- Yes - In the Tech Tree.
- Yes - Event/BP.
- Yes - Premium.
- No - I would not like to see HMAS Parramatta in game.
Description:
HMAS Parramatta was one of four Grimsby-class Sloops built for the Royal Australian Navy. Although laid down pre-war, she would complete during the Second World War, in which she would see service and be lost.
Ordered in two pairs, the Grimsby-class were required by the RAN as to replace its aging escort fleet. Previously their S-class destroyers were filling both fleet duties and escort duties, so the S-class were replaced by the V-class for fleet work, and the Grimsby-class for the escort duties. The first pair of ships would be ordered in 1935, but as tensions increased through 1938, a second pair which included the Parramatta, would be ordered.
The second pair were completed to a different specification than the first, moving the two fore 4" guns into a single mount in A position, but keeping the single gun aft. Furthermore these guns were of a more modern make, being more accurate with better ammunition. The rearrangement of the guns allowed further AA armament to be fitted.
This suggestion is for the Parramatta as she was sunk in 1941.
History:
Laid down on the 9th of November 1938 by the Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, she would launch on the 10th of June 1939. Due to material shortage with boilers and engines, she would only complete and commission into the Royal Australian Navy on the 8th of April 1940.
Upon commissioning she would briefly join the 20th Minesweeping Flotilla out of Fremantle, but would sail for the Red Sea Force in July as a minesweeper and convoy escort. This work would be uneventful, with the occasional Italian Air Attack. She would however visit Bombay in December.
From April 1941 however she would take part in the fleet operations around Italian held Eritrea, where she would screen the fleet with the Destroyers, and bombard enemy positions. When the C-class cruiser HMS Capetown was torpedoed on the 6th of April by Italian MAS boats, the HMAS Parramatta would tow the stricken vessel to Port Sudan.
From May 1941 she would join the Mediterranean Station out of Port Tewfik, but would sail for Alexandria on the 3rd of June. She would be tasked with convoy escort around Libya, the first of these would be on the 15th of June bound for Mersa Matruh. She would spend most of her escort duty on the Tobruk Ferry Service, shuttling ammunition and supplies to the besieged troops there.
On the 22nd of June 1941, while on one of these runs in company with the H
MS Auckland and the SS Pass of Balmaha, the small convoy would be attacked by 70 Italian and German Dive bombers. Three enemy aircraft would be destroyed by the Parramatta, but the Auckland was hit directly aft and would sink. Neither the Parramatta or the Pass of Balmaha would be hit, merely lightly damaged by near misses. She would pick up the 164 Survivors from Auckland.
The surviving pair of ships would then be joined by the HMAS Waterhen and Vendetta, and the Pass of Balmaha would be towed into Tobruk Harbour. After minor repairs the Parramatta would rejoin the Tobruk Ferry Service.
En Route to Mersa Matruh on the 27th of June, the Parramatta would be attacked by an enemy submarine, the torpedo was aimed correctly and the Parramatta made no course changes, however the torpedo was set too deep, and passed beneath the ship with no damage. The Parramatta would enter Alexandria for a small refit on the 30th of June.
This refit replaced the .303 Lewis guns on the bridge wings with 20mm Oerlikons. Regular maintenance and boiler cleaning was also done during this time. After refitting she would cover the reinforcement of British forces in Cyprus. Then returned to normal patrol duty in September.
From November she was again on the Tobruk Ferry, however on the 26th of November 1941 just past midnight, while escorting the ammunition ship SS Hanne to Tobruk, the HMAS Parramatta would be hit amidships by a torpedo fired from the U-559. Her magazines would explode and she would sink very quickly, with only the abandon ship order being able to be issued before she rolled to starboard and sank. There were 24 survivors out of the 162 then on the ship.
| General Characteristics: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name: HMAS Parramatta | |||||
| Country: Australia | |||||
| Type: Sloop | |||||
| Class name: Grimsby (mod) | |||||
| Year of commission: 1940 | |||||
| Refit: 1941 | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Dimensions: | |||||
| Length: 266 ft (81 .15m) | |||||
| Beam: 36 ft (11 m) | |||||
| Draught: 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) | |||||
| Displacement: 1,060t standard, 1,515t full | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Propulsion: | |||||
| Powerplant: 2x Oil fired boilers driving steam turbines @ 2,000ihp (1,491 kW) across two shafts | |||||
| Speed: 16.5kt | |||||
| Endurance: Unknown | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armament & sensors: | |||||
| Compliment: 160 | |||||
| Primary armament: 1x2 QF-4 Inch Mk. XVI on CP XIX, 1x1 QF-4 inch MkXI on HA/LA Mk.XX | |||||
| Secondary armament: 4x1 QF 3pdr, 2x1 20mm Oerlikon | |||||
| Tertiary armament: 1x4 .50 Vickers, 1x1 .303 Vickers, 40DC for 2 rails, 2 DCT, M/S Gear | |||||
| Radar: -nil | |||||
| Sonar: -nil |
More Photos
Sources
Gillett, R. (1983). Australian and New Zealand Warships 1914-1945 (pp.152-154)
A. Hague (1993) Sloops 1926-1946. (pp. 42, 55-59)
https://seapower.navy.gov.au/history/units/hmas-parramatta-ii
https://historyandheritage.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/hmas-parramatta-ii
HMAS Parramatta (U44) - Wikipedia