Coastal Forces of the Royal Australian Navy

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A painting by official war artist Able Seaman Rex Julius depicting the upper deck of a Fairmile launch in 1944 Upper deck of a Fairmile ship 1944 - Rex Julius.jpg
A painting by official war artist Able Seaman Rex Julius depicting the upper deck of a Fairmile launch in 1944

Coastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy established during World War II. It consisted of small coastal defence craft such as motor launches, submarine chasers, air-sea rescue launches, motor gun boats and motor torpedo boats. It did not include minesweepers, trawlers or landing craft. This article is about the equivalent boats used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Contents

Units and craft

It included the following types of coastal defence craft:

TypeBuiltLostNotes
Harbour defence motor launch
Fairmile B motor launch
31 [1]
35 [2]

2 [3]

31 harbour defence motor launches (HDMLs) and 35 Fairmile B motor launches entered service from October 1942. They were employed on routine patrols, convoy escorts, running special forces in and out of Japanese-held areas, boom defence patrols in harbours at home and abroad, courier operations, survey work, and raiding Japanese-held coasts. [4]

RAN HDMLs

ShipBuilderCommissionedCareerFate
HDML 1074L. Robinson, UK7 August 1940 (UK)Sold on 24 January 1948
HDML 1125Berthon Boats, UK28 April 1942 (UK)Ex-RN trans to RAN 1943. Trans to Royal Indian Navy 1944
HDML 1129Thornycrofts, UK7 November 1942 (UK)Sold in December 1947
HDML 1161Sittinghouse, UK9 January 1943 (UK)Sold on 10 December 1947
HDML 1321 Purdon, Aust11 November 1943Z Special Unit during WW2Named Rushcutter in 1950s. Sold in August 1971. Sank in Darwin Harbour, 19 October 2016.
HDML 1322Purdon, Aust17 January 1944Wrecked at North Head, Sydney, 5 August 1952
HDML 1323MacFarlane, Aust21 June 1944Royal Navy 1950. Transferred to Philippines in 1958.
HDML 1324 MacFarlane, Aust12 June 1944Named Huon/Nepean in 1957? Laid up and dismantled, 1982
HDML 1325E. Jack, Aust4 November 1943Named Leeuwin in 1950s. Active 1988
HDML 1326E. Jack, Aust19 January 1944Royal Navy 1950. Transferred to Philippines in 1958.
HDML 1327Purdon, Aust29 May 1944Sold 1958
HDML 1328MacFarlane, Aust16 Jan 1945Royal Navy 1950. Transferred to Philippines in 1958.
HDML 1329E. Jack, Aust14 June 1944Royal Navy 1950. Transferred to Philippines in 1958.
HDML 1338C.P. Leek, USA31 May 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1339C.P. Leek, USA15 June 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1340L.S. Thorson, USA12 May 1944Sold 1948
HDML 1341L.S. Thorson, USA1 December 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1342L.S. Thorson, USA24 July 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1343L.S. Thorson, USA3 October 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1344Truscott, USA?Not commissionedPlaced in reserve on 26 October 1945
HDML 1345Truscott, USA?Not commissionedPlaced in reserve on 26 October 1945
HDML 1346Truscott, USA6 January 1945Paid off 1945. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1347Truscott, USA1 January 1945Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1352Freeport, USA12 May 1944Sold 1948
HDML 1353Freeport, USA18 October 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1354Freeport, USA11 December 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1355Freeport, USA11 December 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1356Elscot, USA20 December 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1357Elscot, USA4 November 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1358Elscot, USA21 October 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?
HDML 1359Elscot, USA22 September 1944Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease?

RAN Fairmiles

A Fairmile school was established at HMAS Rushcutter on 1 June 1942. The first Australian Fairmile, ML 813, entered service at the end of that year. Originally designed in the UK for coastal anti-submarine and convoy duties, the RAN Fairmiles performed these and a variety of other functions. Their tasks included convoy escort, servicing and supporting advancing troops, landing and recovering commandos and coastwatchers, rescuing civilians from enemy occupied territories, and invasion escort. [5]

