Bofors and four twin-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikons. For anti-submarine warfare the ship was fitted with one Hedgehog 24 spigot A/S projector, and carried up to 50 depth charges. She had a complement of 140.