RANCA NSW
HMAS CASTLEMAINE J244
Namesake: City of Castlemaine, Vic
Builder: HMA Naval Dockyard, Vic
Laid down: 17 February 1941
Launched: 7 August 1941
Commissioned: 17 June 1942
Decommissioned: 14 December 1945
Reclassified:
Immobilised training hulk (1945)
Museum ship (1973)
Motto: "Watch and Prey"
Battle honours:
Darwin 1942–43
Pacific 1942–43
New Guinea 1942–44
Status: Preserved as museum ship
Displacement: 650 tons (standard),
1,025 tons (full war load)
Length: 186 ft (57 m)
Beam: 31 ft (9.4 m)
Draught: 8.5 ft (2.6 m)
Propulsion: triple expansion engine,
2 shafts. 2,000 hp
Speed: 15.5 knots
(28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph)
Complement: 85
Armament: 1 × QF 4-inch (102 mm) gun
3 × 20 mm Oerlikon
2 × 0.5-inch machine guns
Depth charges chutes and throwers
Extract from Corvette magazine
NO ONE WINS IN WAR
From Peter Chandler ex Castlemaine, we received the following letter:
“Approx. July 1943 I was serving on HMAS Castlemaine which was engaged in escort duty, mine sweeping and submarine duty etc. My main duty was as one of the ship’s coxswains on the wheel of the ship.
As we headed north through the Indian Ocean, North West of Australia, I observed nine small black objects on the horizon and reported same to the Captain. He instructed me to head in their direction. As we sailed closer we saw that they were nine life boats each of them had approx. 12-15 men on board. The men were in very bad condition, lying down in the hull of the boats and were very black, as the heat of the tropical sun had taken its toll.
Our Captain decided to “sound off” our siren to establish if there was any life among them. The only response we received was about four or five hands were raised from the bodies. Note: 138 dead.
As it was not permitted for any of our ships to stop at sea during war time because Japanese submarines were active in these waters, we had to proceed on, not being able to transfer food or water to any possible survivors. There was not a dry eye on our ship as we proceeded on without a chance to assist.”
They have no grave but the cruel sea,
No flowers lay at their head,
A rusting hulk as their tombstone,
Avast on the ocean bed.
They shall not grow old,
As we are left to grow old,
Age shall not weary them
And in the morning,
We will remember them.
Lest we forget
Castlemaine clobbered
Extract from Corvette magazine October 1993
The Liberian-registered cargo ship Pacprince managed to do to HMAS CASTLEMAINE in a few minutes what the Japanese failed to do during the entire war. The Pacprince banged into her at Melbourne's North Wharf on Monday, August 9 and did more than $100,000 worth of damage.
Poor little Castlemaine's mast, Bofors gun and half her starboard side were damaged when strong winds pushed the Pacprince into her. The impact cut Castlemaine's mooring lines and she did what any self-respecting corvette would do - she decided it was safer on the high seas and headed down the Yarra. The port authorities had to round her up and shepherd her back to her berth, where she was serving as a museum.
In 1942 Castlemaine had emerged unscathed from heavy bombing during the ill-fated operation off Timor in which HMAS Armidale was sunk and had survived the rest of the war only to be rammed while minding her own business alongside 50 years later.
Fortunately, the damage can be repaired and the cost will be covered by insurance. After the repairs, Castlemaine will be stationed at Williamstown, where her parking fees will be $ 1500 a year, which is about one third of the wharf fees she has been paying. That is the good news. The bad news is that she will be staying there on a permanent basis and not coming to Sydney.