Wallaroo corvette of the Royal Australian Navy (HMAS Wallaroo) anchored at sea during the Second World War in the Pacific. The photo was taken between July 1942 – July 1943.
The Wallaroo, hull number J222, belonged to the Bathurts class.
Wallaroo corvette construction commenced on 24 May 1941, launched on 18 February 1942, and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 15 July 1942.
Wallaroo corvette, main characteristics: displacement – 650 tons. Length – 57 m, width – 9.4 m, draft – 2.6 m. Power plant (2 thousand hp) – one boiler, two screws. The maximum speed is 15 knots. Cruising range – 2850 miles at a speed of 10 knots. The crew is 85 people.
Australian Wallaroo, armament – 102-mm cannon (QF 4 inch Mk XIX) on the bow, three 20-mm automatic anti-aircraft guns “Oerlikon”, up to 40 depth charges.
The corvette escorted Allied sea convoys and conducted anti-submarine patrols on the east coast of Australia.
The Wallaroo corvette sank on the night of July 11, 1943, as a result of a collision with the American freighter SS Henry Gilbert Costin, Liberty class.
The photo source: Australian Department of Defense.
Location: Pacific Ocean
Photo time: July 1942 – July 1943