HMAS Moresby (1918)

HMAS "Moresby" (formerly HMS "Silvio") was a 24-class (also known as "Racehorse" class) "Fleet Sweeping" sloop that served in the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy as a minesweeper, anti-submarine vessel, and survey ship. The ship was involved in both World Wars, and was the venue of the Japanese surrender of Timor on 11 September 1945.

Construction

The sloop was laid down as HMS "Silvio", named after a British Epsom Derby-winning racehorse, by Barclay Curle and Co Ltd at their Glasgow shipyard on 27 November 1917.cite web |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Moresby_(I) |title=HMAS Moresby (I) |accessdate=2008-09-15 |publisher=Sea Power Centre Australia] She was launched on 12 April 1918, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 25 May 1918.

Operational history

Royal Navy

On 25 July 1918, "Silvio", HMS "Moresby" and three other warships were escorting a convoy when it came under attack by a U-boat off the coast of Ulster. All five escorts attacked the submarine, but none were successful in damaging it.

In 1925, "Silvio" was the last of five of the 24-class sloops to be converted to survey ships. In the same year, the ship was lent to the Australian Government to assist HMAS "Geranium" in surveying a navigation channel through the Great Barrier Reef. The ship was renamed and recommissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS "Moresby" on 20 June 1925. She departed England on 28 June, and arrived in Australia in September.

Royal Australian Navy

"Moresby" participated in the Great Barrier Reef survey until 21 December 1929, when she was decommissioned into reserve in Sydney. She was recommissioned on 27 April 1933, to perform urgent strategic surveys of the waters north of Australia. On completion, the sloop was returned to reserve on 14 December 1934 and converted to oil burning. "Moresby" was reconverted for survey work and recommissioned on 11 April 1935, returning to northern Australia for survey work until the beginning of World War II in Septembr 1939. In May 1937, after the eruption of volcanoes of the Rabaul caldera resulted in the evacuation of Rabaul to nearby Kokopo, "Moresby" was sent to New Britain and instructed to provide any assistance necessary. The only need for the sloop was to transport provisions to the refugees.

During the first year of World War II, "Moresby" was used as an anti-submarine training vessel, a role she maintained until January 1941, when she was reassigned to survey duty in the waters of Australia and New Guinea. Following the Japanese attacks on the Allies in December 1941, the sloop was used as a convoy escort and anti-submarine vessel off the east coast of Australia. During the two years in this role, three of the convoys escorted by "Moresby" were attacked by Japanese submarines; December 1942 off Gabo Island with no damage, April 1943 with the sinking of the Yugoslav vessel "Recina" and the loss of 32 of her crew, and May 1943 off the New South Wales coast with SS "Ormiston" damaged but able to reach port. This two year period saw the greatest Japanese submarine activity off Australia's east coast, with sixteen other ships sunk.

In November 1943, "Moresby" was reassigned to survey duties, and spent the rest of the war based in Darwin. In September and October 1945, "Moresby" was assigned to a group of ships assisting the re-occupation of Timor. The Japanese surrender of Timor was performed aboard "Moresby" on 11 September 1945. After this deployment, the sloop was sent to survey Yampi Sound, before sailing to Sydney for decommissioning.

"Moresby" was decommissioned into reserve for the final time on 14 March 1946, and was sold to Broken Hill Pty Co Ltd for scrapping on 3 February 1947.

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