HMAS ''HDML 1321'', also known as ''Rushcutter'' was a 58-ton Harbour Defence Motor Launch (HMDL) of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

(RAN). Built by Purdon & Featherstone,

Battery Point Battery Point (; ) is a suburb of the city of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is immediately south of the central business district. It is in the Local Government Areas of Tasmania, local government area of City of Hobart. Battery Point is name ...

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

, Tasmania and commissioned into the RAN on 11 November 1943, being the first Australian-built HDML to be commissioned and the last HDML in RAN service. She was assigned to

Z Special Unit Z Special Unit () was a joint Allied special forces unit formed during the Second World War to operate behind Japanese lines in South East Asia. Predominantly Australian, Z Special Unit was a specialist clandestine operation, direct action, lo ...

and delivered commandos for the 1945 ill-fated raid on Muschu Island. She was later reclassified as a

Seaward Defence Boat The Ford-class seaward defence boats were built for the Royal Navy (with three built for the South African Navy) in the 1950s. Development They were designed to detect and attack hostile submarines, including midget submarines in inshore wat ...

and put into reserve after the war. She was recommissioned as HMAS ''Rushcutter'' (ML 1321) in 1953 and used as an unarmed training vessel for the

Royal Australian Naval Reserve The Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Australian Navy in Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Austra ...

and

Australian Navy Cadets The Australian Navy Cadets (ANC) is a youth development organisation supported by the Royal Australian Navy, with a focus on the maritime domain. The organisation promotes activities, both on land and in water, with key objectives including bu ...

until 1970. Paid off in August 1971, she was converted to pleasure craft MV ''Rushcutter'' and is now based in Darwin. Rushcutter was moved from its mooring in Cossack Creek to the Small Boat Anchorage between Stokes Hill Wharf and the East Arm Wharf in 2016 while it was being offered for sale. It sank there on 19 October 2016. The hull, without any significant deck or hull structures, was raised and landed in July 2018; the wreck was bought by the conservation group from the owner, Ms Geddes, for a nominal AU$2.MV Rushcutter: World War II boat rescued from watery resting place in Darwin Harbour
Felicity James, ABC News, 2018-07-16 In mid July 2018, it was refloated by using buoyancy assistance and pumps, then removed from the water for further preservation.

Citations

References

* * * Butt, Phillipa (2016). Boat used in WWII sinks in Darwin Harbour. NT News. 23 October 2016. http://www.ntnews.com.au/news/northern-territory/boat-used-in-wwii-sinks-in-darwin-harbour/news-story/65c70e2db142f7c05f3edd24a004a4e3 {{DEFAULTSORT:HDML 1321 Patrol vessels of the Royal Australian Navy 1943 ships Ships built in Tasmania