Royal Australian Navy CorvettesPrint Page
The monument commemorates all those who served in Corvettes and to those who lost their life in doing so during World War Two.
Corvettes were to the Navy what jeeps were to the army and DC3s to the Air Force - they did everything, everywhere. They served in every theatre of war, from the Atlantic to Tokyo. They served along the Australian coast, around New Guinea, the Halmaheras, Borneo, Brunei and took part in the island-hopping right up to Okinawa and Tokyo Bay. They served in the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Two of them, HMA Ships Maryborough and Wollongong, served in every theatre of war except the Arctic.
They escorted convoys, sank submarines, shot at and sometimes shot down aeroplanes, swept mines, ferried troops, bombarded enemy shore guns, surveyed uncharted waters under the noses - and the guns - of the Japanese, towed damaged ships to safety and they even landed spies. The only thing they did not do was to stay long in harbour. They steamed a total of 11 million kilometres during the war, nearly all of it in dangerous waters, often behind enemy lines.
Location
Address: | High Street, Monument Hill Memorial Reserve , Fremantle, 6160 |
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State: | WA |
Area: | AUS |
GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -32.0525 Long: 115.756667 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
Monument Type: | Monument |
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Monument Theme: | Conflict |
Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
Actual Event Start Date: | 03-September-1939 |
Actual Event End Date: | 15-August-1945 |
Dedication
Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 7th October, 1984 |
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Royal Australian Navy Corvettes
In memory of those who served in the 56 Australian built Corvettes during World War II
1939 -1945
and the post war crews who were involved in minesweeping service afloat
1939 - 1945
Corvettes - 56 gallant little ships of the RAN built very hurriedly in Australian Dockyards during 1939 to 1940.
Areas of service - Pacific, Coral Sea, New Guinea, Timor, Burma, Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal.
Their job - Minesweeping, troop convoy and landings, bombarding, commando support and aircraft barrage, hunting hostile submarines and keeping sea lanes open. The "Bollards" placed on the paved area symbolise those on the Fo`C`stle and the only seats available apart from the deck for the crew to escape the heat and oppression of the Mess Deck during their very limited leisure time.