# HMAS Bowen

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Bathurst-class corvette of the Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Bowen History Australia Namesake Town of Bowen, Queensland Builder Walkers Limited Laid down 9 February 1942 Launched 11 June 1942 Commissioned 9 November 1942 Decommissioned 17 January 1946 Honours and awards Battle honours: Pacific 1942–45 New Guinea 1943–44[1][2] Fate Scrapped 18 May 1956 General characteristics Class & type Bathurst-class corvette Displacement 650 tons (standard), 1,025 tons (full war load) Length 186 ft (57 m) Beam 31 ft (9.4 m) Draught 8.5 ft (2.6 m) Propulsion Triple expansion engine, 2 shafts Speed 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) at 1,750 hp Complement 85 Armament 1 × 4 inch Mk XIX gun, 3 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, Machine guns, Depth charges chutes and throwers

**HMAS *Bowen* (J285/M285)**, named for the town of [Bowen, Queensland](/source/Bowen%2C_Queensland), was a [*Bathurst*-class](/source/Bathurst-class_corvette) [corvette](/source/Corvette) of the [Royal Australian Navy](/source/Royal_Australian_Navy).

## Design and construction

Main article: [Bathurst-class corvette](/source/Bathurst-class_corvette)

In 1938, the [Australian Commonwealth Naval Board](/source/Australian_Commonwealth_Naval_Board) (ACNB) identified the need for a general purpose 'local defence vessel' capable of both anti-submarine and mine-warfare duties, while easy to construct and operate.[3][4] The vessel was initially envisaged as having a [displacement](/source/Displacement_(ship)) of approximately 500 tons, a speed of at least 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), and a range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi)[5] The opportunity to build a prototype in the place of a cancelled [Bar-class boom defence vessel](/source/Bar-class_boom_defence_vessel) saw the proposed design increased to a 680-ton vessel, with a 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) top speed, and a range of 2,850 nautical miles (5,280 km; 3,280 mi), armed with a 4-inch gun, equipped with [asdic](/source/Asdic), and able to fitted with either [depth charges](/source/Depth_charge) or [minesweeping](/source/Naval_mine#Mine_sweeping) equipment depending on the planned operations: although closer in size to a [sloop](/source/Sloop-of-war) than a local defence vessel, the resulting increased capabilities were accepted due to advantages over British-designed mine warfare and anti-submarine vessels.[3][6] Construction of the prototype [HMAS *Kangaroo*](/source/HMAS_Kangaroo) did not go ahead, but the plans were retained.[7] The need for locally built 'all-rounder' vessels at the start of World War II saw the "Australian Minesweepers" (designated as such to hide their anti-submarine capability, but popularly referred to as "corvettes") approved in September 1939, with 60 constructed during the course of the war: 36 (including *Bowen*) ordered by the RAN, 20 ordered by the [British Admiralty](/source/British_Admiralty) but manned and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the [Royal Indian Navy](/source/Royal_Indian_Navy).[3][8][9][10][11]

*Bowen* was laid down by [Walkers Limited](/source/Walkers_Limited) at [Maryborough, Queensland](/source/Maryborough%2C_Queensland) on 9 February 1942, launched on 11 June 1942 by Mrs. Crittal and commissioned on 9 November 1942.[11]

## Operational history

The corvette operated in the South West Pacific area during World War II, and earned the [battle honours](/source/Battle_honour) "Pacific 1942–45" and "New Guinea 1943–44" for her service.[1][2]

## Fate

*Bowen* paid off on 17 January 1946 and was sold for scrap to the [Hong Kong](/source/Hong_Kong) Rolling Mills on 18 May 1956.[11]

## Citations

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-newhonours_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-newhonours_1-1) ["Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110613184920/http://www.navy.gov.au/Navy_Marks_109th_Birthday_With_Historic_Changes_To_Battle_Honours). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from [the original](http://www.navy.gov.au/Navy_Marks_109th_Birthday_With_Historic_Changes_To_Battle_Honours) on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-honourslist_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-honourslist_2-1) ["Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110614064156/http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Units_entitlement_list.pdf) (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from [the original](http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Units_entitlement_list.pdf) (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Hindsight1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Hindsight1_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Hindsight1_3-2) Stevens, *The Australian Corvettes*, p. 1

1. **[^](#cite_ref-StevensACV103_4-0)** Stevens, *A Critical Vulnerability*, p. 103

1. **[^](#cite_ref-StevensACV103.4_5-0)** Stevens, *A Critical Vulnerability*, pp. 103–4

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Stevens, *A Critical Vulnerability*, pp. 103–5

1. **[^](#cite_ref-StevensACV104_7-0)** Stevens, *A Critical Vulnerability*, p. 104

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Stevens, *A Critical Vulnerability*, pp. 105, 148

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Donohue29_9-0)** Donohue, *From Empire Defence to the Long Haul*, p. 29

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Stevens108_10-0)** Stevens et al., *The Royal Australian Navy*, p. 108

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-spc_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-spc_11-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-spc_11-2) ["HMAS Bowen"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150405161332/http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-bowen). Royal Australian Navy. Archived from [the original](https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-bowen) on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.

## References

### Books

- Donohue, Hector (October 1996). *From Empire Defence to the Long Haul: post-war defence policy and its impact on naval force structure planning 1945–1955*. Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Vol. 1. Canberra: Sea Power Centre. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-642-25907-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-642-25907-0). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1327-5658](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1327-5658). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [36817771](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/36817771).

- Stevens, David (2005). *A Critical Vulnerability: the impact of the submarine threat on Australia's maritime defense 1915–1954*. Papers in Australian Maritime Affairs. Vol. 15. Canberra: Sea Power Centre Australia. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-642-29625-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-642-29625-1). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [1327-5658](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1327-5658). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [62548623](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/62548623).

- Stevens, David; Sears, Jason; Goldrick, James; Cooper, Alastair; Jones, Peter; Spurling, Kathryn (2001). Stevens, David (ed.). *The Royal Australian Navy*. The Australian Centenary History of Defence (vol III). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-19-554116-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-554116-2). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [50418095](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/50418095).

### Journal and news articles

- Stevens, David (May 2010). ["The Australian Corvettes"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110320183407/http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Semaphore_2010_5.pdf) (PDF). *Hindsight (Semaphore)*. **2010** (5). Sea Power Centre – Australia. Archived from [the original](http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Semaphore_2010_5.pdf) (PDF) on 20 March 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2010.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [J283 Bowen (ship, 1942)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:J283_Bowen_(ship,_1942)).

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