HMAS Burnie (J198/B238/A112), named for the port city of Burnie, Tasmania

Burnie, Tasmania

- Sport :Australian rules football is popular in Burnie. The city's team is the Burnie Dockers Football Club in the Tasmanian State League.Rugby union is also played in Burnie. The local club is the Burnie Rugby Union Club. They are the current Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide Division Two Premiers...

, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes

Bathurst class corvette

The Bathurst class corvettes were a class of general purpose vessels produced in Australia during World War II. Originally classified as minesweepers, but widely referred to as corvettes, the Bathurst class vessels fulfilled a broad anti-submarine, anti-mine, and convoy escort role.Sixty Bathurst...

 constructed during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and one of 20 built for the Admiralty

Admiralty

The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

 but manned by personnel of and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy

Royal Australian Navy

The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...

 (RAN).

Entering RAN service in April 1941, Burnie saw action during World War II, and was decommissioned on 5 July 1946. The corvette was sold to the Royal Netherlands Navy

Royal Netherlands Navy

The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...

 (RNN) five days later, was renamed HNLMS Ceram, and remained in service until 1958.

Construction

Burnie was laid down by Mort's Dock and Engineering Company in Balmain, New South Wales

Balmain, New South Wales

Balmain is a suburb in the inner-west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Balmain is located slightly west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Leichhardt....

 on 4 June 1940. The corvette was launched on 25 October 1940 by Lady King, wife of the Mort's Dock Chairman of Directors, and was commissioned into the RAN on 15 April 1941.

RAN service

Burnie was initially assigned to the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla

20th Minesweeping Flotilla

The 20th Minesweeping Flotilla was a Royal Australian Navy minesweeping flotilla that operated during World War II. Formed on 9 December 1939 and styled in the naming convention for minesweeping flotilla names used by the Royal Navy, the flotilla consisted of HMAS Swan, Yarra, Doomba and Orara...

, which she joined on 10 May 1941. The ship was then temporarily based at Fremantle, Western Australia

Fremantle, Western Australia

Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...

 as a patrol ship and convoy escort, then was sent to Sydney. In June, Burnie and sister ship Goulburn

HMAS Goulburn

HMAS Goulburn , named for the city of Goulburn, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy ....

 were assigned to the Royal Navy's China Force, and sailed to Singapore via the east coast of Australia, arriving on 12 July.

Burnie was present in South East Asia when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor

Attack on Pearl Harbor

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...

 and invaded Malaya

Japanese Invasion of Malaya

The Japanese Invasion of Malaya, or Battle of Kota Bharu, began just after midnight on 8 December 1941 before the attack on Pearl Harbor...

. The corvette was flagship of the China Force, and was involved in a series of actions delaying the Japanese advance through Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies, including demolition work, troop and civilian evacuation, and anti-aircraft engagements, both individually and in concert with other Allied ships. During this time, she was involved in the evacuation of Sumatra in mid-February 1942, and rescued survivors from the Dutch vessel Broero on 28 February. This continued until September 1942, when Burnie was assigned to the British Eastern Fleet

British Eastern Fleet

The British Eastern Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed from 1941 to 1971...

 for anti-submarine patrol and convoy escort duties in the Indian Ocean.

Burnie remained with the Eastern Fleet until December 1944, when she and the other Admiralty-controlled Australian corvettes were ordered to Sydney, formed up as a Minesweeping Flotilla, and attached to the British Pacific Fleet

British Pacific Fleet

The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...

. The corvette was primarily used as a patrol ship and convoy escort in the waters of New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, and the Philippines.

After World War II ended in August 1945, Burnie was ordered to Hong Kong, where she was involved in mine clearance operations. By November, she had returned to Australian waters, and during December 1945 and January 1946 was involved in several public relations activities, including a visit to her namesake town

Burnie, Tasmania

- Sport :Australian rules football is popular in Burnie. The city's team is the Burnie Dockers Football Club in the Tasmanian State League.Rugby union is also played in Burnie. The local club is the Burnie Rugby Union Club. They are the current Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide Division Two Premiers...

 and a cruise for children in Port Phillip Bay. The corvette's wartime service was recognised with three battle honour

Battle honour

A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....

s: "Pacific 1942-45", "Indian Ocean 1942-44", and "Okinawa 1945".

RNN service

Following the end of World War II, all of the Admiralty-operated Bathurst class corvettes were earmarked for disposal. Burnie, along with sister ships Ipswich and Toowoomba

HMAS Toowoomba (J157)

HMAS Toowoomba , named for the city of Toowoomba, Queensland was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II and one of 20 built on Admiralty order but manned by personnel of and later commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy...

, were slated for transfer to the Royal Netherlands Navy

Royal Netherlands Navy

The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...

(RNN). The three corvettes departed Brisbane on 4 June 1946, arriving in Ceylon a month and a day later. The three ships were paid off from RAN service and commissioned into the RNN; Burnie being renamed HNLMS Ceram

Ceram remained in service with the RNN until 1958, when she was removed from the active service list.