HMAS Diamantina (K377/F377/A266/GOR266), named for the Diamantina River

Diamantina River

The Diamantina River is a river in south west Queensland and the far north of South Australia. Rising north-west of Longreach in the Swords Range, it flows in a south-westerly direction through central Queensland and the Channel Country to form the Warburton River at its confluence with the...

 in Queensland, is a River class frigate

River class frigate

The River class frigate was a class of 151 frigates launched between 1941 and 1944 for use as anti-submarine convoy escorts in the North Atlantic....

 that served 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). Constructed in the mid-1940s, Diamantina was active from 1945 until 1946, was placed in reserve, then was recommissioned as a survey ship from 1959 until 1980.

Following her second decommissioning, the frigate was preserved at the Queensland Maritime Museum

Queensland Maritime Museum

The Queensland Maritime Museum is located on the southern bank of the Brisbane River just south of the South Bank Parklands and Queensland Cultural Centre precinct of Brisbane, and close to the Goodwill Bridge....

 as a museum ship

Museum ship

A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...

. She was the last World War II-era frigate to leave RAN service, and of the 151 River class frigates constructed for 19 navies worldwide, Diamantina is the only one preserved as a museum ship.

Design and construction

Diamantina had a displacement of 2,120 tons fully loaded, or 1,420 standard displacement tons. She was equipped with two triple expansion engines driving twin screws at 5500 l.h.p. She had a range of 5180 nautical miles (9,593.4 km) at 12 knots (6.5 m/s), with a top speed of 20 knots (10.9 m/s).

Diamantina was laid down on 12 April 1943 at Walkers Limited

Walkers Limited

Walkers Limited is an Australian engineering company, based in Maryborough, Queensland, which built ships and locomotives. It is still in the locomotive-building business as part of Downer Rail.-History:...

 in Maryborough, Queensland

Maryborough, Queensland

Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...

. She was launched on 6 April 1944, and commissioned into the RAN at Hervey Bay, Queensland

Hervey Bay, Queensland

Hervey Bay is a city in Queensland, Australia. The city is situated approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane, and lies on the coast of a natural bay between the Queensland mainland and nearby Fraser Island. The local economy relies on tourism, for which whale watching, Fraser Island and...

 on 27 April 1945 carrying pennant number

Pennant number

In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...

 K377. She was named for the Diamantina River

Diamantina River

The Diamantina River is a river in south west Queensland and the far north of South Australia. Rising north-west of Longreach in the Swords Range, it flows in a south-westerly direction through central Queensland and the Channel Country to form the Warburton River at its confluence with the...

 in Queensland, and was one of eight River Class frigates built for the RAN during World War II.

1945-1946

Diamantina provided fire support to the Australian Army operating in Bougainville in July and August 1945.

The frigate carried Lieutenant General Kanda and Vice Admiral Baron Samejima, officers of the Japanese Imperial High Command to the surrender of Torokina on 8 September 1945. She was also involved in the surrenders of Nauru

Nauru

Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...

 on 13 September and Ocean Island on 1 October; both ceremonies conducted on her quarterdeck.

The ship was awarded the 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....

 "Pacific 1945" for her wartime service.

Diamantina returned to Sydney, arriving at Garden Island on 13 December 1945 with 86 passengers embarked. The ship remained in Sydney until 1 February 1946, when she departed for a patrol in New Guinea waters. Diamantina returned to Sydney on 14 June, and was paid off into reserve on 9 August 1946.

1959-1980

Diamantina was recommissioned as an oceanographic survey ship on 22 June 1959. She carried the pennant numbers F377, A266, and GOR266 at various points throughout this period of her career. After successfully completing her first oceanographic survey in July, she embarked on her first oceanographic cruise on 20 August. On 20 September, the ship performed the first survey of the Montebello Islands

Montebello Islands

The Montebello Islands, also known as the Monte Bello Islands, are an archipelago of around 174 small islands lying north of Barrow Island and off the Pilbara coast of north-western Australia. Montebello is Italian for "beautiful mountain"...

 following the British atomic test, Operation Hurricane

Operation Hurricane

Operation Hurricane was the test of the first British atomic device on 3 October 1952. A plutonium implosion device was detonated in the lagoon between the Montebello Islands, Western Australia....

. On 22 October, Diamantina carried out the first survey of the waters around Christmas Island

Christmas Island

The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....

.

Diamantina’s most notable achievement during her second commission was the discovery of the deepest known part of the Indian Ocean on 7 February 1960, which was named Diamantina Deep

Diamantina Deep

Diamantina DeepIs located in the Diamantina Trench south west of Perth, Western Australia. The Diamantina Trench is in the eastern part of the larger Diamantina Fracture Zone which stretches from the Ninety East Ridge to the Naturaliste Plateau which lies of the lower part of Southwest Australia...

 after the ship.

Based in 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...

, Diamantina remained in service as an oceanographic vessel until 1980.

Decommissioning and preservation

Diamantina paid off from the RAN on 29 February 1980, and was the last World War II-era frigate to serve Australia. Diamantina was handed over to the Queensland Maritime Museum

Queensland Maritime Museum

The Queensland Maritime Museum is located on the southern bank of the Brisbane River just south of the South Bank Parklands and Queensland Cultural Centre precinct of Brisbane, and close to the Goodwill Bridge....

 where she is permanently berthed in the dry dock located on the Brisbane River

Brisbane River

The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...

 at South Brisbane.

In March 2006, Diamantina was towed out into the river to allow repairs to the dock, which had been flooded since the seals failed in 1998. As of July 2006, she has been returned to the dry dock adjacent to the Queensland Maritime Museum, where she is used as a self-touring museum ship.

During the 2010–2011 Queensland floods

2010–2011 Queensland floods

A series of floods hit Australia, beginning in December 2010, primarily in the state of Queensland including its capital city, Brisbane. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. At least seventy towns and over 200,000 people were affected. Damage initially was...

, the dry dock flooded.