ShipBuilderCommissionedCareerFate
ML 424Green Point, NSW28 January 1943Listed for disposal in March 1947 and sold in August, 1947. This was purchased by Roylen Cruises, Mackay, Queensland. The name came from the last three letters of the founder's son Fitzroy and his daughter Helen. In the mid-1970s it was sold and renamed Reef Princess. It met its fate off Townsville on Wheelers Reef in 1981. This story was covered in a newspaper article entitled "Death of a Princess".
ML 425Green Point, NSW6 Feb 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 426Green Point, NSW5 Mar 1943Sold July, 1947
ML 427Green Point, NSW15 Mar 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 428Green Point, NSW31 Mar 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 429Green Point, NSW15 Apr 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 430Green Point, NSW6 May 1943Lost in a "friendly fire" incident with ML819 in New Guinea waters, 13 August 1944, when the two vessels were hunting a Japanese submarine.
ML 431Green Point, NSW14 May 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 801Green Point, NSW29 May 1943Sold September, 1947
ML 802Green Point, NSW15 Jun 1943Sold December, 1947
ML 803Green Point, NSW3 Jul 1943Sold December, 1947
ML 804Green Point, NSW15 Jul 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 805Green Point, NSW3 Aug 1943Sold January, 1948
ML 806Green Point, NSW8 Sep 1943Sold December, 1947
ML 807Green Point, NSW13 Sep 1943Sold November, 1947
ML 808Green Point, NSW23 Sep 1943Sold December, 1947
ML 809Green Point, NSW8 Oct 1943Sold August, 1947. This vessel was acquired by Northern Plywood at Cairns and later acquired (1952) by McLean's Roylen Cruises and renamed Roylen Star. It was commanded by Fitzroy McLean with engineer John Lacey for much of its Roylen service. It was sold in 1979 and sank near Palm Island in about 1979.
ML 810Green Point, NSW25 Oct 1943This vessel was named Ajax and fitted out as a luxury cruiser with all internal fittings fitted out in mahogany. It was refitted with two Hall Scott petrol engines and was believed to be able to reach speeds in excess of 20 knots. When it was acquired by Roylen Cruises it was renamed Petaj, the first 3 letters of the son of Fitzroy McLean and the last two letters of the Ajax, as it was believed to be bad luck to completely change a vessels name. The petrol engines were removed as they were prone to fire and it was refitted with two cat diesel engines, giving it a speed of approximately 16 knots. This vessel was used for more up market guests and was also used (between the 15 to 18 July 1966) for HRH Prince Charles to cruise the Barrier Reef. This trip was commanded by Captain Fitzroy McLean. Petaj was badly damaged in Cyclone Kerry in the late 1970s, but was later repaired. In the mid-1990s Petaj was used in the Solomon Islands for a Fishing / local buying vessel. It was surrounded by controversy and later sank near Munda in the Solomon Islands. It is believed that it was later refloated by a dive operation from Gizo which took it to a side of Gizo and resunk it as a dive site, near Plum Pudding Island where President John F Kennedy's PT 109 was cut in half in an area known as "The Slot"
ML 811Green Point, NSW5 Nov 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 812Green Point, NSW4 Dec 1943Sold November, 1947
ML 813Halvorsen, NSW16 Nov 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 814Halvorsen, NSW1 Jan 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 815N. Wright, Qld11 Jan 1943Sold November, 1947
ML 816N. Wright, Qld2 Jun 1943Sold August, 1949
ML 817Halvorsen, NSW16 Feb 1943Sold November, 1947
ML 818Halvorsen, NSW29 Mar 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 819Halvorsen, NSW10 Mat 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 820Halvorsen, NSW21 Jun 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 821Halvorsen, NSW27 Jul 1943Sold August, 1947
ML 822Halvorsen, NSW30 Aug 1943Sold January, 1943
ML 823Halvorsen, NSW30 Sep 1943Sold October, 1947. This was operated by Loch Nicholson from Lindeman Island under the name of Esmeralda, but later was purchased by the Evetts family and renamed the Elizabeth E which operated similar cruises to that of Roylen Cruises. The Evetts were so impressed with the design that they later had another vessel built in a very similar design to that of the original Fairmile.
ML 824Halvorsen, NSW18 Nov 1943Sold November, 1947
ML 825Halvorsen, NSW1 Feb 1944Sold January 1948
ML 826N. Wright, Qld1 Jan 1944Sold November, 1947
ML 827 N. Wright, Qld19 Apr 1944Grounded at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain on 17 November 1944, sank while under tow by Cambrian Salvor off New Britain on 20 November 1944.
ML 828N. Wright, QldOrder cancelled

Surviving craft

One Fairmile survives as Challenger 1, based in Melbourne for charter. It went to Fremantle in 1962, then to Gold Coast in 1977. It was upgraded there with a more-upmarket fitout. The previous east-coast survivor was an ex Roylen Cruises fairmile, Roylen Sandra which sank in a creek at Ingham in 2010. The fate of second last to stay afloat was ex HML 815 which became Roylen Pataj (named after the son and grandson of the operators of Roylen Cruises, Peter with the last letters of AJAX as it was known) this sank Rendova Island in the Solomon Islands and was later raised and sunk again near Kennedy Island near Gizo as dive site by the local scuba diving company. Petaj was fitted out as a luxury cruiser and was also used to ferry HRH Prince Charles around the Barrier Reef in 1965 before being acquired by Roylen Cruises.

See also

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References

  1. "Australian HDMLs". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. "Australian Fairmile Bs". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. Straczek, J.H. "RAN in the Second World War". Royal Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2008.
  4. "Patrol boats". The Navy Contribution to Australian Maritime Operations: RAN Doctrine 2 – 2005. Royal Australian Navy. 2005. ISBN   0-642-29615-4. Archived from the original on 26 September 2008.
  5. "CHIEF OF NAVY SPEECH AWM Plaque Dedication – HMAS Rushcutter". Royal Australian Navy. 24 March 2006. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2015.

Further reading