HMAS Kanimbla (1936)

HMAS "Kanimbla" was a passenger ship converted for use as an armed merchant cruiser and landing ship infantry during World War II. Between 1939 and 1945, the was commissioned in the Royal Navy, then the Royal Australian Navy.

Construction

The ship was laid down as motor vessel (MV) "Kanimbla" for McIlwraith McEachern Limited by Harland and Wolff Limited at Belfast in Northern Ireland in July 1933. She was launched on 15 December 1935 and completed on 26 April 1936.

The ship was named for the Kanimbla Valley, west of Blackheath in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

Operational history

World War II

The ship operated a passenger service between Cairns, Queensland and Fremantle, Western Australia until the outbreak of World War II. Following this, she was converted to an armed merchant cruiser at Sydney and commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS "Kanimbla" on 6 September 1939. "Kanimbla" was one of several Allied vessels located in Sydney Harbour during the Japanese midget submarine attack of 31 May 1942. [cite book |last=Jenkins |first=David |title=Battle Surface! Japan's Submarine War Against Australia 1942–44 |year=1992 |publisher=Random House Australia |location=Milsons Point |isbn=0-09-182638-1 |pages=pp 193–194] She arrived back in Sydney on 2 April 1943, was converted to a Landing Ship Infantry (LSI) and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS "Kanimbla" on 1 June 1943.

Post-war

"Kanimbla" paid off at Sydney on 25 March 1949 and was returned to her owners on 13 December 1950. In 1961 the ship was sold to the Pacific Transport Company and renamed "Oriental Queen".

References

External links

* [http://www.navy.gov.au/w/index.php/HMAS_Kanimbla_%28I%29 RAN history page for HMAS "Kanimbla" (I)]