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HMASIpswich(J186)

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For other ships with the same name, seeHMAS Ipswich.

HMASIpswichin 1944
History
Australia
NamesakeCity ofIpswich, Queensland
BuilderEvans Deakin & Co,Brisbane
Laid down6 March 1941
Launched11 August 1941
Commissioned13 June 1942
Decommissioned5 July 1946
Motto"Dare to Defy"
Honours and
awards
FateTransferred to the Netherlands
BadgeShip's badge
Netherlands
NameMorotai
NamesakeMorotai Island
Commissioned5 July 1946
Decommissioned1949
FateTransferred to Indonesia
Indonesia
NameHang Tuah
NamesakeHang Tuah
Commissioned1949
Fate
  • Sunk byCIAair attack
  • 28 April 1958[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeBathurst-classcorvette
Displacement
  • 650 tons (standard),
  • 1,025 tons (full war load)
Length186 ft (57 m)
Beam31 ft (9.4 m)
Draught8.5 ft (2.6 m)
Propulsion
Speed15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) at 1,750 hp
Complement85
Armament
HMAS Ipswich (J186) is located in Indonesia
HMAS Ipswich (J186)
class=notpageimage|
A CIA aircraft sankHang Tuahjust offBalikpapaninKalimantan,Indonesia.

HMASIpswich(J186/B244/A118),named for the city ofIpswich, Queensland,was one of 60Bathurst-classcorvettesbuilt duringWorld War IIand one of 20 built onAdmiraltyorder but manned by personnel of and later commissioned into theRoyal Australian Navy(RAN).[2]

Ipswichwas later operated by theRoyal Netherlands Navy(RNLN) asHNLMSMorotai,and by theIndonesian Navy(TNI-AL) asKRIHang Tuah.[2]In Indonesian service in 1958 the ship was attacked by aCIAaircraft[1]and sunk with considerable loss of life.[3]

Design and construction[edit]

Main article:Bathurst-class corvette

In 1938, theAustralian Commonwealth Naval Board(ACNB) identified the need for a general purpose 'local defence vessel' capable of both anti-submarine and mine-warfare duties, while easy to construct and operate.[4][5]The vessel was initially envisaged as having adisplacementof approximately 500 tons, a speed of at least 10knots(19 km/h; 12 mph), and a range of 2,000nautical miles(3,700 km; 2,300 mi)[6]The opportunity to build a prototype in the place of a cancelledBar-class boom defence vesselsaw the proposed design increased to a 680-ton vessel, with a 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) top speed, and a range of 2,850 nautical miles (5,280 km; 3,280 mi), armed with a 4-inch (102 mm) gun, equipped withasdic,and able to fitted with eitherdepth chargesorminesweepingequipment depending on the planned operations: although closer in size to asloopthan a local defence vessel, the resulting increased capabilities were accepted due to advantages over British-designed mine warfare and anti-submarine vessels.[4][7]Construction of the prototypeHMASKangaroodid not go ahead, but the plans were retained.[8]The need for locally built 'all-rounder' vessels at the start of World War II saw the "Australian Minesweepers" (designated as such to hide their anti-submarine capability, but popularly referred to as "corvettes" ) approved in September 1939, with 60 constructed during the course of the war: 36 ordered by the RAN, 20 (includingIpswich) ordered by theBritish Admiraltybut manned and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for theRoyal Indian Navy.[4][9][10][11][2]

Ipswichwas laid down byEvans Deakin & Coat Brisbane in Queensland on 6 March 1941.[2]She was launched on 11 August 1941 by Evelyn Foll, wife of theMinister for the InteriorHarry Foll,and commissioned on 13 June 1942.[2]

Operational history[edit]

RAN[edit]

Ipswichwas employed from commissioning until 3 November 1942 as a convoy escort in Australian waters. From 3 November 1942 until 21 January 1945,Ipswichwas assigned to theBritish Eastern Fleet,primarily serving in the Indian Ocean andPersian Gulf,but spending May to October 1943 in theMediterranean.[2]During this time,Ipswichwas credited with shooting down a twin-engined bomber near Syracuse on 25 July 1943, and on 11 February 1944 worked withHMASLauncestonandHMISJumnato sink theJapanese submarineRo-110.[2]

Upon leaving the British Eastern Fleet,Ipswichreturned to Australia, where she was assigned to theBritish Pacific Fleet.[2]Ipswichwas present inTokyo BayonVictory over Japan Day(2 September 1945), when theJapanese Instrument of Surrenderwas signed.[12]

Ipswichearned fivebattle honoursfor her wartime service: "Pacific 1942", "Indian Ocean 1942–45", "Sicily 1943", "East Indies 1944", and "Okinawa 1945".[13][14]

RNLN[edit]

Ipswichpaid off from RAN service on 5 July 1946 and was transferred to theRoyal Netherlands Navyand renamed HNLMSMorotai.

