HMAS ''Gascoyne'' (K354/F354/A276) was a that served in the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

(RAN).

Laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

in 1942 and commissioned in 1943, the frigate served 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 ...

, before being placed in reserve in 1946. Reactivated in 1959, ''Gascoyne'' was reclassified as a survey and research ship, a role she fulfilled until she was decommissioned again in 1966, and sold for

scrap Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap Waste valorization, has monetary ...

in 1972.

Construction

''Gascoyne'' was laid down by

Mort's Dock & Engineering Company Mort's Dock is a former dry dock, slipway, and shipyard in Balmain, New South Wales, Australia. It was the first dry dock in Australia, opening for business in 1855 and closing more than a century later in 1959. The site is now parkland. Hist ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

on 3 July 1942. She was launched on 20 February 1943 by Lady Wakehurst, wife of the

Governor of New South Wales The governor of New South Wales is the viceregal representative of the Australian monarch, King Charles III, in the state of New South Wales. In an analogous way to the governor-general of Australia at the national level, the governors of the ...

, and commissioned into the RAN on 18 November 1943. The ship was named after the Gascoyne River.

Operational history

''Gascoyne'' was present in

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous a ...

on Victory over Japan Day (2 September 1945), when the

Japanese Instrument of Surrender The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that formalized the surrender of the Empire of Japan, marking the end of hostilities in World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan and from the Allied nat ...

was signed. The frigate received five battle honours for her wartime service: "New Guinea 1944", "Leyte Gulf 1944", "Lingayen Gulf 1945", "Borneo 1945", and "Pacific 1945". ''Gascoyne'' paid off into reserve on 12 April 1946, but recommissioned at

on 8 June 1959 for survey and oceanographic research duty. She was equipped with a deep water mechanical

bathythermograph The bathythermograph, or BT, also known as the Mechanical Bathythermograph, or MBT; is a device that holds a temperature sensor and a transducer to detect changes in water temperature versus depth down to a depth of approximately 285 meters (9 ...

instrument.

Decommissioning and fate

''Gascoyne'' paid off again on 1 February 1966, and was sold for scrap to the Fujita Salvage Company Limited of

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

in Japan on 15 February 1972. The bathythermograph was transferred to . ''Gascoyne'' left

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

under tow for Japan on 6 July 1972.

References

RAN page for HMAS Gascoyne (I)
River-class frigates of the Royal Australian Navy Ships built in New South Wales Survey ships of the Royal Australian Navy 1943 ships {{Australia-mil-ship-stub