HMAS Warramunga (D10/I44) was a Tribal class destroyer

Tribal class destroyer (1936)

The Tribal class, or Afridi class, were a class of destroyers built for the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Australian Navy that saw service in World War II...

 of 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). Built 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...

, the destroyer entered service in late 1942. She was initially assigned to convoy escort duties, but was assigned to the joint Australian-American Task Force 74

Task Force 44

Task Force 44 was an Allied naval task force during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The task force consisted of warships from the Royal Australian Navy and United States Navy and was generally assigned as a striking force to defend northeast Australia and the surrounding area from any...

 in 1943, and was involved in supporting numerous amphibious landings through the South-east Asian region until the end of the war. From 1950 and 1952, Warramunga fought in the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, then was converted into an anti-submarine destroyer. Returning to service in 1954, the destroyer was one of the first RAN ships to operate with the Far East Strategic Reserve

Far East Strategic Reserve

The British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve was a joint military force of the British, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces...

, and undertook two tours with the organisation before she was decommissioned in 1959 and sold for ship breaking

Ship breaking

Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...

 in 1963.

Design and construction

Warramunga was one of three Tribal class destroyers

Tribal class destroyer (1936)

The Tribal class, or Afridi class, were a class of destroyers built for the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Australian Navy that saw service in World War II...

 built for the RAN during World War II. The ship had a displacement of 2,031 tons, a length of 377 feet (114.9 m) overall and 355 feet (108.2 m) between perpendiculars, a beam of 36.5 feet (11.1 m), and a mean draught of 9 feet (2.7 m). Propulsion machinery consisted of three drum boilers feeding Parsons impulse-reaction turbines, which supplied 44000 shp to the two propeller shafts. The destroyer had a maximum speed of 36.5 knots (19.9 m/s). She could travel 1030 nautical miles (1,907.6 km) at 32 knots (17.4 m/s) or 2840 nautical miles (5,259.7 km) at 8 knots (4.4 m/s). The ship's company consisted of 7 officers and 190 sailors.

When she was launched in 1942, the ship's main armament consisted of six 4.7-inch Mark XII guns sited in three twin turrets. This was supplemented by two 4-inch Mark XVI* guns

QF 4 inch Mk XVI naval gun

The QF 4 inch Mk XVI gun was the standard British Commonwealth naval anti-aircraft and dual-purpose gun of World War II.-Service:The Mk XVI superseded the earlier QF 4 inch Mk V naval gun on many Royal Naval ships during the late 1930s and early 1940s...

 in a single twin turret, a quad-barrelled 2-pounder Mark VIII pom pom

QF 2 pounder naval gun

The 2-pounder gun, officially designated the QF 2-pounder and universally known as the pom-pom, was a 1.575 inch British autocannon, used famously as an anti-aircraft gun by the Royal Navy. The name came from the sound that the original models make when firing...

, six single 20 mm Oerlikons, a quadruple 21-inch torpedo tube set, and a rail to launch depth charge

Depth charge

A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...

s. During 1945, the six Oerlikons were replaced with six 40 mm Bofors guns, and two depth charge throwers were added. In 1949, half of the torpedo payload and most of the depth charge payload was removed, to allow for the installation of a new motor cutter. In 1952, the aftmost 4.7-inch turret was replaced by a Squid

Squid (weapon)

Squid was a British World War II ship-mounted anti-submarine weapon. It consisted of a three-barrelled mortar which launched depth charges. It replaced the Hedgehog system, and was in turn replaced by the Limbo system....

 anti-submarine mortar.

Warramunga was laid down by Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at their shipyard on Cockatoo Island, New South Wales

Cockatoo Island, New South Wales

Cockatoo Island is the largest island in Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located at the junction of the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers, Cockatoo Island is a former imperial prison, industrial school, reformatory and gaol. It was also the site of one of Australia's biggest...

 10 February 1940. The destroyer was launched on 7 February 1942 by the wife of Francis Michael Forde, the Minister for the Army. Warramunga was commissioned into the RAN on 23 December 1942, the day after her completion. The ship's name comes from the Warramungu Aborigines.

World War II

Warramunga was originally assigned to convoy escort duty between 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...

 and New Guinea

New Guinea

New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

. During April and May 1943, the destroyer was docked for refit. On completion, she was assigned to Task Force 74

Task Force 44

Task Force 44 was an Allied naval task force during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The task force consisted of warships from the Royal Australian Navy and United States Navy and was generally assigned as a striking force to defend northeast Australia and the surrounding area from any...

, which was operating off the coast of Queensland. In July, the Task Force provided cover for Operation Chronicle

Operation Chronicle

Operation Chronicle was the Allied invasion of Woodlark and Kiriwina Islands during World War II, in the South West Pacific as part of Operation Cartwheel. An early planning name for this operation was Operation Coronet...

, the landings at Kiriwina

Kiriwina

Kiriwina is the largest of the Trobriand Islands, with an area of 290.5 km². It is part of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. Most of the 12,000 people who live in the Trobriands live on Kiriwina. The Kilivila language, also known as Kiriwina, is spoken on the island...

 and Woodlark Island

Woodlark Island

Woodlark Island, known to its inhabitants simply as Woodlark or Muyua, is an island in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. It is called Murua by the inhabitants of some other islands in the province...

s. After was damaged by a Japanese torpedo on 20 July, Warramunga and sister ship escorted the cruiser from Espiritu Santo to Sydney. After this, Warramunga escorted two convoys from Townsville to Milne Bay, then a force of US Marines

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 from Melbourne to Goodenough Island

Goodenough Island

Goodenough Island in the Solomon Sea is the westernmost of the three large islands of the D'Entrecasteaux Islands in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It lies to the east of mainland New Guinea and south west of the Trobriand Islands.It should not be confused with Goodenough's Island...

