Allied Warships

HMAS Launceston (J 179)

Minesweeper of the Bathurst class

NavyThe Royal Australian Navy
TypeMinesweeper
ClassBathurst 
PennantJ 179 
Built byEvans Deakin Ltd. (Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) 
Ordered31 Jul 1940 
Laid down23 Dec 1940 
Launched30 Jun 1941 
Commissioned9 Apr 1942 
End serviceApr 1946 
History

Decommissioned in April 1946.
Transferred to the Turkish Navy in august 1946 being renamed Ayancik, later renamed Hamit Naci.
Decommissioned by the Turkish Navy in 1965.

 

Commands listed for HMAS Launceston (J 179)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1T/Lt. Percy Goldsworthy Collins, RANR(S)22 Sep 1941Jul 1944
2Lt.Cdr. Paul Bartels Smith, RANVRJul 194423 Sep 1944
3T/A/Lt.Cdr. Eric John Barron, RANR(S)23 Sep 194423 Jan 1946

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Notable events involving Launceston include:


12 Feb 1944
The Japanese submarine RO-110 (offsite link) was depth charged and sunk east-south-east off Visakhapatnam, India by the Indian sloop HMIS Jumna (A/Cdr. I.B.W. Heanly, RIN) and the Australian minesweepers HMAS Launceston (T/A/Lt.Cdr. P.G. Collins, RANR(S)) and HMAS Ipswich (T/Lt. R.H. Creasey, RANR(S)).

RO-110 had attacked convoy JC-36 (Colombo-Calcutta) and torpedoed and damaged the British merchant Asphalon (6274 GRT).

9 Nov 1944
During 9 and 10 November 1944, HMS Sea Rover (Lt. J.P. Angell, RN), HMS Spiteful (Lt.Cdr. F.H. Sherwood, DSC, RCNVR) and HMS Sturdy (Lt. W.St.G. Anderson, DSC, RNR) conducted exercises off Fremantle. These also included night exercises.

Convoy attack exercises were carried out during which HMAS Bunbury (Lt. J.F. Bleckman, RANR(S)), HMAS Inverell (Lt. A.I. Chapman, RANR(S)), HMAS Launceston (T/A/Lt.Cdr. E.J. Barron, RANR(S)), HMAS Mildura (Lt.Cdr. J.M. Little, RANR(S)) and HMAS Warrnambool (Lt.Cdr.(Emgy.) E.J.B. Wight, RAN) served as the targets. (1)

Sources

  1. ADM 173/18679

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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