From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
| Career (Australia (RAN)) |
 |
| Namesake: |
City of Lithgow, New South Wales |
| Builder: |
Morts Dock & Engineering Co in Sydney |
| Laid down: |
19 August 1940 |
| Launched: |
21 December 1940 |
| Commissioned: |
14 June 1941 |
| Decommissioned: |
8 June 1948 |
| Fate: |
Sold for scrap in 1956 |
| General characteristics |
| Class and type: |
Bathurst class corvette |
| Displacement: |
650 tons (standard), 1,025 tons (full war load) |
| Length: |
186 ft (57 m) |
| Beam: |
31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Draught: |
10 ft (3.0 m) |
| Propulsion: |
triple expansion engine, 2 shafts |
| Speed: |
15 knots at 1,750 hp |
| Complement: |
85 |
| Armament: |
1 x 4-inch gun, 3 x Oerlikons |
HMAS Lithgow (J206/M206), named for the city of Lithgow, New South Wales, Australia was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).[1]
[edit] Construction
Lithgow was laid down by Morts Dock & Engineering Co at Mort's Dock in Balmain, New South Wales on 19 August 1940, launched on 21 December 1940, and commissioned on 14 June 1941.[1]
[edit] Operational history
Lithgow, in company with USS Edsall, HMAS Katoomba and HMAS Deloraine, sank the enemy Japanese submarine I-124 off Darwin, the first enemy submarine sunk in Australian waters, on 20 January 1942.[1] In May 1943, Lithgow was one of several ships to search for survivors following the torpedoing of AHS Centaur, with no success.[2]
HMAS Lithgow paid off to reserve on 8 June 1948 and was sold for scrap to the Hong Kong Delta Shipping Company on 8 August 1956.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d HMAS Lithgow. HMA Ship Histories. Sea Power Centre - Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved on 2007-10-06.
- ^ Smith, A.E. [1991] (May 1992). Three Minutes of Time - the torpedoing of the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur, Second Printing, Miami: Tasman Press. ISBN 0-646-07631-0.
