HMAS Latrobe

HMAS ''Latrobe'' (J234/M234), named for the town of Latrobe, Tasmania, was one of 60 ''Bathurst''-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely 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. 1Stevens, ''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. 103–4 The opportunity to build a prototype in the place of a cancelled Bar-class boom defence vessel saw the proposed design increased to a 680-ton vessel, with a top speed, and a range of , armed with a 4-inch gun, equipped with asdic, and able to fitted with either depth charges or minesweeping equipment depending on the planned operations: although closer in size to a sloop 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 ''Latrobe'') ordered by the RAN, 20 ordered by the British Admiralty but manned and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy.Stevens, ''A Critical Vulnerability'', pp. 105, 148Donohue, ''From Empire Defence to the Long Haul'', p. 29Stevens et al., ''The Royal Australian Navy'', p. 108

''Latrobe''s dimensions differed from the ''Bathurst''-class design: she was shorter ( compared to ) and had a slightly wider beam ( compared to ).

''Latrobe'' was laid down by Mort's Dock and Engineering Company at Balmain, New South Wales on 27 January 1942. As the ship was built in a dock it was floated clear on 19 June 1942. The ship was commissioned into the RAN on 6 November 1942.

Operational history

After entering active service, ''Latrobe'' initially served as a convoy escort ship, first between Queensland and New Guinea, then between Darwin and Thursday Island. On 12 February 1943, the corvette unsuccessfully attacked a Japanese submarine. In July, a Darwin-bound convoy escorted by ''Latrobe'' was attacked twice by Japanese aircraft, and in December, a lone Japanese bomber attempted to attack the corvette.

In June 1944, ''Latrobe'' was reassigned to New Guinea operations, and arrived on 17 June. She spent seven months operating as a convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol ship, before sailing to Adelaide in January 1945 for a two-month refit. ''Latrobe'' returned to New Guinea in late April, and served in numerous roles until the end of World War II, including escort, patrol, minesweeping, and shore bombardment.

The corvette received four battle honours for her wartime service: "Darwin 1943", "Pacific 1943–45", "New Guinea 1943–44", and "Borneo 1945".

After the end of the war, ''Latrobe'' was involved in the evacuation of Allied prisoners-of-war, and the transportation of occupation forces. She returned to Australia in December 1945, towing two small craft to Sydney before proceeding to Melbourne. In early 1946, the corvette was attached to Flinders Naval Depot for use as a training ship until the end of 1952.

Decommissioning and fate

''Latrobe'' paid off on 13 March 1953. She was placed in reserve on 17 September 1953, where she remained until she was sold for breaking up as scrap to the Hong Kong Rolling Mills on 18 May 1956.

Citations

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Latrobe
Bathurst-class corvettes of the Royal Australian Navy
Ships built in New South Wales
1942 ships
World War II corvettes of Australia
Training ships of the Royal Australian Navy