HMAS Gympie (J238/M238), named for the city of Gympie

Gympie

Gympie may refer to:* Gympie, a city in Queensland, Australia** Gympie Airport** Electoral district of Gympie** Gympie Region, its local government authority* Gympie Gympie , a stinging plant...

, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, 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, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by 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).

Construction

Gympie was laid down by Evans Deakin & Co at Brisbane, Queensland on 27 August 1941. She was launched on 30 January 1942 by Mrs Deakin, wife of the managing director, and commissioned into the RAN in Brisbane on 4 November 1942.

Operational history

From November 1942 to February 1944, Gympie escorted convoys off Australia's east coast. While none of the convoys under her protection were attacked, she came to the aid of the torpedoed US ship Peter H. Burnett in January 1943. Following a refit Gympie was deployed to New Guinean waters in February 1944, where she was used for escort and anti-submarine patrol duties. She returned to Australia in February 1945 for a refit and was returned to New Guinea in July 1945.

Following the end of World War II, Gympie participated in surrender ceremonies at Dili on 24 September and Kupang on 3 October, after which she performed survey work in the area. In November, the corvette collided with the merchant vessel SS Tullahoma, and returned to Brisbane for minor repairs.

The ship received two 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 for her wartime service: "Pacific 1943-45" and "New Guinea 1943-44".

Decommissioning and fate

Gympie was decommissioned into reserve in Brisbane on 23 May 1946. In early November 1947, she was towed to Sydney by sister ship Lithgow

HMAS Lithgow

HMAS Lithgow , named for the city of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia 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 ....

.

Gympie was sold for scrapping on 6 January 1961 to Kinoshita (Australia) Pty Ltd.