TNI-AL[edit]

Morotaiwas transferred to theIndonesian Navyin 1949 and renamed KRIHang Tuah.On 28 April 1958 aDouglas B-26 Invaderaircraft, painted black and showing no markings,[15]bombed and sank her offBalikpapanin southernBorneo.[1]18 crew were killed and another 28 were wounded.[1]

The B-26's co-pilot was Colonel Muharto[1]of thePermestarebel movement's AUREV insurgent air force but the aircraft, its ammunition and pilot were supplied by the CIA[16]as part of an insurgency to destabilise PresidentSukarno's government. The pilot wasWilliam H. Beale,a formerUnited States Army Air Forceslieutenant colonelthen employed by aTaiwan-based CIAfront organisation,Civil Air Transport.[17]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^abcdeConboy & Morrison 1999,p. 116.
  2. ^abcdefgh"HMAS Ipswich (I)".Sea Power Centre Australia.Archivedfrom the original on 30 August 2018.Retrieved30 August2018.
  3. ^Lind, Lew (1986) [1982].The Royal Australian Navy – Historic Naval Events Year by Year(2nd ed.). Frenchs Forest, NSW: Reed Books.ISBN0-7301-0071-5.OCLC16922225.
  4. ^abcStevens,The Australian Corvettes,p. 1
  5. ^Stevens,A Critical Vulnerability,p. 103
  6. ^Stevens,A Critical Vulnerability,pp. 103–4
  7. ^Stevens,A Critical Vulnerability,pp. 103–5
  8. ^Stevens,A Critical Vulnerability,p. 104
  9. ^Stevens,A Critical Vulnerability,pp. 105, 148
  10. ^Donohue,From Empire Defence to the Long Haul,p. 29
  11. ^Stevens et al.,The Royal Australian Navy,p. 108
  12. ^"Allied Ships Present in Tokyo Bay During the Surrender Ceremony, 2 September 1945".Naval Historical Center – U.S. Navy. 27 May 2005.Archivedfrom the original on 8 October 1999.Retrieved13 January2007.Taken fromCommander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPAC/CINCPOA) A16-3/FF12 Serial 0395, 11 February 1946: Report of Surrender and Occupation of Japan
  13. ^"Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours".Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 13 June 2011.Retrieved23 December2012.
  14. ^"Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours"(PDF).Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 14 June 2011.Retrieved23 December2012.
  15. ^Conboy & Morrison 1999,p. 88.
  16. ^Conboy & Morrison 1999,p. 89.
  17. ^Conboy & Morrison 1999,pp. 99–100.

References[edit]

Books[edit]

  • Conboy, Kenneth; Morrison, James (1999).Feet to the Fire CIA Covert Operations in Indonesia, 1957–1958.Annapolis:Naval Institute Press.ISBN1-55750-193-9.
  • Donohue, Hector (October 1996).From Empire Defence to the Long Haul: post-war defence policy and its impact on naval force structure planning 1945–1955.Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Vol. 1. Canberra: Sea Power Centre.ISBN0-642-25907-0.ISSN1327-5658.OCLC36817771.
  • Stevens, David (2005).A Critical Vulnerability: the impact of the submarine threat on Australia's maritime defense 1915–1954.Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Vol. 15. Canberra: Sea Power Centre Australia.ISBN0-642-29625-1.ISSN1327-5658.OCLC62548623.
  • Stevens, David; Sears, Jason; Goldrick, James; Cooper, Alastair; Jones, Peter; Spurling, Kathryn (2001). Stevens, David (ed.).The Royal Australian Navy.The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-554116-2.OCLC50418095.

Journal and news articles[edit]

  • Stevens, David (May 2010)."The Australian Corvettes"(PDF).Hindsight (Semaphore).2010(5). Sea Power Centre – Australia. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 20 March 2011.Retrieved13 August2010.


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