HMAS Diamantina (K377) facts for kids
HMAS Diamantina in the South Brisbane Dry Dock in 2008
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Australia |
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| Name | Diamantina |
| Namesake | Diamantina River |
| Builder | Walkers Limited, Maryborough |
| Laid down | 12 April 1943 |
| Launched | 6 April 1944 |
| Commissioned | 27 April 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 9 August 1946 |
| Recommissioned | 22 June 1959 |
| Decommissioned | 21 February 1980 |
| Motto | "Whoever Leads Protects" |
| Honours and awards |
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| Status | Preserved as a museum ship at Queensland Maritime Museum |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | River-class frigate |
| Displacement |
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| Length |
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| Beam | 36 ft 6 in (11.1 m) |
| Draught | 9 ft (2.7 m); 13 ft (4.0 m) (deep load) |
| Propulsion | 2 × Admiralty 3-drum boilers, 2 shafts, reciprocating vertical triple expansion, 5,500 ihp (4,100 kW) |
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Range | 500 long tons (510 t; 560 short tons) oil fuel; 5,180 nautical miles (9,590 km; 5,960 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 140 |
| Armament |
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HMAS Diamantina (K377/F377/A266/GOR266) is a special ship that served in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). She was named after the Diamantina River in Queensland. This ship is a type of warship called a frigate. Diamantina was built during World War II and was active from 1945 to 1946.
After the war, she was put into storage. Later, she was brought back into service in 1959 as a survey ship. She helped explore the oceans until 1980. Today, Diamantina is a museum ship at the Queensland Maritime Museum. She was the very last frigate from World War II to stop serving in the RAN. Out of 151 similar ships built worldwide, Diamantina is one of only two that are now museum ships.
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Building a Warship: HMAS Diamantina's Design
Diamantina was a River-class frigate. When fully loaded, she weighed about 2,120 tons. She was powered by two steam engines that turned two propellers. This allowed her to reach a top speed of 20 knots (about 37 kilometers per hour).
The ship could travel for about 5,180 nautical miles (about 9,593 kilometers) at a slower speed of 12 knots. She carried 140 crew members. For defense, Diamantina had two large 4-inch guns. She also had smaller 20 mm Oerlikon guns, which were later replaced with 40 mm Bofors guns. To find and attack submarines, she had a special weapon called a Hedgehog and could carry up to 50 depth charges.
The building of Diamantina started on April 12, 1943, at Walkers Limited in Maryborough, Queensland. She was officially launched into the water on April 6, 1944. The ship was ready for service on April 27, 1945, at Hervey Bay.
HMAS Diamantina's Service History
Diamantina had two main periods of service in the Royal Australian Navy. First, she was a warship during World War II. Later, she became a research vessel.
War Service: 1945–1946
After she was ready for duty, Diamantina sailed to Sydney. In May 1945, she went to New Guinea to finish her tests. By June, she was ready for action. She then traveled to the Solomon Islands.
Diamantina helped Australian soldiers fighting in the Bougainville Campaign. She fired her guns to support troops on land in July and August 1945. She shelled Sohana Island and fired at Japanese positions on Taiof Island.
When the war ended, Diamantina played an important role in formal surrender ceremonies. On September 8, 1945, she carried Japanese officers for the surrender at Torokina. She also hosted the surrender ceremonies for Nauru on September 13 and Ocean Island on October 1, right on her own deck.
Diamantina returned to Sydney in December 1945. She stayed there until February 1946, when she went on patrol in New Guinea. In June, she came back to Sydney. On August 9, 1946, she was put into reserve, meaning she was no longer actively serving. For her service during the war, Diamantina received the "Pacific 1945" battle honour.
Ocean Exploration: 1959–1980
Diamantina was brought back into service on June 22, 1959. This time, she was a special ship for hydrography (mapping water areas), meteorology (studying weather), and oceanography (studying the oceans). She had different identification numbers during this time, like F377, A266, and GOR266.
In July 1959, she completed her first ocean survey. On August 20, she began her first oceanographic trip. She even surveyed the Montebello Islands after a British atomic test there. On October 22, Diamantina surveyed the waters around Christmas Island.
One of Diamantina's most famous discoveries happened on February 7, 1960. She found the deepest known part of the Indian Ocean. This deep area was named Diamantina Deep in honor of the ship. Diamantina was based in Fremantle and continued her oceanographic work until 1980. She briefly paused her duties in March 1963 to escort the royal yacht during Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Australia.
Becoming a Museum Ship
Diamantina officially stopped serving in the RAN on February 29, 1980. She was the last frigate from World War II to serve Australia. The ship was then given to the Queensland Maritime Museum. She was moved to the South Brisbane Dry Dock on the Brisbane River in South Brisbane to become a museum ship. Another ship, HMAS Cook, took her place in the RAN.
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In March 2006, Diamantina left her drydock for the first time in 25 years. She was towed into the river so that repairs could be made to the dock. On May 10, 2006, she returned to the South Brisbane Dry Dock. There, she became a self-guided museum where visitors could explore her.
During the 2010–11 Queensland floods, the dry dock filled with water. But because the ship was well-maintained, she simply floated up with the floodwaters. Volunteers carefully adjusted her ropes to make sure she didn't hit the sides of the dry dock. The ship was not damaged at all during the flood.
