H.M.A.S. WarrnamboolPrint Page

The tree commemorates H.M.A.S. Warrnambool which was sunk when minesweeping in 1947.

H.M.A.S. Warrnambool (J202), named for the city of Warrnambool, Victoria was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War Two, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy. 

H.M.A.S. Warrnambool sank after she hit a mine in the Great Barrier Reef on 13 September 1947. She was one of only four Bathurst class corvettes lost while in Australian service, and the only one lost after World War Two.

Following the conclusion of World War Two, H.M.A.S. Warrnambool performed mine clearance work in the Solomon and New Guinea Islands before moving to the Great Barrier Reef. While performing clearance work on 13 September 1947, the corvette hit a mine around 16:00 near Cockburn Reef, off the northern Queensland coast. Four sailors were killed and another 29 were injured. 

H.M.A.S. Warrnambool sank shortly afterward, in 25 metres (82 ft) of water.  A Board of Inquiry found that there was no culpable negligence in the loss of the corvette, and praised the conduct of her crew and commanding officer. H.M.A.S. Warrnambool is the only Royal Australian Navy ship to be sunk by a mine.

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