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Fairmile ShipsPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates the Fairmile ships and their crews.
The smallest of the Navy’s ocean-going vessels, their crews copped incessant drubbings as the Fairmiles embraced a spectrum of incredible assignments, so many of which they were never designed for. Early in the Pacific War, their most dramatic exploits occurred on the highly-dangerous trips to Timor. Operating out of Darwin, commandos and undercover agents were carried north and dropped off in enemy-held territory. Other people were extracted from under the nose of the Japanese and then the Fairmiles faced the trip back to Darwin, with the ever-present danger of Japanese interception.
These patrol vessels, described by newsmen as mini gunboats, were denied the dignity of a name but instead were allocated numbers - 424 to 431 and 801 to 827.
Location
| Address: | Birdwood Avenue, Shrine Reserve, Melbourne, 3000 |
|---|---|
| State: | VIC |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -37.830139 Long: 144.973276 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
Dedication
| Approx. Monument Dedication Date: | 2009 |
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1939 - 1945
Fairmile Ships of the Royal Australian Navy
In honour of all who served in Fairmiles, Harbour Defence Motor Launches and other small vessels during the Second World War in Australian waters and the South-West Pacific area.
Ships known by number not by name
ML813 was the first of 35 Fairmiles built in Australia
