HMAS Ballarat (J184)

HMAS "Ballarat" (J184), named for the city of Ballarat, Victoria, was one of 60 "Bathurst" class corvettes constructed during World War II and one of 20 built for the Admiralty but manned by personnel of and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).cite web |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Ballarat_%28I%29 |title=HMAS Ballarat (I) |accessdate=2008-09-15 |publisher=Sea Power Centre - Australia]

Construction

"Ballarat" was laid down by HMA Naval Dockyard in Williamstown, Victoria, on 19 April 1940. She was launched on 10 December 1940 by the wife of Albert Dunstan, then Premier of Victoria, and commissioned on 30 August 1941.

Operational history

"Ballarat" entered service on 20 September 1941, and on her arrival in Sydney three days later was immediately assigned to the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla. On 1 November, she was given the duty of providing anti-submarine protection to converted ocean liner "Queen Mary", prior to her departure as part of a troop convoy to the Middle East. "Ballarat" departed for Darwin on 14 November, towing an oil lighter. On her arrival on 8 December, the corvette began escort patrols between Darwin and Timor. She headed to Singapore in early 1942, then was assigned to Banka Strait, where she was employed in rescue and demolitions work. On 14 February, "Ballarat" carried out one of the largest rescue operations in the region, collecting 215 survivors from the torpedoed merchant vessel MV "Derrymore". Amongst the survivors was John Gorton, who would later become Prime Minister of Australia. "Ballarat" was also involved in the evacuation of Sumatra, and was the last RAN ship to leave.

On the conclusion of this assignment, the corvette returned to Australian waters and resumed convoy operation between Australia and New Guinea. In November 1962, "Ballarat" and sister ship "Katoomba" were attacked by Japanese dive bombers. In December 1942, "Ballarat" and sister ships "Broome" and "Colac" were involved in the deployment of troops to Buna; "Ballarat" performing four troop deployments over the month.

The corvette was ordered to the east coast of Australia in April 1943, to counter the increasing Japanese submarine threat. She remained in this role until January 1944, when she returned to Darwin to perform patrols to Thursday Island. "Ballarat" was again used as a troop transport in August 1944, moving soldiers from the Eilanden River in Papau New Guinea to Merauke, Indonesia. In 1945 she returned to Sydney to perform minesweeping operations prior to the arrival of the British Pacific Fleet, and then participated in the invasion of Okinawa.

"Ballarat" was present in Tokyo Bay on Victory over Japan Day (2 September 1945), when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender was signed. [cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq69-2.htm |title=Allied Ships Present in Tokyo Bay During the Surrender Ceremony, 2 September 1945 |accessdate=2007-01-13 |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |date=27 May 2005|publisher=Naval Historical Center - U.S. Navy|quote=Taken from "Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPAC/CINCPOA) A16-3/FF12 Serial 0395, 11 February 1946: Report of Surrender and Occupation of Japan"] She was then depolyed on minesweeping duties in the Hong Kong area, during which she struck a mine on 6 November 1945. She returned to Melbourne on 13 December, and was decommissioned into reserve on 27 September 1946.

"Ballarat" was sold on 10 July 1947 to China Traders Ltd of Hong Kong, who then sold her on to the Ta Hing Company (Hong Kong) Ltd in December 1950. Refitted as a coastal trader and renamed "Carmencita", the corvette never entered civilian service as a Statuatory Order issued by the Australian Government prevented the ship from entering Chinese waters. Instead, she was sold a third time to John Manners and Co (Aust) Pty Ltd in 1953, who broke the ship up for scrap in the same year.

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