HMAS ''Parkes'' (J361), named for the town of
Parkes, New South Wales, was one of 60
''Bathurst''-class corvettes constructed in Australia during
World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned by the
Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
Design and construction
In 1938, the
Australian 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.
[Stevens, ''The Australian Corvettes'', p. 1][Stevens, ''A Critical Vulnerability'', p. 103.] The vessel was initially envisaged as having a
displacement of approximately 500 tons, a speed of at least , and a range of
[Stevens, ''A Critical Vulnerability'', pp. 103–104.] The opportunity to build a prototype in the place of a cancelled
Bar-class boom defence vessel
The Bar class were a class of boom defence vessels of the Royal Navy, Royal Australian Navy and South African Navy during World War II.
Ships Royal Navy
* HMS ''Barbain'' (Z01)
* HMS ''Barbarian'' (Z18)
* HMS ''Barbastel'' (Z276)
* HMS ''Bar ...
saw the proposed design increased to a 680-ton vessel, with a top speed of , and a range of , armed with a 4-inch gun, equipped with
asdic, and able to be fitted with either
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 or
minesweeping equipment depending on the planned operations: although closer in size to a
sloop
A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...
than a local defence vessel, the resulting increased capabilities were accepted due to advantages over British-designed mine warfare and anti-submarine vessels.
[ Construction of the prototype did not go ahead, but the plans were retained.][Stevens, ''A Critical Vulnerability'', p. 104.] 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 (including ''Parkes'') ordered by the RAN, 20 ordered by the British Admiralty
The Admiralty was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy until 1964, historically under its titular head, the Lord High Admiral – one of the Great Officers of State. For much of it ...
but manned and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy.[Donohue, ''From Empire Defence to the Long Haul'', p. 29.][Stevens et al., ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 108.][
''Parkes'' was laid down by Evans Deakin and Company at Brisbane on 16 March 1943.][ She was launched on 30 October 1943 by Mrs Brown, wife of the President of the Senate, and commissioned into the RAN on 25 May 1944.][ The ship was originally to be named ''Mudgee'', for the town of Mudgee, New South Wales.]
Operational history
The corvette earned two battle honours for her wartimes service: "Pacific 1944" and "New Guinea 1944".
Fate
''Parkes'' paid off to reserve on 17 December 1945 in Fremantle, Western Australia.[ The vessel was sold for scrap to Hong Kong Rolling Mills Ltd on 2 May 1957.][
]
Citations
References
;Books
*
*
*
;Journal and news articles
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parkes
Bathurst-class corvettes of the Royal Australian Navy
Ships built in Queensland
1943 ships
World War II corvettes of Australia