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H.M.A.S. HawkesburyPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates the personnel who served on H.M.A.S. Hawkesbury during World War Two.
The plaque location is indicated by the red poppy in the second image.
H.M.A.S. Hawkesbury (K363 /F363) was a River-class frigate of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Hawkesbury saw action during World War Two. She entered service with the RAN in mid-1944 and was decommissioned in 1955.
After conducting trials off the Australian east coast she proceeded to New Guinea to undertake convoy escort duties. She escorted convoys in the South West Pacific Area until December when she returned to Brisbane.
H.M.A.S. Hawkesbury began her second operational deployment in January 1945, and conducted escort duties in New Guinea and Phillipine waters until mid-April. On 27 April, she formed part of the escort for the convoy that landed Australian troops at Tarakan on 1 May. Hawkesbury provided fire support for the landing force until 7 May. After another period of escort duties, H.M.A.S. Hawkesbury took part in the Australian Brunei Bay landings in Borneo in June. In July she spent a period collecting intelligence in the Maluku Islands and established lighthouses with HMAS Cape Leeuwin to open a route between Darwin and Morotai.. She returned to Sydney in July for a short refit.
Following the surrender of Japan, Hawkesbury escorted the repatriation transport Duntroon to Singapore in August. After escorting the transport to Darwin she took part in the Japanese surrender ceremony at Koepang, Timor on 3 October.
The frigate received three battle honours for her wartime service: "Pacific 1944–45", "New Guinea 1944", and "Borneo 1945".
Location
| Address: | Fairbairn & Limestone Avenues, Behind Captain Reg Saunders Courtyard, Australian War Memorial, Campbell, 2612 |
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| State: | ACT |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -35.280105 Long: 149.148335 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| 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: | Wednesday 5th March, 2008 |
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H.M.A.S. Hawkesbury
River Class Frigate
New Guinea Philippines Borneo
H.M.A.S. Hawkesbury was the only Australian warship present at the surrender of Singapore in September 1945 and escorted returning Australian prisoners of war in the ships Duntroon, Arawa and Highland Chieftain.
In memory of all who served
Lest We Forget
