DIAMANTINA HMAS

The full index of our ship stamp archive
Post Reply
shipstamps
Posts: 0
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 8:12 pm

DIAMANTINA HMAS

Post by shipstamps » Mon Sep 29, 2008 6:43 pm

She was ordered by the Australian Navy during the Second World War as a patrol frigate.
Built by Walkers Ltd. Maryborough, Queensland Australia.
12 April 1943 laid down under yard No 25.
06 April 1944 launched under the name HMAS DIAMANTINA (K377), christened by Mrs. Riordan, wife of the Chairman of Committees, House of Representatives and later Minister for the Navy Mr. Riordan. One of the River class frigates, and named after the Diamantina River in Australia, an other source gives named after Lady Roma Diamantina Bowen wife of the first Governor of Queensland, Sir George Ferguson Bowen. (Maybe the river was named after her, the vessel one of the River class, ships of this class were named after the rivers)
Displacement 1.480 tons standard, 2.120 tons full load. Dim. 91.84 x 11.20 x 3.80m., length bpp 86.3m.
Powered by two 4-cyl. triple expansion steam engines, 5.500 ihp, twin shafts, speed 20 knots.
Armament: 2 – 4 inch, 2 – 40mm AA Bofors, 6 – 20mm AA Oerlikons, 1 – Hedgehog. Depth charge throwers.
Crew 140.
27 April 1945 commissioned at Hervey Bay, Queensland, under command of LCDR Maurice Rose.

17 June 1945 she sailed from Sydney for Cairns.
23 June from Cairns to Madang, Papua New Guinea.
27 June arrived at Langamak, Papua New Guinea
Between 07 July and 9 August she carried out 4 bombardments on the Sohana and Taiof Islands, Papua New Guinea.
01 September she arrived at Torakina, Papua New Guinea sailed from there as escort of two transports on 09 September for the Nauru Island, where she arrived at 13 September. The surrender of the 3200 Japanese and 550 Koreans on the island was accepted that afternoon by Brigadier Stevenson on board the DIAMANTINA.
After the surrender and the landing of troops from the two transports, the transports embarked the Japanese and Korean troops, before she together with the DIAMANTINA headed for the Solomon Islands.

Then she sailed for Ocean Island where Lieutenant Commander Suzuki surrendered his force of 500 Japanese on 01 October 1945. When she was underway she made a call at Tarawa on 26 September where she was welcomed as the first British warship to visit the Gilbert Islands since pre war days.

She then returned to Madang where she arrived 10 October, after a stay of 18 days she proceeded to Rabaul.
November was she engaged in the towing of a LCM, salvage stores abandoned on Emirau Island in the Admiralties and transporting a mine disposal party along the east coast of New Hanover.

During December after transporting troops of the Australian 6th Division from Wewak to Madang she proceeded to Sydney with on board 78 passengers.

After an absence of 181 days she reached Sydney on 13 December 1945.

From March till May 1946 she was engaged in normal duties based in Rabaul and Manus, Papua New Guinea.
31 May sailed from Manus with in tow ASR 912 bound for Sydney, reaching Sydney after a passage of 14 days.

25 June 1946 she arrived at Port Phillip Bay and moored at Williamstown.
09 August 1946 paid off and put into reserve. Steamed 29.175 miles from commissioning till paid off.

After almost 13 years in reserve she was recommissioned on 22 June 1959 as an Oceanographic Research Ship under command of Lieutenant Commander Bruce D. Gordon.
Armament 2 – 40mm Bofors.
Homeport Fremantle.
Thereafter mainly used in the waters of the Western Australia coast, Indian Ocean and Java Sea.

November 1960 she visited Cocos Islands for the 46th Anniversary of the HMAS SYDNEY and SMS EMDEN engagement.

During the Royal Visit to Western Australia in March 1963 used as escort to the Royal Yacht BRITANNIA.

She left for the last time from Fremantle on 09 October 1979 as research vessel, and made her last voyage from Sydney on 22 October 1979.
23 November 1979 she made her last cruise flying the paying off pennant with on board 130 guests around Sydney harbour.
29 February 1980 paid off after steaming 615.755 miles after commissioning.

27 August 1980 she was given to the Queensland Maritime Museum Association to be permanently dry berthed as an exhibit in the old graving dock at Brisbane.
01 October 1980 she sailed from Garden Island near Sydney for Brisbane, where she is now (2007) sits in South Brisbane graving dock open for the public, part of the Brisbane Maritime Museum.

On Nauru 2005 75c sg?

Source: http://www.navy.gov.au/spc/history/ship ... ntina.html some other web-sites.
Attachments
diamantina.jpg
SG496ms.jpg

Post Reply