herakles
08-03-2008, 10:48
With this post, I complete my description of RAN ships named after capital cities in Australia.
There were two Hobarts and both saw much active service.
1. HMAS Hobart
She was a modified Leander Class Light Cruiser launched Oct 1934. Originally built for the Royal Navy as HMS Apollo. The transfer to the RAN was delayed because of the Fleet mobilisation after the Munich crisis. She eventually arrived in Australia at the end of 1938. There is already a thread about this ship here:
http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=820
but it lacks a description of her war service.
Displacement: 7,105 tons
Length: 562 feet 3 inches
Beam: 56 feet 8 inches
Draught: 15 feet 8 inches
Propulsion: 4 Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 boilers, 4 shafts, 72,000 hp
Speed: 32 ½ knots
Complement: 570
Armament: Original:8 × 6 in (152 mm) guns, 8 × 4 in (102 mm) guns, 4 x 3 pounder guns, 8 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (quadruple mounts)
Aircraft carried: 1 Supermarine Walrus, 1 catapult
When war broke out she acted as convoy duty between Australia and the Far East stations.
On Aug 18 1940 she assisted in the evacuation of British troops from Berbera in British Somaliland following the Italian invasion. This was a complex operation and she was hit several times during the evacuation. After a refit in Colombo, she returned to Australian waters in Dec 1940.
In Aug 1941 she re-joined the Med Fleet. En route, at Suez, a busy time was spent evacuating troops from a stricken troop ship GEORGIC that in its attemts to beach herself, collided with thr troop carrier GLENEARN. Hobart later helped re-float GLENEARN.
She acted in support during the Western Desert Campaign, the reinforcement of Cyprus and operations in Syria. When Japan entered the war, she was sent to Malayan waters. During operations there she was attacked and hit many times. In Feb 1942 she was refuelling at Tandjong Priok when she and the tanker came under serious attack. Over 60 bombs were fired at the two of them. Because she couldn't finish re-fuelling, she missed taking part in the Battle of The Java Sea on 27th Feb.
She took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 were she acted as a covering force for US carriers. During this time she was attacked by 8 torpedo bombers and 19 heavy bombers.
In Aug 1942 she was again acting as covering escort for the landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. On 20 Jul 43 whilst on duty with Task Force 74, she suffered a serious torpedo attack and had to be escorted back to Sydney until April 1945. She later assisted in the landings at Brunei and at Balikpapan. She attended the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.
In the post war period, she performed duties in Japanese waters before being paid off in Dec 1947. In 1953 she had an exensive refit to equip her to be a training ship but this never eventuated. In 1960 she was sold for scrap.
2. HMAS Hobart
She was a Perth class guided missile armed destroyer, Charles F Adams Class, built in Michigan USA and commissioned Boston in Dec 1965.
Displacement: 4,600 tons
Length: 134 metres
Beam: 14 metres
Draught: 6 metres
Propulsion: 2 × General Electric steam turbines providing 70,000 hp (52 mW)
Speed: 30+ knots
Range: 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: 310
Sensors and
processing systems: Type 975 Navigation Radar; AN/SPS-10 Surface Search Radar later replaced by AN/SPS-67 (V)1; AN/SPS-40C Long Range Air Warning Radar; AN/SPS-52C 3-D Air Warning Radar; AN/SQS-23 Hull Mounted Sonar
Armament: Mk 13 Mod 6 launcher for SM-1MR; 2 x 127 mm/54 (5 in/54) Mk 42; 2 x 20 mm Mk 15 Vulcan Phalanx; 2 x triple 324 mm [Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes
She was the first ship deployed to Vietnam and saw service there 3 times. She received the Gloucester Cup 8 times during this service. The cup is awarded for the most proficient ship in the Fleet. She was also awarded the United States Navy Unit Commendation for the first and third tours. She served in the Tonkin Gulf and also Operation Market Garden.
During her second period of service, on 17 Jun 1968, she was attacked by a US aircraft. Two missiles caused extensive damage and killed 2 RAN personnel and injured 7 others. The aircraft made two successful attacks but was scared off during the 3rd one. She sailed to the USS Boston which had also been attacked by friendly fire and together they beat off further attacks. Several other ships were attacked at the same time without receiving damage. She returned to Subic Bay for repairs. A detailed description of this action will be found at: http://www.gunplot.net/vietnam/hobartvietnam.html
She was paid off in May 2000 and sunk as an artificial reef near Yankalilla Bay, South Australia on 5 November 2002.
The 2nd picture shows the extensive damage to the first HMAS Hobart.
