The Lake Macquarie anti-submarine boom was a
submarine and small boat defence boom located at the entrance to
Lake Macquarie
The City of Lake Macquarie is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Greater Newcastle and part of the Hunter Region in New South Wales, Australia. It was proclaimed a city from 7 September 1984. The area is situated adjacent ...
,
New South Wales
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, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.
It spanned the entire width of the lake channel between Grannies Pool,
Blacksmiths
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
and Lucy's Wall,
Swansea Heads
Swansea Heads is a locality on the Swansea, New South Wales, Swansea peninsula between Lake Macquarie (New South Wales), Lake Macquarie and the Pacific Ocean in New South Wales, Australia. It is part of Greater Newcastle, City of Lake Macquarie ...
. It was built to protect the large flying boat base,
RAAF Rathmines at
Rathmines
Rathmines () is an affluent inner suburb on the Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It lies three kilometres south of the city centre. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to t ...
and as part of southern perimeter defence of
Fortress Newcastle.
The boom was constructed with a series of poles embedded within the lake channel supported by a net of steel cables. A gap in the boom could be raised with the aid of winches. A pill box and machine gun emplacement were constructed at the Blacksmiths (northern) end of the boom. Trenches zigzagged between Swansea Heads and
Caves Beach on the southern side.
See also
*
Sydney Harbour anti-submarine boom net
The Sydney Harbour anti-submarine boom net was an anti-torpedo and submarine defence net that was in Sydney Harbour during World War II. It spanned the entire width of the harbour from Laing Point (formerly known as Green Point), Watsons Bay t ...
References
* Not just a stone frigate: HMAS Maitland Newcastle, New South Wales F&J Rice 2006
Anti-submarine warfare
City of Lake Macquarie
Military establishments in the Hunter Region
Former military installations in New South Wales
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