RANCA NSW
HMAS DELORAINE J232
Namesake: Town of Deloraine, Tas.
Builder: Mort's Dock
Laid down: 19 March 1941
Launched: 26 July 1941
Commissioned: 22 November 1941
Decommissioned: 30 June 1948
Battle honours:
Darwin 1942
Pacific 1942–45
New Guinea 1943–44
Fate: Sold for scrap in 1956
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
Speed: 15 knots (28 km/h;
17 mph at 1,750 hp
Complement: 85
Armament: 1 × 12-pounder gun
(later replaced by
1 × 4-inch gun)
2 × 20 mm Oerlikons (later 2)
1 × 40 mm Bofors
(installed later)
Machine guns
Depth charges chutes and throwers
Lt Cmdr Desmond A Menlove, RANR(S) DSO
On the 20th January 1932, whilst engaged on convey duties the US Destroyers “Esdall” and “Alden” were sixty miles west of Darwin. The USS “Alden” had dropped depth charges after the Japanese submarine “Sensuikan”, 1-124, had fired off three torpedoes at an American fleet oiler USS “Trinity – Japanese were known to be in the area. This attack was unsuccessful and the destroyer lost contact.
Later that morning the HMAS Deloraine (a Bathurst class mine sweeper or corvette, which had only been launched in late November 1941) under the command of Desmond arrived on the scene.
Shortly afterwards a torpedo from 1-124 was heading for this ship. Only Desmond’s immediate reaction to order a change in course and full speed ahead allowed the torpedo to miss – but only by ten feet! Eight minutes later “Deloraine” dropped six depth charges on their quarry. This attracted allied aircraft and Deloraine’s two sister ships Katoomba and Lithgow. Using ASDIC Deloraine determined 1-124 was creeping south and continued its attack.
Disturbed water where black bubbles of oil were rising brought a short pause in her attack but Desmond ordered the attack to be resumed for another nine minutes and the sea heaved as pattern after pattern of depth charges were dropped.
Finally 1-124 surfaced almost alongside the “Deloraine”, its conning tower visible. 1-124 was an older class of submarine but she was 383 tons and 279 feet in length and equipped with 5.5 inch forward gun. The “Deloraine” was about half her size, 650 tons and 186 feet in length and only very lightly equipped with fire power in comparison.
Fortunately for Desmond and his crew the 1-124 promptly dived, “Deloraine” launched a depth charge and a circling US aircraft dropped a small bomb, both close to the submarine. Eventually 1-124 was confirmed to be motionless on the ocean bed, sealing the fate of its captain, Lt Commander Kochi Kishigami, and his division commander, Capt. Tako Endo, and their 80 crew.
1-124 was known to have laid twenty-seven mines in the area north of Darwin. This submarine was one of the only four mine laying subs in the Japanese Navy and capable of carrying forty-two mines and twelve torpedos. It was also to ferry midget submarines, attached to its after-deck, and had an aircraft housed in a hanger on its fore-deck. It was the same class of submarine that launched three mini submarines on the attack on Sydney Harbour.
Desmond received a DSO, his Lt Bruce Harvey (RANVR) a DSC and Able Seaman Carson Jefferson Taite (RANR) a DSM for their “skills and resources in this action”. Seven other crews received decorations or were mentioned in dispatches. All the Australian ship mentioned were credited with the sinking, the “Esdall” receiving partial credit. 1-124 was the first Japanese submarine to be sunk by the RAN in World War II and the first to be sunk in Australian waters.
“Deloraine” later miraculously survived intact after the first Japanese air raid on Darwin on 19th February 1942.
She was able to provide valuable assistance with rescue operations to the surviving crew of the nearby MV Neptuna. This vessel received a direct hit from a bomb causing a fire which, in turn, caused “Neptuna” to blow herself apart with a huge atomic-style mushroom cloud created by the detonation of 200 depth charges and a large quantity of anti aircraft shells. These remained unloaded (due to a running dispute, at that very time, with “wharfies” who were objecting to their unloading by Navy personnel to HMAS Platypus, another of Desmond’s previous commands). Neptuna’s Master, W. Michie, plus six Australian and 45 Chinese crew were killed.
On 5th March, Deloraine, on anti-submarine patrol off Darwin, was attacked three times by a Japanese four engine flying boat but again emerged unscathed.
