HMAS Warreen was a survey vessel and general purpose vessel of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). She served twice with the RAN, as HMAS Stella during World War II and as HMAS Warreen from 1952 until 1969.

HMAS Stella in Australian waters off the Northern Territory in December 1944
History
Australia
NameWarreen
OwnerCouncil for Scientific and Industrial Research (1938-1942)
BuilderMelbourne Harbour Trust, Williamstown Dockyard, Victoria
Launched1938
Australia
Name
  • HMAS Stella
  • HMAS Warreen
Acquired1 October 1942
Commissioned
  • 22 October 1942
  • 16 April 1952
Decommissioned
  • 19 December 1945
  • 31 March 1966
Honours and
awards
General characteristics
Displacement111 tons
Length82 feet (25 m)
Beam19 feet (5.8 m)
Draught8 feet (2.4 m)
Installed power200 hp (150 kW)
PropulsionBritish Polar diesel engine
Speed8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph)
Complement10
Armament1 x 20mm Oerlikon

Requisitioned edit

Launched in 1938 by the Melbourne Harbour Trust, Williamstown Dockyard, Victoria as MV Warreen for the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research as a fisheries research vessel. She was requisitioned by the RAN on 1 October 1942, and after fitting out at Garden Island was commissioned on 22 October as HMAS Stella. She took part in the survey of the sea route from Milne Bay to Oro Bay, between the D'Entrecasteaux Islands and the New Guinea mainland for the proposed attack om Buna. Stella was paid off on 19 December 1945.

Stella was awarded the battle honour "New Guinea 1942-44".[1][2]

Post-war edit

Recommissioned on 16 April 1952, as HMAS Warreen, in October 1952, Warreen was involved in Operation Hurricane, the British nuclear bomb test in the lagoon in the Montebello Islands off Western Australia’s Pilbara region.[3]

She participated in survey work on the Great Barrier Reef.

Warreen was paid off on 31 March 1966. She was sold and converted to a prawn fishing vessel.

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  3. ^ Semaphore: Operations Hurricane and Mosaic, Petar Djokovic, Semaphore (article), Issue 02, 2016, Sea Power Centre – Australia, Royal Australian Navy