 Durraween during trials, July 1940 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Australia | |
| Name |
|
| Owner | Red Funnel Fisheries Ltd |
| Launched | 1919 |
| Acquired | 1928 |
| Out of service | 1940 |
 Australia (RAN) | |
| Name | Durraween |
| Commissioned | 29 July 1940 |
| Decommissioned | 1 November 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 271gross tonnage[2] |
| Length | 125.7 ft (38 m)[2] |
| Beam | 23.5 ft (7 m)[2] |
| Depth | 12.7 ft (4 m)[2] |
| Speed | 9 knots |
| Armament |
|
| History | |
| Australia | |
| Owner | Red Funnel Trawler Pty Ltd |
| Acquired | 1945 |
| Fate | broken up in 1952 |
HMASDurraween (F93) was an auxiliaryminesweeper operated by theRoyal Australian Navy (RAN) duringWorld War II. The ship was built as a trawler by Collingwood Shipbuilding Company atCollingwood, Ontario, Canada, and launched in 1918 asSeville. The ship served briefly in theRoyal Canadian Navy during the last months of World War I, before being laid up and sold to a British company. In 1928, she was sold to Sydney-based fishing company and operated in Australian waters until she was requisitioned by the RAN in mid-1940 for use as an auxiliary minesweeper during World War II.Durraween operated in theBass Strait as part of Minesweeping Group 54, and was responsible for clearing mines laid by German merchant raiders, and then later operated around theTorres Strait. She was returned to civilian service after paying off in late 1945, and wasbroken up in 1952.
After being ordered in 1917, the ship was built as a trawler by Kingston Shipbuilding Company, atKingston, Ontario and launched in 1918. After launch, she was completed by the Collingwood Shipbuilding Company atCollingwood, Ontario, and commissioned into theRoyal Canadian Navy on 31 August 1918.[3] Displacing 271gross tonnage, she was 125.7 ft (38 m) long, had a beam of 23.5 ft (7 m) and a depth of 12.7 ft (4 m).[2] In RAN service, the ship was fitted with one12-pounder gun, one20mm Oerlikon cannon, and four .303-inchVickers machine guns for self defence.[4] She was capable of a top speed of 9 knots.[4]
After being commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy,Seville served until 14 January 1919, when she was paid off and laid up. In 1921, the vessel was brought to the United Kingdom at Admiralty expense by the Rose Street Foundry & Engineering Company for laying up at Inverness prior to being sold. The ship remained laid up until 1926, when she was sold to Boston Deep Sea Fishing & Ice Company of Grimsby, and registered under the nameSeville at Fleetwood. In 1928, she was sold to Red Funnel Trawler Limited of Sydney, New South Wales, and re-registered asDurraween.[2][3][5]
After being purchased by Red Funnell,Durraween was sailed fromFleetwood, England to Sydney. The voyage took 92 days, during which the trawler spent some timeaground atCocos Islands, and finished in late 1928.[6] On 28 December 1937, the trawler collided with the passenger linerWanganella offMontague Island.[7][8]
On 29 July 1940,Durraween was requisitioned by the RAN for use as anauxiliary minesweeper.[4][9] During the war,Durraween was based inPort Melbourne, Victoria as part of Minesweeping Group 54,[3] and operated inBass Strait. Together withHMASOrara, they swept for mines off Wilsons Promontory in November 1940[10] and removed forty-three mines from Bass Strait, which had been laid by theGermanauxiliary cruiserPinguin and auxiliary minelayerPassat.[11]
In August 1944,Durraween was employed conducting survey work in theTorres Strait.[3] After the war, she was paid off from RAN service on 1 November 1945,[4] and after being returned to her owners in 1946, she worked again as a trawler.[3] She was stripped andbroken up at Blackwattle Bay in 1952.[3][4]