For the rest of the war “Deloraine” performed valuable escort roles on the east coats of Australia and in forward areas and in February 1945 carried our bombardment (she was then equipped with a twelve pounder and a four inch gun) on Bass and Penguin Islands in the Mapia group, plus assaults on enemy shore posts in April against Muschu and Kairiru Islands in Wewak on the New Guinea mainland.
She sailed to Brisbane on the last day of April 1945 to be refitted, however, hostilities ended before the work was completed. In September 1945 she proceeded to Morotai where she embarked troops for the occupation of Menado in the Celebes, returning to Australia after visiting Labuan and Sandakan Harbour.
Extract from Corvette Magazine
From Joseph H. (“Lew”) Lewis-Hughes OBE ex Deloraine, we received the following letter:
Dear Committee,
I am writing to say how much I enjoyed the latest copy of “Corvette” (as usual) which arrived in my letterbox yesterday and as an ex member of Deloraine’s crew, the article concerning her successful attack on the Japanese submarine I-24 at the approaches to Darwin Harbour in January 1942 and her then captain, Lt Cmdr Desmond A Menlove RANR (S).
It was great to see the photograph of Deloraine used in the article which also has a couple of stories to tell.
The subject photo was taken in Langemak Harbour, New Guinea, 1944 and clearly shows two interesting items of equipment viz. our film projector screen rigged on the forecastle ready for the evening show and one of our unapproved .5 caliber machine guns mounted just forward of the bridge conspicuous in its white canvas cover.
At the time Deloraine was the only corvette operating in the area to possess a film projector and of course we were very popular when in port. As our then captain was relatively junior, when entering the harbour after completing a convoy we were usually ordered to “berth alongside me” (the senior officer”) or if we were in first, the signal would go to other to “berth alongside Deloraine”.
The unapproved .5 machine gun was one of several the ship “liberated’ from crashed aircraft, by prompt action of our gunnery department. Originally they were used to replace the two old Lewis .303 Browning machine gun mounted aft which were always jamming at the most inconvenient moments. Having proved so successful, two more were acquired and positioned just forward of the bridge and finally a twin .303 Browning machine gun was mounted on top of the bridge.
The stories of how these and other extra curricular items of equipment were acquired have been the subject of articles in earlier issues of Corvette and although there has been some argument at a later date as to who paid for what and who organised it, I know what I saw in the early hours of that morning when the projector and Jeep motor arrived aboard!
Returning to the recent article, I should point out that she was never “equipped with a twelve pounder AND a four inch gun” – I believe she was launched with a twelve pounder which I know was replaced with a four inch gun c1943. Together with many other corvettes, Deloraine was extensively involved with the little publicised anti submarine war of 1943.
In April of that year together with Warrnambool they rescued the whole crew of 62 of the Liberty Ship “Lydia M. Childs”, torpedoed and sunk 90 miles of Newcastle. On 16 June 1943 Convoy GP55 was attacked by submarines off Smoky Cape and the US Ship “Portmar” was torpedoed and quickly sank. Seventy-one survivors were picked up by Deloraine while the other escorts carried out depth charge attacks. Also in the same convoy was USS LST 469 which was badly damaged by torpedo attack and suffered 26 dead and missing and 17 injured but remained afloat. Deloraine took her in tow but deteriorating weather parted the tow so Deloraine proceeded to Coffs Harbour landing the “Portmar” survivors and the LST wounded leaving LST 469 in charge of Kalgoorlie. She then returned to the scene of the attack and carried out anti submarine searches. The tug HMAS Reserve dispatched from Brisbane later took LST 469 in tow and successfully reached Sydney on 20th.
In addition to the bombardment mentioned in the article, Deloraine also bombarded a village suspected of being enemy occupied on Goodenough Island in 1944 and enemy gun positions on northern Halmaheras in early 1945. During 1944 on at least two occasions she embarked and transported troops involved in military operations along the northern coast of New Guinea.
I can vouch for these later operations and other lesser operations as I was a crew member at the time and I have always felt that her contribution to the war at sea has been understated when compared to the publicity some ships have achieved. She was a happy and efficient ship and one of which we were very proud.
Extract from Corvette Magazine April 1991
At sea – 20 January 1944 - THE MIDDLE WATCH – by J.H. Lewis-Hughes
Perhaps the middle watch is the most monotonous four hours in the ordinary sailor’s twenty-four.
