Snake-class junk

Last updated
HMAS River Snake 1945.jpg
HMAS River Snake in May 1945
Class overview
NameSnake class
Builders
  • J.J. Savage and Sons, Williamstown (four boats)
  • Millars Bunnings Shipbuilding, Fremantle (two boats)
Operators Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army
Built1944–1945
In service1944–1945
Planned7
Completed6
Cancelled1
Active0
General characteristics
Type Junk
Displacement80 tons (gross)
Length66 ft (20 m)
Beam17 ft (5.2 m)
Draught7.6 ft (2.3 m)
PropulsionGray Marine 64 YTL diesel, single screw, 300 horsepower (220 kW)
Speed9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph)
Range500 nautical miles (930 km; 580 mi)
Capacity20 tons of cargo
Crew9
Armament
NotesShips' characteristics from Corvettes. Australia's Naval Patrol Forces. Photofile No. 10, p. 48 [1]

The Snake-class junks were a class of six small vessels operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) to support special forces operations in 1944 and 1945. The ships were lightly armed and were used to infiltrate special forces parties and their supplies into Japanese-held territory.

Contents

Service history

HMAS Tiger Snake in April 1945 HMAS Tiger Snake.jpg
HMAS Tiger Snake in April 1945

When the Services Reconnaissance Department's (SRD) naval section was established in January 1944 it was equipped with only two vessels to transport special forces parties and their supplies behind Japanese lines. In order to make up this deficiency four trawler-type ships which were being built at Williamstown, Victoria for the Australian Army were transferred to SRD on 26 March 1944. The superstructure of these vessels was modified so that they appeared similar to the junks operated in the Singapore area. A further two vessels were later built at Fremantle, Western Australia and a fifth Williamstown-built ship was cancelled at the end of the war. While all six ships were commissioned into the RAN, their nine-man crews were drawn from the Navy and other services. [1]

The Snake-class vessels relied on stealth to penetrate into Japanese territory. They were lightly armed with two Oerlikon 20 mm cannons and three or four M2 Browning machine guns or Bren Guns for defensive purposes only. They could also carry up to 20 tons of cargo stored below decks. [1]

The Snake-class vessels commenced operations in late 1944 and operated from bases at Darwin, Morotai, New Guinea, the Philippines and Borneo. Four of the class (Tiger Snake, Black Snake, Sea Snake and River Snake) undertook operations in Japanese territory, and these ships completed only eleven missions before the end of the war.

Some Snake-class junks were also used to deploy ‘Z’ unit commando operatives with folboats; namely, HMAS River Snake landed a group with the aid of folboats in Portuguese Timor on 23 April 1945 for long-term intelligence during Operation Suncharlie.

HMAS Black Snake in 1945 HMAS Black Snake.jpg
HMAS Black Snake in 1945

On 26 April 1945 a party of nine were deployed from HMAS Black Snake off the west coast of Maloe Island using folboats. The party included Sub-Lieut. John Key, commander of Black Snake. They landed at Pasirpoeth to repair some native boats who were helping the Allied forces. Some then continued on to nearby Tifore Island to give assistance and medical attention to natives. On 30 April 1945, Black Snake returned to Morotai.

On 16 May 1945 during Operation Swift, a folboat party from HMAS Black Snake went to Loloda Island in the Celebes to gather general intelligence.

On 13–23 August 1945, HMAS Tiger Snake moored at Mukah out of Labuan, Sarawak as part of Operation Semut. The party leader Lieutenant Rowan Waddy and Lieutenant Ron Hoey journeyed by folboat along the Mukah River to engage, with the help of local natives, any remaining hostile Japanese military groups. On the way they were threatened by a crocodile about the length of the folboat, but they managed to fight it off without using firearms, which would have given their position away. [2]

All of the folboats deployed from these Snake-class junks and used in the relevant operations were the Australian built Hoehn type military folboat. [3]

The Australian military did not require the Snake class after Japan's surrender, and all but Diamond Snake were transferred to the British Borneo Civil Administration Unit between November and December 1945. Diamond Snake was transferred to the Australian Army on 19 October that year. [1]

Ships in class

The seven Snake-class vessels were: [4]

ShipBuilderCommissionedDecommissionedNotes
HMAS Black Snake J.J. Savage and Sons, Williamstown30 December 19443 November 1945Commanded by S/Lt. John Key [5]
HMAS Coral Snake J.J. Savage and Sons, WilliamstownCancelled while under construction in August 1945 [6]
HMAS Diamond Snake J.J. Savage and Sons, Williamstown23 July 194519 October 1945Transferred to the Australian Army
HMAS Grass Snake Millars Bunnings Shipbuilding, Fremantle23 April 194513 December 1945Commanded by S/LT John Preston Gowing at some point; date unclear; see service record below.
HMAS River Snake Millars Bunnings Shipbuilding, Fremantle19 February 19452 November 1945Commanded by S/LT John Preston Gowing
HMAS Sea Snake J.J. Savage and Sons, Williamstown31 March 194527 November 1945
HMAS Tiger Snake J.J. Savage and Sons, Williamstown22 August 19453 November 1945

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Corvettes. Australia's Naval Patrol Forces. Photofile No. 10, p. 48
  2. Courtney, p116,117
  3. name="Hoehn, John(2011)", p.70,71
  4. Corvettes. Australia's Naval Patrol Forces. Photofile No. 10, pp. 50–51
  5. Courtney, p.175
  6. Lind, p.182

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References