HMAS ''Narani'' was an auxiliary

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

operated by 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) during World War II. ''Narani'' was requisitioned from the Illawarra & South Coast Steam Navigation Company as

auxiliaries Auxiliaries are support personnel that assist the military or police but are organised differently from regular forces. Auxiliary may be military volunteers undertaking support functions or performing certain duties such as garrison troops, u ...

. The 381-ton vessel was armed with a 12-pounder 12cwt QF gun, a

20mm Oerlikon The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original German Becker Type M2 20 mm cannon design that appeared very early in World War I. It was widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others, with various models emplo ...

cannon, a .303-inch

Vickers machine gun The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a Water cooling, water-cooled .303 British (7.7 mm) machine gun produced by Vickers Limited, originally for the British Army. The gun was operated by a three-man crew but typically required more me ...

, and four Type D

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

s, and was commissioned into the RAN on 11 June 1941. During the war, ''Narani'', ''Uki'', and ''Bermagui'' made up Group 77 Minesweeper, based at HMAS ''Maitland'', in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

. Returned to her owners on 10 July 1946, she plied the coastal trade until 1951 when she was sold to New Guinea Borneo Mangrove Co., Port Moresby. She was broken up in 1954.

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HMAS Narani Auxiliary Minesweeper Royal Australian Navy
Minesweepers of the Royal Australian Navy 1914 ships Coastal trading vessels of Australia Wooden steamships of Australia {{australia-mil-ship-stub