Built as one of the Bathurst class for the Australian Navy, by the yard of Poole and Steele Pty., Sydney.
09 September 1940 laid down.
16 April 1941, launched under the name KATOOMBA, was christened by Mrs. H.Lloyd, Deputy Mayoress of Katoomba.
Displacement 650 tons standard, dim. 188.10 x 31.2 x 8.6 ft. (draught).
Triple expansion steam engines, 1.750 ihp., speed 15 knots, twin screws.
Armament 1 – 12 pdr., 3 Oerlikons, 1 Bofor, machine guns and depth charge chutes and throwers.
Crew 62.
17 December 1941 commissioned at Sydney under command of Commander P. Cousin.
She was one of the sixty Australian minesweepers built during World War II in Australia.
She began her active wartime career in the Darwin area where she arrived on 19 January 1942. Japanese submarines were suspected of being in the area, a suspicion which proved well founded for at noon on 20 January the HMAS DELORAINE a sistership then at sea off Darwin, received a signal “proceed forthwith to position 12 08S 130 10 E, for submarine sighted 06.30 today Tuesday. With a speed of 14½ knots, she proceeded to that position.
Earlier that same day a Japanese submarine had been detected and attacked by the USS EDSALL but it was not known if she succeeded inflicting damage. It was hoped that DELORAINE would regain contact on the given course. At 1.35 pm a torpedo was seen approaching, the ship swung sharply and it passed then feet astern.
Immediately a good echo contact was obtained and within a matter of minutes the ship dropped a pattern of six depth charges. Large patches of oil and great air bubbles burst to the surface. The attack continued and after DELORAINE had expended all her charges she was joined by KATOOMBA and an other sistership HMAS LITHGOW, before departing to reload with depth charges from the auxiliary vessel HMAS VIGILANT.
Rejoining KATOOMBA in the early hours of the following day DELORAINE obtained a second contact and dropped a further series of charges over the position.
Post-war investigation of Japanese records showed that the first attack had been successful, and DELORAINE, KATOOMBA. LITHGOW and EDSALL were official credited with destroying the Japanese submarine I-124. A vessel of 1.142 tons, she was one of only four mine laying submarines in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and loaded forty-two mines and 12 torpedoes. I-124 was the first enemy submarine sunk in Australian waters.
A month was spent patrolling in the Arafura Sea. KATOOMBA was in Darwin on 19 February 1942 during the first and heaviest of the air raids on that port. She is seen on the stamp in dry-dock and only her mast and funnel can be seen. She was dry-docked for repair and her anti aircraft guns fired constantly during the attack.
At the end of that month she returned to the east coast and on 11 March docked at Brisbane for repair.
On 28 June 1942 KATOOMBA began a period of escort duty to New Guinea shepherding convoys between Townsville and Port Moresby, Milne Bay and Oro Bay. For the next two years the ship was in almost constant service, departing Queensland ports for the forward areas on thirty-one occasions, interspersed with anti-submarine patrols in New Guinea waters.
Twice in this period she suffered attacks by Japanese aircraft. On 28 Nov. 1942 off Buna in company of her sister ship BALLARAT, she was fortunate to escape serious damage when ten dive bombers made a determined assault on the two ships. On 9 January 1943, six aircraft attacked KATOOMBA and her convoy the Dutch ship VAN HEUTSZ, under command of Capt. F. Prass. The VAN HEUTZ was berthed alongside a pontonjetty in Orobay, and was discharging, the Katoomba patrouilled against submarines in the bay. At around 14.00 both ships were attacked. KATOOMBA suffered only superficial damage but the freighter received a hit and two near misses and was attacked also by machine-gun fire from the planes. The munitions on deck exploded and she got on fire in the tweendeck, two men were killed and two wounded, of the Australian soldiers on board for discharging six were wounded. The KATOOMBA got only two crew with minor wounds.
The VAN HEUTSZ severe damaged had to sail back to Australia for repairs.
On 14 August 1942 KATOOMBA went to the assistance of the U.S. submarine USS S-39 which was ashore on Rossel Island Reef. Reaching the scene the following day an attempt was made to refloat the submarine without any success. Despite very rough seas KATOOMBA was able to sail for Townsville on 16 August with all of S-39’s crew of four officers and forty-three enlisted men safely embarked. The submarine’s commanding officer had burnt out the boat internally, destroying everything possible and flooded all compartments.
At the end of February 1944, KATOOMBA escorted her last mainland-Milne Bay convey, and after a period on anti-submarine patrol in Grafton Passage, she proceeded to Sydney for refitting.
Back in New Guinea waters in the first week of May 1944, she began four months duty in the forward areas with anti-submarine patrol in the Solomon Sea. In September she returned to the mainland for three weeks leave and maintenance.
Returning to the operating area in the first week of October, KATOOMBA spent a further five months in New Guinea waters based on Mios Woendi and mainly patrolling and escorting in the Morotai-Bial-Sansapor area on patrol in Kaoe Bay (Halmaheras) on 15 October KATOOMBA shelled two Japanese barges drawn on the beach. On 5 March 1945 she sailed from Madang for Townsville, ending her wartime service in New Guinea waters. One hundred thousand miles of operational duty had been steamed.
On the last day of March 1945, KATOOMBA proceeded to Fremantle and spent the next three months based on the port departing for Darwin in July. She was present at the surrender of the Japanese forces on Timor in September that year.
In the post-war period, KATOOMBA became a unit of the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla and operated in the New Guinea-New Britain and Solomon’s waters. In October 1946, at Sydney, the ship began preparations to pay off, but in January 1947, she rejoined the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla, spending the following twelve months in sweeping operations, on the Queensland coast. Service as an active sea-going unit of the RAN ended on 16 January 1948, when she berthed at Fremantle. On 2 August 1948, she paid off at Fremantle after steaming 152.804 miles.
On 2 May 1957, KATOOMBA was sold for scrap to Hong Kong and she was scrapped by the Rolling Mills at Hong Kong.
Source: copied mostly from the RAN Naval History website. Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse Koopvaardy in de Tweede Wereldoorlog.