HMAS Goorangai facts for kids
Goorangai coming in to berth
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Quick facts for kids History |
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| Australia | |
| Name | Goorangai |
| Operator |
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| Builder | Government Dockyard, Newcastle |
| Launched | 1919 |
| Fate | Requisition for naval service, 1939 |
| History | |
 Australia |
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| Acquired | 8 August 1939 |
| Commissioned | 9 September 1939 |
| Reclassified | Auxiliary minesweeper |
| Fate | Sunk following collision in 1940 |
| Notes | Pennant number: GR |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Auxiliary minesweeper (former trawler) |
| Tonnage | 223 tonnes |
| Length | 117 feet (36 m) |
| Beam | 22 feet 1 inch (6.73 m) |
| Draught | 13 feet 8 inches (4.17 m) |
| Speed | 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 21 sailors |
| Armament |
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HMAS Goorangai was a small ship that helped the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. She was built in 1919 and first used by the government of New South Wales. Later, she became a fishing boat. When World War II started, the navy took her over. They turned her into a minesweeper, a ship designed to find and clear dangerous underwater bombs called mines.
Goorangai was sent to Melbourne to help protect the coast. Sadly, in 1940, she was involved in an accident with another ship, MV Duntroon, and sank. This made Goorangai the very first RAN ship lost during World War II.
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Building the Goorangai
Goorangai was built in 1919 at the Government Dockyard in Newcastle. She was first made for the Government of New South Wales. The ship was about 35.6 meters (117 feet) long. She weighed 223 tonnes and could travel at a top speed of about 17.6 kilometers per hour (9.5 knots).
Life as a Fishing Boat
The Goorangai worked for the government until 1926. Then, she was sold to a fishing company called Cam & Sons. For many years, she worked as a trawler, which is a type of fishing boat that pulls a large net through the water.
When World War II began, the navy needed more ships. So, on 8 September 1939, the Goorangai was taken by the military for service. She was changed from a fishing boat into an auxiliary minesweeper. This meant she was a support ship used to clear mines.
The ship was fitted with special gear to sweep for mines. She also got a QF 12-pounder 12 cwt naval gun and depth charges. Depth charges are bombs that explode underwater to destroy submarines or mines. On 9 September 1939, Goorangai officially joined the RAN. She was given the special number GR. Her crew included 3 officers and 21 sailors, many of whom were from the navy's reserve force.
Goorangai was part of a group of minesweepers based in Melbourne. Their job was to keep the waters around Bass Strait clear of any enemy mines. This was very important for safe shipping.
In November 1940, two other ships, SS Cambridge and MS City of Rayville, were sunk by sea mines. These mines were near Wilsons Promontory and Cape Otway. After this, Goorangai and two other minesweepers, HMA Ships Orara and Durraween, were sent to clear the area.
The Collision and Loss
On the night of 20 November 1940, Goorangai was sailing across the entrance of Port Phillip Bay. She was heading to anchor for the night at Portsea. The ship was sailing with very dim lights, a condition called 'brownout'. This was done to avoid being seen by enemy ships.
At 8:37 PM, a larger ship called MV Duntroon came out of Port Phillip Bay. It was on its way to Sydney. The Duntroon accidentally crashed into Goorangai, cutting the smaller ship in two. Goorangai sank very quickly, in less than a minute. All 24 people on board were lost. Only six bodies were found, and one of them could not be identified. The loss of Goorangai and her crew was the first time the RAN lost a ship and its people in World War II.
News of the accident spread quickly in Melbourne. At first, media outlets thought they could report on it because it was an accident, not a military attack. However, the navy disagreed. The government then made new rules to stop news about lost Australian personnel or equipment from being published without approval.
Because the sunken ship was in a busy shipping area and in shallow water (less than 15 meters or 49 feet deep), it was destroyed with explosives in January 1941. This was to make sure it didn't block other ships. An investigation first said both ships were at fault. But later, the captain of Duntroon was cleared. It was found that the dim lights on Goorangai made it look like she was sailing in a different direction, which caused the confusion.
Remembering the Goorangai
To remember the Goorangai and her crew, a special stone monument was put up in Queenscliff in 1981. The ship was also recognized as an important historic shipwreck in 1995.
In 2004, the Royal Australian Naval Professional Studies Program started a series of papers about the Naval Reserve. They named this series Goorangai to honor the ship.
There is also a memorial plaque for HMAS Goorangai and her Tasmanian crew members. It is at the Tasmanian Seafarers Memorial in Triabunna, on the east coast of Tasmania.
