Allied Warships
HMAS Tamworth (J 181)
Minesweeper of the Bathurst class
Photo courtesy of Allan C. Green Collection
| Navy | The Royal Australian Navy |
| Type | Minesweeper |
| Class | Bathurst |
| Pennant | J 181 |
| Built by | Walkers Ltd. (Maryborough, Queensland, Australia) |
| Ordered | 24 Sep 1940 |
| Laid down | 25 Aug 1941 |
| Launched | 14 Mar 1942 |
| Commissioned | 8 Aug 1942 |
| End service | 30 Apr 1946 |
| History | Decommissioned at Sydney on 30 April 1946 and transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy on the same day being renamed Tidore. |
Commands listed for HMAS Tamworth (J 181)
Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.
| Commander | From | To | ||
| Frank Evelyn Eastman, SANF(V) | 22 Mar 1944 | |||
| 1 | T/Lt. William Hargreaves Deans, RANR(S) | 5 Aug 1942 | 24 Sep 1943 (+) | |
| 2 | T/Lt. David Bennett Lloyd-Jones, RANR(S) | 22 Mar 1944 | Jun 1945 | |
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Notable events involving Tamworth include:
22 Mar 1943
HrMs O 23 (Lt.Cdr. A.M. Valkenburg, RNN) conducted attack exercises off Colombo during which HMAS Tamworth (T/Lt. W.H. Deans, RANR(S)) acted as target. HMAS Tamworth was escorted by HMS Overdale Wyke (?), HMS Okapi (?). Following these attack exercises A/S exercises were carried out with HMAS Tamworth and HMS Okapi. (1)
26 Mar 1943
HrMs O 23 (Lt.Cdr. A.M. Valkenburg, RNN) conducted attack exercises off Colombo during which HMAS Tamworth acted as target. HMAS Tamworth (T/Lt. W.H. Deans, RANR(S)) was being escorted by HMS Hoxa (T/Lt. H.P Davies, RNR). These were followed by A/S exercises with the same ships. (1)
30 Dec 1943
Around 0845D/30, HMS Danae (Capt. J.R.S. Haines, RN) arrived at Bandar Abbas from Abadan. During the night exercises had been carried out during which HMAS Tamworth (T/Lt. F.E. Eastman, RNR) acted as an enemy raider trying to enter the Persian Gulf. (2)
22 Feb 1944
The Australian minesweeper HMAS Tamworth and the Indian minesweeper HMIS Orissa (Lt. A.V. Baker, RIN) both pick up survivors from the American tanker E.G. Seubert that was torpedoed and sunk by German U-boat U-510 about 200 nautical miles east of Aden in position 13°50'N, 48°49'E.
HMAS Tamworth also picks up 52 survivors from the British tanker San Alvaro that was also torpedoed and heavily damaged by German U-boat U-510 about 200 nautical miles east of Aden in position 13°50'N, 48°49'E. The burning San Alvaro was then scuttled by HMAS Tamworth with gunfire and depth charges.
26 Jan 1945
Ships belonging to the Fleet Train of the British Pacific Fleet departed Trincomalee for Fremantle. These were the destroyer deport ship Tyne (Capt. S. Boucher, RN), repairs ships HMS Resource (Capt.(Retd.) D.B. O’Connell, RN), Artifex (A/Capt.(Retd.) C.C. Flemming, RN) and the target ship HMS Lewes (T/Lt. M.H. Grylls, SANF(V)). The tanker Battle Rock (American, 10448 GRT, built 1944) was also in company with these ships.
Escort was provided by the heavy cruiser London and the minesweepers HMAS Cairns (T/Lt. N.G. Weber, RANR(S)), HMAS Cessnock (Lt. A.G. Chapman, RANR(S)), HMAS Gawler (Lt.Cdr. J.H.P. Dixon, RANR(S)), HMAS Geraldton (Cdr. J.K. Walton, RAN), HMAS Ipswich (T/Lt. R.H. Creasey, RANR(S)), HMAS Tamworth (T/Lt. D.B. Lloyd-Jones, RANR(S)) and HMAS Wollongong (T/Lt. J. Hare, RANR(S)).
They arrived at Fremantle on 9 February 1945. (3)
Sources
- File 2.12.03.6427 (Dutch Archives, The Hague, Netherlands)
- ADM 53/117309 + ADM 199/636
- ADM 199/1457
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.