 HMASTerka underway in April 1941, shortly after her conversion for naval service | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name |
|
| Owner | Dorman, Long & Company then Adelaide Steamship Company |
| Launched | 1925 |
| In service | 1928 |
| Out of service | 1940 |
| Fate | Requisitioned by RAN |
 Australia | |
| Name | Terka |
| Commissioned | 31 January 1941 |
| Honours & awards |
|
| Fate | Sunk on 26 March 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 420 GRT[2] |
| Length | 147 ft (45 m)[2] |
| Beam | 26.6 ft (8 m)[2] |
| Depth | 9.2 ft (3 m)[2] |
| Armament |
|
HMASTerka (FY.98) was an auxiliaryminesweeper operated by theRoyal Australian Navy (RAN) duringWorld War II. The ship waslaunched asSir Dudley de Chair in 1925 as one of the three ships used to supply the construction of theSydney Harbour Bridge, and from 1928 operated by theAdelaide Steamship Company until she was requisitioned by the RAN in December 1940. She sank while at her moorings atMadang,New Guinea on 26 March 1945 and was abandoned.
The ship waslaunched in 1925 from theState Dockyard,Newcastle, New South Wales asSir Dudley de Chair.[2]
She was bought in 1928 by the Adelaide Steamship Company and renamedTerka. She was requisitioned by the RAN in December 1940 as part of Minesweeping Group 70 based atDarwin, Northern Territory. She was converted into a water carrier and moved forward toNew Guinea to support the efforts during World War II. While moored atMadang, she sank on 26 March 1945 and was abandoned.
During May–June 1971, the wreck of HMASTerka, in Binnen Harbour, Madang was blasted byClearance Diving Team One (RAN), to allow safe navigation of the harbour channel.
Following an overhaul of the RANbattle honours system, completed in March 2010,Terka's wartime service was retroactively recognised with the honour "Darwin 194243".[3][4]