It is from midnight until four a.m. and it is during these hours that the normal citizen forgets, at least temporarily, the worries and trials of his or her own little world, but not so the sailor – it is then that he does most of his worrying and thinking. These four ours are steeped in drowsiness and shrouded with slumber, the minutes as far apart and as individually distinct as the windows in a cathedral.
The watch keeper has been awakened from his slumber and has crawled out of his warm and comfortable hammock, dressed and stumbled up onto the bridge which is usually far from warm and comfortable; he relieves his opposite number who scuttle below to have a nice hot mug of kai and tumble into his hammock, which only seems to make the night darker and colder. Time stands still, the overpowering desire to sleep mounts with each passing minute; the helmsman nods at the wheel; the O.O.W. paces up and down the compass platform trying to stay alert; lookouts shift uneasily in their positions peering ineffectually into the shrouding murk, each busy with his own thoughts and worries – truly the watch of silent contemplation.
Occasionally, the brooding silence is relieved as the O.O.W. calls up the engine room to alter the revolutions probably disturbing the peace and contemplation of the stokers and engineers tending the engines and boilers – the bridge crew hardly notice the interruption as the seconds slowly, slowly tick away.
Below on the mess decks, the work is forgotten and all are at peace with the it; the air is full of snores and forgetfulness and the sound of the sea swishing past the hull; peace has descended – the only peace the mess decks know all day and night.
Slowly the seconds mount to minutes, minutes to hours and hours to four, as the anemic light of dawn steals across the deserted ocean, tinging the eastern sky with yolk of egg. Suddenly there is a clatter of cups and mess traps as coffee arrives. Hot, black, pungent, sleep-disturbing coffee. With it come the reliefs – the morning watch – and with them comes the longing for those warm hammocks below and sleep that tired bodies and frayed nerves have been demanding since the last reluctant departure.
The officer of the morning watch arrives and checks the log entries, the compass repeats, the course and speed and the middle watchman finally tumbles down the ladders that lead to rest and forgetfulness.
Now you know and understand why sailors call the middle watch “all night in with the guts kicked out!”
Extract from Corvette Magazine October 1991
J. H. (Lew) Lewis-Hughes ex Deloraine writes:
As I recall, Guns (one Lieut. W. Farnsworth RANVR) had a well developed bent for self-preservation and an inherent ability for efficient and effective “rabbiting”. He not only acquired our escort groups first film projector, but in the same deal arranged for a new engine for our motor boat.
Our Chief had long been fed up with the standard issue and troublesome “put put” and hankered for something which could push the boat along at a reasonable speed. Guns said: “Leave it me, Chief” and in the early light of dawn a few days later, a US landing barge quietly drew alongside loaded with two large packing cases. A small brown paper parcel (about the size of a couple of bottles of scotch) was handed to the coxswain and the two cases swung inroad onto the quarterdeck. The barge departed as quietly as it had arrived and the crates vanished into the tiller flat. That night we were looking at movies and a couple of days later the motor boat had not trouble in achieving fifteen knots, much to the consternation and surprise of the coxswain of other corvettes boats!! Our coxswain, “Curley” Wiltshire reckoned that when the jeep motor was properly run in, he'd have no trouble in doing twenty.
How do I know all this?
Well, I was the duty QM on the gangway and ordered to keep my mouth shut. Regarding our supplementary illegal .5” armament, I can only add that it was acquired by a special “rabbit” party established by Guns. This elite group was organised to quickly and unobtrusively go ashore and examine any downed aircraft with a view to “liberate” anything in the way of weapons which could tip the balance in our favour should we come under air attack.
We finished up with no less than six .5s single mountings and a pair of .303 Brownings on top of the bridge. The first .5s replaced the old Lewis guns mounted on the Quarter deck as the Lewis were always jamming and similar mountings were manufactured by the Engineering Department for gun positions on either side of the upper deck and foc’stle (just for’ard of the bridge). I’ll never forget one day in Milne Bay when six corvettes were sent out for a practice AA shoot. As the aircraft passed overhead town a canvas drogue, Deloraine opened up with everything – WOW! The drogue was riddle and there wasn’t much left to shoot at.
Of course, all this extra armament needed more gun crews and not only was there a stokers crew, but cooks and other miscellaneous rates were also pressed into service. Unfortunately, the whole business came unstuck when sometime later, we returned to Sydney for a refit and the “experts” down south insisted that the extra guns be removed, as they were a danger to the ship’s stability.