HMAS Westralia (1939)

HMAS Westralia (1939)

The first HMAS "Westralia" was an auxiliary cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy. It was built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Glasgow for the Huddart Parker company as a twin screw motor vessel, being completed in 1929. "Westralia" was requisitioned for war service by the Australian government in 1939 as an armed merchant cruiser. She was fitted with 6 inch guns, and 3 inch AA guns, commissioning into the Royal Australian Navy in January 1940.

Operational history

"Westralia"’s time as an AMC was spent escorting convoys in the Pacific and Indian oceans, especially from Australia and New Zealand. One major event occurred in May 1942 when "Westralia", in company with the cruiser USS "Chicago", sighted a Japanese submarine just outside Sydney Harbour. This was just before the attack on Sydney Harbour by midget submarines which led to the sinking of HMAS "Kuttabul". [cite book |last=Jenkins |first=David |title=Battle Surface! Japan's Submarine War Against Australia 1942–44 |year=1992 |publisher=Random House Australia |location=Milsons Point |isbn=0-09-182638-1 |pages=pp 193–194 |chapter=]

In 1943, "Westralia" was converted into a Landing Ship, Infantry (LSI). In this role, "Westralia" was used primarily for the transport of United States Marine and Army units. The ship took part in landings at Cape Cretin, Leyte Gulf, the Philippines and Borneo. After the end of the war, "Westralia" was used for the repatriation of Australian troops, before being paid off in September 1946. However, as she was being refitted for a return to civilian service, "Westralia" was taken up again for use on the run between Sydney and Kure for the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. However, she was not commissioned into the RAN in this role, instead having a merchant navy crew.

She ended her time with the BCOF in April 1949. However, she was then chartered as a troop carrier by the British Ministry of Transport, and served in the Mediterranean until March 1950. "Westralia" was finally returned to her owners in March 1951. "Westralia" was sold to the Asian and Pacific Shipping Co Ltd in 1959, serving as a livestock carrier, until she was eventually sold for scrap in 1961.

References

*cite web |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Westralia_(I) |title=HMAS Westralia (I) |accessdate=2008-09-15 |publisher=Sea Power Centre Australia


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • HMAS Westralia (1939) — HMAS Westralia Histoire A servi dans Royal Australian Navy Commanditaire Huddart Parker. Lancement 1929 Armé janvier 1940 Caractéristiques techniques Type cargo puis croiseur auxiliaire et transport de troupes …   Wikipédia en Français

  • List of World War II topics (H) — # H 8 bomber # H hour (D day) # H. A. Sinclair de Rochemont# H. Emory Widener, Jr. # H. H. Kung # H. Keith Thompson # H. L. N. Salmon # H. Montgomery Hyde # H. Ryan Price # H. Stuart Hughes # H. W. Whillock # Höcker Album # Höfle Telegram # Hôtel …   Wikipedia

  • Нападение на Сидней-Харбор — (1942) часть Битвы за Австралию Миниподлодку типа Ko hyoteki поднимают со дна залива на следующий день по …   Википедия

  • USS Shaw (DD-373) — USS Shaw (DD 373), a Mahan class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Captain John Shaw, a Naval officer. The Shaw was present during the Attack on Pearl Harbor and suffered major damage by Japanese… …   Wikipedia

  • USS Bolivar (APA-34) — was a sclass|Bayfield|attack transport in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Bolivar County, Mississippi. Bolivar was laid down on 13 May 1942 at San Francisco, California, by the Western Pipe and Steel Company under a… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Royal Australian Navy — The History of the Royal Australian Navy can be traced back to 1788 and the colonisation of Australia by the British. During the period until 1859, vessels of the Royal Navy made frequent trips to the new colonies. In 1859, the Australia Squadron …   Wikipedia

  • Attack on Sydney Harbour — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Attack on Sydney Harbour partof=the Battle for Australia during World War II caption=1 June 1942. A Japanese Ko hyoteki class midget submarine, believed to be Midget No. 14, is raised from Sydney Harbour date=31 …   Wikipedia

  • Occupation japonaise de Nauru — L occupation japonaise de Nauru est la période de trois ans (26 août 1942 – 13 septembre 1945) durant laquelle Nauru, petite île isolée de l océan Pacifique central administrée par l Australie, est occupée par l armée… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Amphibious warfare ships of Australia — The Royal Australian Navy and Australian Army have operated 24 amphibious warfare ships. These ships have been used to transport Army units and supplies during exercises and operational deployments. World War II and Cold War shipsThe Australian… …   Wikipedia

  • Battle of Arawe — Part of World War II, Pacific War …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”