HMAS Toowoomba
From Our Contribution
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | HMAS Toowoomba |
| Owner | Royal Australian Navy |
| Builder | Walkers Ltd, Maryborough, Queensland |
| Launched | 26 Mar 1941 |
| Completed | 8 Oct 1941 |
| In service | 9 Oct 1941 |
| Out of service | 5 Jul 1946 |
| Fate | transferred to Royal Netherlands Navy as Boere |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Bathurst Class Australian minesweeper |
| Tonnage | 650 tons |
| Length | 186 feet (56.69m) |
| Beam | 31 feet (9.45) |
| Depth | 8 feet 6 inches (2,59m) |
| Propulsion | Twin shaft 1750 HP |
| Speed | 15 knots |
| Capacity | crew 85 |
Remarks
Following acceptance trials off the Queensland coast, HMAS Toowoomba took up convoy escort duties off the east coast. In January 1942, with HMAS Ballarat and HMAS Wollongong she sailed for Batavia, and for the next two months was almost constantly at sea. On one occasion she was slightly damaged after being bombed by Japanese aircraft. On 14 Feb 1942, with Singapore about to surrender she arrived in Batavia escorting four tankers. With the collapse of Dutch resistance in the East Indies she sailed for Fremantle, arriving there on 19 March 1942. Until November 1942 she carried out escort duties in the Southern and Indian Oceans, after which she joined the British Eastern Fleet.
Her duties now covered not only the Indian Ocean, but also the Persian Gulf. Toowoomba returned to Fremantle on 3 Dec 1944 for a refit, after which she sailed for Manus Island. For the rest of the war she carried out escort and anti-submarine patrols between New Guinea and Australia. A month after the completion of hostilities she sailed for Hong Kong where she engaged in minesweeping duty, as well as survey work of Hong Kong and Swatow harbours.
HMAS Toowoomba returned to Australia in December 1945, and in June 1946 along with HMAS Burnie and HMAS Ipswich she sailed for Ceylon (Sri Lanka) where she was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Battle Honours
- Indian Ocean 1941-45
- Pacific 1941-45
Crew members
- Rowland Basil Devereux 5 October 1943 - 31 December 1945
- Arthur Edward Pries 26 August - 14 December 1945
- Arthur Edward Pries 26 January - 10 April 1946