HMAS Armidale (J240)

	HMAS Armidale in Port Morseby Harbour, September 1942. AWM 026612
History
Australia (RAN)
Namesake	City of Armidale, New South Wales
Builder	Morts Dock & Engineering Co in Sydney
Laid down	1 September 1941
Launched	Floated 24 January 1942
Commissioned	11 June 1942
Motto	"Stand Firm"
Fate	Sunk by Japanese aircraft on 1 December 1942
Badge	File:HMAS armidale crest.gif
General characteristics
Class and type	Bathurst class corvette
Displacement	650 tons (standard), 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 engine, 2 shafts
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h) at 1,750 hp
Complement	85
Armament	list error: <br /> list (help); 1 x 4-inch gun; 3 x Oerlikons; Machine guns; Depth charges chutes and throwers

HMAS Armidale (J240), named for the city of Armidale, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).^[1]

HMAS Armidale was attacked off Betano (Latitude: 9° 9' 52 S, Longitude: 125° 43' 30 E, on the south coast of Portuguese Timor, now East Timor) by thirteen Japanese aircraft on 1 December 1942, sinking with the loss of 40 of her crew and 60 embarked men of the Netherlands East Indies Army.^[1] She was the only Bathurst class corvette to be lost to enemy action.^[2]

Construction

Armidale was laid down by Morts Dock & Engineering Co in Sydney on 1 September 1941.^[1] As the ship was built in a dock she was floated on 24 January 1942,^[1] with the ceremony officiated by Reverend A. G. Rix.^{[citation needed]} Armidale was commissioned on 11 June 1942.^[1]

Operational history

Following commissioning, Armidale’s primary role was the escort of convoys along the Australian coast and from Australia to New Guinea.^[1] In October 1942, Armidale was reassigned to the 24th Minesweeping Flotilla, operating out of Darwin.^[1]

On 29 November 1942, Armidale and sister ship HMAS Castlemaine were ordered to Betano, to deliver reinforcements for guerrilla forces operating in Timor, and to evacuate Dutch troops and Portuguese women and children.^[1] En route, the two ships were attacked by Japanese aircraft on three occasions, all times resulting in no casualties on either side.^[1] Arriving offshore of Betano before dawn of 1 December, the two vessels failed to make contact with the Australian Coastwatchers of Sparrow Force.^[1] Later that morning, the ships encountered HMAS Kuru, which was heading to Darwin with 70 passengers.^[1] The passengers were transferred to Castlemaine, while Armidale and Kuru remained on station to make a second attempt at contact,^[1] following orders from Commodore Pope, the Naval Officer in Charge at Darwin.^[3]

Japanese attack

At 3:15 p.m. on 1 December, Armidale was attacked by thirteen Japanese aircraft.^[1] She was hit by two torpedoes and sank within five minutes; the crew and Netherlands East India Army and Australian soldiers evacuating to two boats, a Carley float, and a raft.^[1] The survivers managed to refloat the Armidale's whaler, which was found largely submerged a few hours after the sinking of the Armidale.^[4] Kuru was attacked by a second group of aircraft, but escaped with minimal damage.^[5]

The survivors remained together until midday on 2 December, when one of the boats set out in an effort to find rescuers.^[1] They were located by HMAS Kalgoorlie on 6 December.^[1] Kalgoolie attempted to hoist the boat aboard, but it broke up when lifted out of the water as it had been badly damaged by Japanese machine gun fire.^[6] The survivors were able to direct Kalgoorlie to the second boat and Carley float, which were collected on 7 December.^[1]

On 5 December, the raft parted company from the rest of the group, and although they were spotted and photographed by a Catalina Flying Boat, retrieval was not possible due to the rough seas.^[1] Later searches failed to rediscover the raft.^[1]

Reaction

Commodore Pope was blamed for the deaths of those lost in the sinking, both for ordering Armidale and Kuru back to Betano following the failed contact and reports of harassment by Japanese aircraft, and for the delay between the sinking and commencement of search operations. However, in the subsequent Naval Board of Inquiry, he was exonerated on all counts.^[7]

Following this attack, the Royal Australian Navy changed policy to prevent minimally armed vessels like the Bathurst class corvettes travelling into areas of heavy enemy presence while attempting to perform tasks similar to Armidale.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s "HMAS Armidale (I)". HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre - Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
^ David Stevens et al., 2001, The Royal Australian Navy, opposite pg 112
^ Walker, Frank (1990). HMAS Armidale: the ship that had to die. Budgewoi, NSW: Kingfisher Press. ISBN 0646005413. OCLC 23082116.^{[page needed]}
^ Walker, Frank (1990). HMAS Armidale: the ship that had to die. Budgewoi, NSW: Kingfisher Press. ISBN 0646005413. OCLC 23082116.^{[page needed]}
^ Display plaque on engine of HMAS Kuru at East Point Military Museum, Darwin^{[unreliable source?]}
^ Walker, Frank (1990). HMAS Armidale: the ship that had to die. Budgewoi, NSW: Kingfisher Press. ISBN 0646005413. OCLC 23082116.^{[page needed]}
^ Walker, Frank (1990). HMAS Armidale: the ship that had to die. Budgewoi, NSW: Kingfisher Press. ISBN 0646005413. OCLC 23082116.^{[page needed]}
^ Walker, Frank (1990). HMAS Armidale: the ship that had to die. Budgewoi, NSW: Kingfisher Press. ISBN 0646005413. OCLC 23082116.^{[page needed]}

Stevens, David (2001). Stevens, David (ed.). The Royal Australian Navy. The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-195-54116-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)

Construction

Operational history

Japanese attack

Reaction

References

Further reading