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HMAS Pirie (J-189)
Encyclopedia
HMAS Pirie (J189/B249/A123), named for the city of Port Pirie, South Australia
Port Pirie, South Australia
-Transport:Port Pirie is located off National Highway One. It is serviced by an airport five minutes out of the city.- Railways :The first railways in Port Pirie were of the narrow [3' 6"] gauge....
, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes
Bathurst class corvette
The Bathurst class corvettes were a class of general purpose vessels produced in Australia during World War II. Originally classified as minesweepers, but widely referred to as corvettes, the Bathurst class vessels fulfilled a broad anti-submarine, anti-mine, and convoy escort role.Sixty Bathurst...
constructed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and one of 20 built on Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
order but manned by personnel of and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN).
Early in her career, Pirie operated as an escort in the South West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatres of World War II, during 1942–45...
, and in April 1943, was damaged off Oro Bay
Oro Bay
Oro Bay is a bay in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, located southeast of Buna. The bay is located within the larger Dyke Ackland Bay. A port is operated by PNG Ports Corporation Limited with limited wharf facilities.-History:...
by Japanese aircraft. Tensions between the corvette's commanding officer and the rest of the ship's company, excaberated by the lack of leave, mail, and pay, boiled over during the repair period, and led to a strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
-like mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
by the junior sailors shortly after Pirie returned to service. The mutiny was poorly handled, and the commander was replaced at the end of 1943. During 1944, the ship continued to operate as a convoy escort, and undertook minesweeping duties until she was attached to the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
. Pirie was the third RAN ship to enter Japanese waters, and was present at Japan's surrender.
After the war, the corvette returned to Australia, and was decommissioned before being sold to Turkey. Renamed TCG Amasra, the ship remained in service with the Turkish Navy
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
until 26 March 1984.
Construction
Pirie was laid down at the Broken Hill Propriety Shipyard at Whyalla, South AustraliaWhyalla, South Australia
-Demographics:According to the 2006 Census the population of the Whyalla census area was 21,122 people, making it the second largest urban area in the state outside of Adelaide...
on 19 May 1941. She was launched on 3 December 1941 by Mrs. H. T. Kleeman, wife of the Whyalla superintendent of BHP.
The corvette was initially fitted with a 12-pounder gun as primary armament; this was later replaced by a 4 inches (101.6 mm). Three 20 millimetre (0.78740157480315 in) Oerlikons
Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
The Oerlikon 20 mm cannon is a series of autocannons, based on an original design by Reinhold Becker of Germany, very early in World War I, and widely produced by Oerlikon Contraves and others...
made up the secondary armament. The aftmost Oerlikon was later switched out in favour of a 40 millimetres (1.6 in) Bofors
Bofors 40 mm gun
The Bofors 40 mm gun is an anti-aircraft autocannon designed by the Swedish defence firm of Bofors Defence...
. An assortment of machine guns were carried for close-in defence, and depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
throwers and rails were fitted for anti-submarine warfare.
Pirie was commissioned into the RAN on 10 October 1942, with Lieutenant Commander Charles Ferry Mills in command.
Operational history
The corvette was initially assigned to escort duties in the South West Pacific AreaSouth West Pacific Area
South West Pacific Area was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatres of World War II, during 1942–45...
.
Oro Bay
On 11 April 1943, Pirie was escorting the British supply ship SS Hanyang from Milne BayMilne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
to Oro Bay
Oro Bay
Oro Bay is a bay in Oro Province, Papua New Guinea, located southeast of Buna. The bay is located within the larger Dyke Ackland Bay. A port is operated by PNG Ports Corporation Limited with limited wharf facilities.-History:...
. The ships were 19 kilometres (10.3 nmi) from their destination when they were attacked by Japanese dive-bombers. The first wave saw Hanyangs steering gear damaged, while Pirie was straddled by bombs but escaped effectively unharmed. One dive-bomber was shot down by the corvette's retaliatory fire. A second pass by the aircraft caused further damage to the merchantman.
A Zero
A6M Zero
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the , and also designated as the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen and Mitsubishi Navy 12-shi Carrier Fighter. The A6M was usually referred to by the...
dove on Pirie, strafing the foredeck and the crew of the 12-pounder while the corevette's starboard Oerlikon shot back. The bomber dropped two bombs: Pirie turned to port to avoid one, but moved directly under the other. The bomb penetrated the armoured bridge canopy, deflected off the helmsman's station, killed the gunnery officer, then struck the foredeck plating and detonating, where it killed six of the seven men on the main gun. Had it not struck the bridge first, the bomb would likely had penetrated the magazine
Magazine (artillery)
Magazine is the name for an item or place within which ammunition is stored. It is taken from the Arabic word "makahazin" meaning "warehouse".-Ammunition storage areas:...
before detonating and destroying the entire ship.
Pirie was strafed another three times before the Japanese planes were driven off by Allied fighters and anti-aircraft fire from the corvette. Seven were killed in the attack, with four more seriously wounded. Japanese propaganda, describing the corvette as a destroyer, reported that she had been destroyed. Three United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
personnel aboard Pirie at the time (a chaplain and two officers) offered to bury the dead at sea
Burial at sea
Burial at sea describes the procedure of disposing of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship or boat. It is regularly performed by navies, but also can be done by private citizens in many countries.-By religion:...
. The chaplain later recommended that the ship and her company receive bravery honours. Both ships reached their destination.
After some repairs were effected at Oro Bay, escorted Pirie back to Milne Bay. Further temporary repairs were made, and on 14 April, the corvette sailed for Townsville in company with the sloop , before continuing on alone to Maryborough, where she arrived on 19 April.
