HMAS Wollongong
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | HMAS Wollongong |
| Owner | British Admiralty |
| Builder | Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Co, Sydney |
| Launched | 5 Jul 1941 |
| Completed | 22 Oct 1941 |
| In service | 23 Oct 1941 |
| Out of service | 11 Feb 1946 |
| Fate | Scrapped in Hong Kong 1968 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Australian Minesweeper (Corvette) |
| Tonnage | 650 tons |
| Length | 186 feet (56.69m) |
| Beam | 31 feet (9.45m) |
| Depth | 8 feet 6 inches (2.59m) |
| Propulsion | Twin shaft, 2,000 HP |
| Speed | 15 knots |
| Capacity | Crew of 85 |
Remarks
One of the 60 minesweepers (corvettes) built in Australia during WW2, Geraldton was one of the twenty built on Admiralty order but crewed and commissioned by the Australian Navy.
Renamed Banda she served with the Royal Netherlands Navy until April 1950, when she was handed over to the newly created Indonesian Navy, being renamed Radjawali. ‘Jane's Fighting Ships’ reported that Radjawali arrived at Hong Kong in April 1968 for scrapping.
Battle Honours
- Mediterranean 1940-43
- East Indies 1940-44
- Indian Ocean 1941-45
- Pacific 1941-45
- Sicily 1943
- Okinawa 1945
Crew Members
- Victor Wallace Fowler 18 Apr 1944 - 3 Jan 1946