HMAS ''Kangaroo'' was a 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). Although originally ordered as a boom vessel, ''Kangaroo'' was at one point to be built as the prototype for what became the s, but reverted to the boom defence design before construction started. Launched in 1940, the ship spent most of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
operating the anti-submarine net in
Darwin. ''Kangaroo'' remained in service until 1955, and after several years as an accommodation ship, was sold for
scrapping
Scrap consists of Recycling, recyclable materials, usually metals, left over from product manufacturing and consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap can have Waste valorization, mone ...
in 1967.
Design and construction
In 1937, three ships were ordered by the RAN for use as Boom Defense Vessels.
[Stevens, ''A Critical Vulnerability'', p. 103] The plan was altered in early 1938 to require only two ships; the third, ''Kangaroo'' was earmarked to be constructed as a prototype local defense vessel. The RAN's Director of Engineering was instructed to prepare plans for the ship in July 1938, which were completed six months later.
[Stevens, ''A Critical Vulnerability'', p. 104] The ship was to weigh 680 tons, with a speed of , and a range of .
[ ''Kangaroo'' would have been armed with two 4-inch guns and depth charges, and equipped with ]asdic
Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...
.Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company
The Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Company was a ship building and maintenance company which operated the Cockatoo Island Dockyard on Cockatoo Island in Sydney, Australia, between 1933 and 1992.
History
The Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Company ...
on 15 November 1939.[ ''Kangaroo'' was launched on 4 May 1940, and commissioned into the RAN on 27 September 1940. The unused design was later modified and used for the s.][
]
Operational history
''Kangaroo'' arrived in Darwin in January 1941 and established and maintained the anti-submarine boom in Darwin Harbour
Darwin Harbour is a body of water close to the city of Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is the traditional waterways of the Larrakia people.
It opens to the north at a line from Charles Point in the west to Lee Point in the ...
with three similar vessels. ''Kangaroo'' suffered damage and one fatality during the bombing of Darwin in February 1942. She was repaired in Brisbane
Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
from 1 April to 20 May 1942 and spent the remainder of the war in Darwin. She received the battle honour "Darwin 1942–43" for her wartime service.[
]
Decommissioning and fate
She paid off to reserve on 15 December 1955 and was used as an accommodation ship. ''Kangaroo'' was sold for scrap on 28 August 1967 and was scrapped in 1968.[
]
References
* Seapower Centre – Australi
HMAS Kangaroo ship history
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kangaroo
Boom defence vessels of the Royal Australian Navy
1940 ships