Fleet Minesweeper
No badge issued for this vessel
Battle Honours
INDIAN OCEAN 1941-45
PACIFIC 1941-45
SICILY 1943
Specifications
Bathurst-class corvette
Builder: Broken Hill Pty. Ltd., Whyalla, South Australia, Australia
Displacement: 733 tons
Length: 186 ft
Beam: 31 ft
Draught: 8 ft 6 in
Propulsion: triple expansion engine, 2 shafts. 2,000 hp
Speed: 15 Knots
Armament: 1 12 Ponder, later1 × QF 4 inch Mk XIX gun, 3 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (later 4), 1 × Bofors 40 mm gun (installed later), 2 x.303 Vickers machine guns, 40 Depth charges (4 throwers and 2 chutes)
Crew complement: 85
Commanding Officers
Lt.Cdr. (emgy) William John Seymour, RAN 15 Jul 1942
Lt.Cdr. Joseph Henry Patrick Dixon, RANR(S) 5 Jun 1944
Related items
None
Reminiscences
None
Gallery
None
H.M.A.S. GAWLER
Early history
A Bathurst-class corvette ordered from Walkers Ltd, Maryborough, Queensland, her keel was laid down on March 31st 1941. The ship was launched on October 7th 1941 by Mrs Weber, wife of the Works Manager, Walkers Ltd. She was commissioned as H.M.A.S. CAIRNS on May 11th 1942, the first RAN warship to carry the name of the North Queensland city. Her first commanding officer was Lieutenant Edward MacMillan, RANR(S)1.
Allocated to the Eastern Fleet
In October she was allocated for service with the Eastern Fleet. CAIRNS and sister ships IPSWICH and MARYBOROUGH sailed from Fremantle on October 16th; CAIRNS and IPSWICH were bound for Kilindini, Kenya, MARYBOROUGH for Colombo, Ceylon. On November 14th CAIRNS joined the East Africa Patrol Flotilla at Kilindini, and, in company with her sister ship WOLLONGONG covered the first day of passage for the outbound Aden convoy KA.4.
Service in the Mediterranean
On May 26th these eight RAN minesweepers were formed into two Flotillas: the 21st Minesweeping Flotilla (GAWLER, IPSWICH, LISMORE and MARYBOROUGH) based at Alexandria and the 22nd Minesweeping Flotilla (CAIRNS, CESSNOCK, GERALDTON and WOLLONGONG) based at Port Said, both were to operate in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Eastern Fleet service resumed
On release from duties in the Mediterranean the eight RAN minesweepers returned to the Eastern Fleet; CAIRNS resumed convoy escort duties on October 9th 1943 sailing from Aden in company with CESSNOCK, GERALDTON, TAMWORTH and WOLLONGONG covering the passage of combined convoys AB.16 for Bombay and AP.48 for Bandar abbas. The convoys split on the 13th, CAIRNS, CESSNOCK and TAMWORTH proceeded with AP.48, arriving Bandar abbas on the 16th and GERALDTON and WOLLONGONG with AB.16 for Bombay arriving on the 17th. CAIRNS was to escort one more Bandar abbas convoy, AP.54, sailing from Aden on November 26th, arriving on December 4th.
Allocated to the British Pacific Fleet
On January 26th 1945 seven RAN Bathurst class minesweepers (CAIRNS, CESSNOCK, GAWLER, GERALDTON, IPSWICH, TAMWORTH and WOLLONGONG) sailed for Australia to join the British Pacific Fleet (BPF).
Post War history
HMAS CAIRNS was in dockyard hands when the Japanese surrender was announced, on completion of her refit she was allocated to the21st M/S Flotilla at Hong Kong. She called at Manus on September 25th, sailing again following day. At Hong Kong she assisted in clearing mines in Chinese waters, a task that continued until December. On release from the M/S Flotilla she returned to Australia in December 1945; HMAS CAIRNS was one of eight Bathurst Class minesweepers earmarked for transfer to the Royal Netherlands Navy2 and was paid off at Brisbane on January 17th 1946 and was renamed HLMNS AMBON the same day.
Notes:
Last modified: 23 February 2023
Primary information sources
Additional sources:
WM78 85/1 - January 1942 - November 1944 On-line at
Australian War Museum
accessed 03 Feb 2020
EASTERN FLEET -War Diary December 1942 on-line at
www.naval-history.net accessed 2 Feb 2020
LEVANT COMMAND War Diary September to November 1943 On-line at
www.naval-history.net
accessed 30 Jan 2020
EASTERN FLEET -War Diary January to October 1945 on-line at
www.naval-history.net accessed 30 Jan 2020
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