There were two Hobarts and both saw much active service.
1. HMAS Hobart
She was a modified Leander Class Light Cruiser launched Oct 1934. Originally built for the Royal Navy as HMS Apollo. The transfer to the RAN was delayed because of the Fleet mobilisation after the Munich crisis. She eventually arrived in Australia at the end of 1938. There is already a thread about this ship here:
http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=820
but it lacks a description of her war service.
Displacement: 7,105 tons
Length: 562 feet 3 inches
Beam: 56 feet 8 inches
Draught: 15 feet 8 inches
Propulsion: 4 Parsons geared steam turbines, 4 boilers, 4 shafts, 72,000 hp
Speed: 32 ½ knots
Complement: 570
Armament: Original:8 × 6 in (152 mm) guns, 8 × 4 in (102 mm) guns, 4 x 3 pounder guns, 8 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (quadruple mounts)
Aircraft carried: 1 Supermarine Walrus, 1 catapult
When war broke out she acted as convoy duty between Australia and the Far East stations.
On Aug 18 1940 she assisted in the evacuation of British troops from Berbera in British Somaliland following the Italian invasion. This was a complex operation and she was hit several times during the evacuation. After a refit in Colombo, she returned to Australian waters in Dec 1940.
In Aug 1941 she re-joined the Med Fleet. En route, at Suez, a busy time was spent evacuating troops from a stricken troop ship GEORGIC that in its attemts to beach herself, collided with thr troop carrier GLENEARN. Hobart later helped re-float GLENEARN.
She acted in support during the Western Desert Campaign, the reinforcement of Cyprus and operations in Syria. When Japan entered the war, she was sent to Malayan waters. During operations there she was attacked and hit many times. In Feb 1942 she was refuelling at Tandjong Priok when she and the tanker came under serious attack. Over 60 bombs were fired at the two of them. Because she couldn't finish re-fuelling, she missed taking part in the Battle of The Java Sea on 27th Feb.
She took part in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 were she acted as a covering force for US carriers. During this time she was attacked by 8 torpedo bombers and 19 heavy bombers.
In Aug 1942 she was again acting as covering escort for the landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. On 20 Jul 43 whilst on duty with Task Force 74, she suffered a serious torpedo attack and had to be escorted back to Sydney until April 1945. She later assisted in the landings at Brunei and at Balikpapan. She attended the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay.
In the post war period, she performed duties in Japanese waters before being paid off in Dec 1947. In 1953 she had an exensive refit to equip her to be a training ship but this never eventuated. In 1960 she was sold for scrap.
2. HMAS Hobart
She was a Perth class guided missile armed destroyer, Charles F Adams Class, built in Michigan USA and commissioned Boston in Dec 1965.
Displacement: 4,600 tons
Length: 134 metres
Beam: 14 metres
Draught: 6 metres
Propulsion: 2 × General Electric steam turbines providing 70,000 hp (52 mW)
Speed: 30+ knots
Range: 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Complement: 310
Sensors and
processing systems: Type 975 Navigation Radar; AN/SPS-10 Surface Search Radar later replaced by AN/SPS-67 (V)1; AN/SPS-40C Long Range Air Warning Radar; AN/SPS-52C 3-D Air Warning Radar; AN/SQS-23 Hull Mounted Sonar
Armament: Mk 13 Mod 6 launcher for SM-1MR; 2 x 127 mm/54 (5 in/54) Mk 42; 2 x 20 mm Mk 15 Vulcan Phalanx; 2 x triple 324 mm [Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes
She was the first ship deployed to Vietnam and saw service there 3 times. She received the Gloucester Cup 8 times during this service. The cup is awarded for the most proficient ship in the Fleet. She was also awarded the United States Navy Unit Commendation for the first and third tours. She served in the Tonkin Gulf and also Operation Market Garden.
During her second period of service, on 17 Jun 1968, she was attacked by a US aircraft. Two missiles caused extensive damage and killed 2 RAN personnel and injured 7 others. The aircraft made two successful attacks but was scared off during the 3rd one. She sailed to the USS Boston which had also been attacked by friendly fire and together they beat off further attacks. Several other ships were attacked at the same time without receiving damage. She returned to Subic Bay for repairs. A detailed description of this action will be found at: http://www.gunplot.net/vietnam/hobartvietnam.html
She was paid off in May 2000 and sunk as an artificial reef near Yankalilla Bay, South Australia on 5 November 2002.
The 2nd picture shows the extensive damage to the first HMAS Hobart.