. After a refit in Sydney, Warramunga escorted the cruiser to Brisbane, where the two ships joined Task Force 74. On 29 October, Warramunga shelled Gasmata

Gasmata

Gasmata is a village on the southern coast of New Britain, Papua New Guinea located at 6° 16' 60S 150° 19' 60E. It is serviced by Gasmata Airport.The Imperial Japanese occupied the village between 8–9 February 1942 during World War II...

. On 15 December, the destroyer supported the amphibious landings at Arawe. On 26 December, Warramunga was involved in pre-landing bombardments at Cape Gloucester

Battle of Cape Gloucester

The Battle of Cape Gloucester was a battle in the Pacific theater of World War II, which took place between late December 1943 and April 1944, on the island of New Britain, part of the Territory of New Guinea....

.

At the start of 1944, Warramunga helped cover the Landing at Saidor

Landing at Saidor

The Landing at Saidor was an Allied amphibious landing at Saidor, Papua New Guinea on 2 January 1944 as part of Operation Dexterity during World War II. In Allied hands, Saidor was a stepping stone towards Madang, the ultimate objective of General Douglas MacArthur's Huon Peninsula campaign...

, before leaving Task Force 74 for refits in Sydney. After rejoining the task fore at the start of February, Warramunga participated in amphibious landings in the Admiralties, at Tanamera Bay, Wakde-Sarmi

Battle of Wakde

The Battle of Wakde was part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II. It was fought between the United States and Japan from 15 May 1944 to 18 May 1944....

, and Biak

Battle of Biak

The Battle of Biak was part of the New Guinea campaign of World War II. It was fought between the United States Army and the Japanese Army from May 27 to June 22, 1944. It was the first major tactical use of an ambush by the Japanese during the war....

. From May to July, the destroyer was assigned to patrol and escort duties. On 22 July, Warramunga and the cruiser sailed to Sydney for refits and leave. Returning in August, the destroyer was involved in the Morotai landings

Battle of Morotai

The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on September 15, 1944, and continued until the war ended in August 1945. The fighting began when United States and Australian forces landed on the south-west corner of Morotai, a small island in the Netherlands East Indies , which the Allies...

 on 15 September. Warramunga was part of the covering force for the Leyte landings

Battle of Leyte

The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...

, and after Australia and were damaged during the operation, escorted the two cruisers back to port for repairs.

At the start of 1945, while assigned to Manus Island, Warramungas Oerlikon guns were replaced with Bofors taken from a disabled US Landing Ship Dock. During the invasion of Lingayen Gulf

Invasion of Lingayen Gulf

The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...

 in January, Warramunga was nearly hit by a Japanese kamikaze

Kamikaze

The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....

 aircraft, which instead crashed into the destroyer . On 1 May, the destroyer supported the landing at Tarakan

Battle of Tarakan (1945)

The Battle of Tarakan was the first stage in the Borneo campaign of 1945. It began with an amphibious landing by Australian forces on 1 May, code-named Operation Oboe One...

, then nine days later participated in landings at Wewak, before sailing to Australia for a two-month refit. On her return to Subic Bay, Warramunga was present for the Japanese surrender of the Philippines. The destroyer then sailed for Japan, and was present in Tokyo Bay

Tokyo Bay

is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...

 on Victory over Japan Day

Victory over Japan Day

Victory over Japan Day is a name chosen for the day on which the Surrender of Japan occurred, effectively ending World War II, and subsequent anniversaries of that event...

 (2 September 1945), when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender

Japanese Instrument of Surrender

The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that enabled the Surrender of Japan, marking the end of World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist...

 was signed. The destroyer earned five 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", "New Guinea 1943–44", "Leyte Gulf 1944", "Lingayen Gulf 1945", and "Borneo 1945". After the end of World War II, Warramunga assisted in the repatriation of prisoners-of-war, and served four tours of duty with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force

British Commonwealth Occupation Force

The British Commonwealth Occupation Force , was the name of the joint Australian, Canadian, British, Indian and New Zealand military forces in occupied Japan, from 21 February 1946 until the end of occupation in 1952...

.

Korean War

On 6 August 1950, Warramunga sailed to join United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 forces involved in the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

. Most of the ship's first tour consisted of patrols and shore bombardments. In February 1951, Warramunga and were sent to recover an intelligence party. En route, it was learned that the party had been captured by the North Koreans, who had set up the extraction to capture the recovery party, and when the two destroyers received the light signal, shelled the area and killed the North Koreans. During May and June, the destroyer underwent repairs for gale damage. On 6 September, she returned to Sydney and docked for refit.

On 11 January 1952, Warramunga sailed for a second Korean tour. During this second tour, which concluded on 12 August, the ship operated on coastal patrols, and fired 4,151 4.7-inch shells. A sixth battle honour, "Korea 1950–52" was awarded to the destroyer to recognise these deployments. On 12 November, the destroyer docked for conversion into an anti-submarine destroyer, including the replacement of her aft gun turret with a Squid mortar.

Post-war

Warramunga returned to duty in February 1955, and remained in Australian waters until May 1955, when she sailed to the Far East for exercises with the Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy. Warramunga stayed in the area, and became one of the first Australian warships assigned to the Far East Strategic Reserve

Far East Strategic Reserve

The British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve was a joint military force of the British, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces...

. She returned on 19 December. In April 1957, the destroyer was involved in South East Asia Treaty Organisation exercises. In 1958, she operated again with the Strategic Reserve.

Decommissioning and fate

Warramunga paid off to reserve at Sydney on 7 December 1959. The ship was marked for disposal on 22 May 1961. She was sold Kinoshita and Company Limited on 15 February 1963, and was towed to Japan for ship breaking

Ship breaking

Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...

.