HMAS ''Beryl II'' (F. 71/BT) 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 ...

, later boom gate vessel, 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 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. She was launched in 1914 by Cochrane & Sons at

Selby Selby is a market town and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England, south of York on the River Ouse, with a population at the 2011 census of 14,731. The town was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until ...

. The ship operated as a trawler and was requisitioned by the RAN in 1939. She was returned to her owners on 24 May 1946 and was later scrapped in 1955.

Operating history

Built in 1914, she was operated by the Three White Crowns Company, Hull in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

. In 1926 she was purchased by Cam and Sons and after a voyage of 66 days arrived at Sydney. She was requisitioned by the RAN on 7 September 1939, and after being fitted out at Williamstown was commissioned on 9 October. ''Beryl II'' served with Minesweeping Group 54 in Port Phillip Bay until February 1943. She was then transferred to Minesweeping Group 63 at Port Adelaide and served until December 1943. She was sent to Sydney to be converted into a boom gate vessel and was sent to Port Morseby, New Guinea where she remained until April 1945. ''Beryl II'' was refitted in Melbourne between May and November. She was placed into reserve in Sydney and was decommissioned on 13 December. She was returned to her owners on 24 May 1946 and resumed trawling. While trawling off

Kiama Kiama () is a coastal town 120 kilometres south of Sydney in the Illawarra. One of the main tourist attractions is the Kiama Blowhole. Kiama features several popular surfing beaches and caravan parks, and numerous alfresco cafes and restaurant ...

on 23 April 1947 she was struck by lightning and damaged. She was scrapped in 1955.

Citations

References

* http://www.navyhistory.org.au/09-october-1939/ * http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-beryl-ii 1913 ships Ships built in Selby {{australia-mil-ship-stub