Repairs and mutiny
During Mills' time in command, he had been a strict disciplinarian, required sailors to wear dress uniformDress uniform
Dress uniform , is the most formal military uniform, typically worn at ceremonies, official receptions, and other special occasions; with order insignias and full size medals...
s when going ashore, and over-enforced the division between officers and sailors. Mills also treated both sailors and subordinate officers with contempt: as the only member of the Permanent Navy (as opposed to the Reserve
Royal Australian Naval Reserve
The Royal Australian Naval Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Australian Navy in Australia.The current Royal Australian Naval Reserve was formed in June 1973 by merging the former RANR and the Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve....
or 'Hostilities Only' recruits), he considered himself superior to all else aboard. The entire ship's company quickly came to dislike him, and any respect for him was further undermined during the air attack at Oro Bay: sailors had witnessed Mills dive for cover when the Japanese planes attacked, forcing the Coxswain
Coxswain
The coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
to take over and fight. Mills also took to wearing a sling, despite not being wounded.
On coming alongside in Maryborough, the personnel of Pirie found that only some of their expected mail had arrived, and there was no sign of their pay. A small number of sailors were allowed home on leave, but Mills ordered the rest to remain aboard the corvette while the foredeck was stripped off and replaced, which made living conditions in the already poor messdecks much worse: those aboard were exposed to the noise of repair work, tropical heat, and ankle-deep water in the living areas. The commander himself moved ashore to a hotel, but visited the ship daily to take local dignitaries on tours and spoke of the attack. Mills' wife had travelled to Maryborough, and the ship's men were expected to salute her as if she was a naval officer. A complaint about the living conditions was made to the Coxswain to pass on to Mills, but the commander was uncompassionate. Repairs were completed on 18 May, and Pirie sailed to Townsville to await reassignment. An expected leave period before resuming duties did not eventuate. The corvette was instructed to commence patrol and escort duties along Australia's east coast, to which Mills responded with bravado. The signalman informed his shipmates of the response: some sailors later wrote that this was "the last straw".
Pirie completed her first escort run in late May: she escorted two ships from Townsville to Sydney, then joined a convoy of fourteen merchant ships and five other corvettes back to Townsville. The mood of the ship's company continued to deteriorate, and on 8 June, a large number of sailors met in the foremost messdeck. A complaint about the living conditions was made to the coxswain to pass on to Mills, but the commander was uncompassionate. They wanted to highlight their grievances and requests—a short period of shore leave while Pirie was inactive, their overdue mail to be sent to the ship, and their pay to be delivered—and resolved that the next morning, instead of reporting for duty, half the junior sailors and half the stokers would, instead of reporting for duty, "sit here and see what happens". Older sailors and anyone above the rank of able seaman
Able seaman
An able seaman is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. An AB may work as a watchstander, a day worker, or a combination of these roles.-Watchstander:...
were not allowed to participate, so the corvette could deploy immediately if necessary, and there were no repercussions those who had families to support and might wish to continue their naval career after the war.
The next morning, when the order to assemble for morning duties was piped, 45 men failed to respond, and asked to discuss their grievances with Mills. Mills instructed the First Lieutenant and the Coxswain to order the sailors to the quarterdeck. Each sailor was given a direct order, and when all had refused, they were deemed to be in a state of mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
. The sailors did not know how to proceed, so continued to sit and wait in the messdecks. The Coxswain returned to collect a list of grievances, and was met by shouts from all sides, some of which had little or no connection to the sailors' original reasonings. Another pipe, this time for all personnel to assemble aft, was made, and again, the 45 sailors stayed where they were. Mills, who had received the list, informed those assembled how disappointed he was in the actions of the ship's company, then went ashore to meet with the Naval Officer in Charge (NOIC). Although attending the midday meal, the 45 sailors did not report for afternoon duties, and it was not until 1720, with the NOIC aboard, that they obeyed an order to fall in with the rest of the ship's company on the aft quarterdeck. During the afternoon, an armed guard was stationed on the dock alongside Pirie, and the ship's 12-pounder had been disabled. After reading the relevant passages from the Articles of War, the NOIC instructed anyone unwilling to work to stand aside; nobody did. The ship's company were informed that Pirie would sail for Cid Harbour that evening.
On arrival at Cid Harbour early on 10 June, Mills was informed that a Board of Inquiry, consisting of senior officers from HMA Ships and would be convened at 1100. 24 sailors were called before the Inquiry, and had to testify without formal representation. As the Inquiry was unable to identify any ringleaders, the problem was handed back to Mills to deal with as he saw fit. On 15 June, Mills summarily chared twelve men with joining a mutinous assembly (including one who had not participated), and two others with disobeying instructions to persuade the others to return to duty. Ten were sent to Stuart's Creek Gaol for periods between 21 and 60 days, then assigned to other ships, while the other four were punished less severely and remained aboard. This was despite the Articles of War prohibiting charges of mutiny being laid without a court martial, and no opportunity to defend themselves or request clemency was offered. The sailors claimed that the decision to disobey orders had come from a consensus of frustration, and later theorised that those punished had either witness the commander's actions during the air attack, or were the ones most likely to speak up for themselves against Mills.
The evidence collected by the Inquiry led the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board
Australian Commonwealth Naval Board
The Australian Commonwealth Naval Board was the governing authority over the Royal Australian Navy from its inception and through World Wars I and II. The board was established on 1 March 1911 and consisted of civilian members of the Australian government as well as naval flag officers....
to conclude that Mills had failed to respond quickly and appropriately to the sailors' actions, and he was transferred to the training base in December. Pirie continued on convoy duties until sailing to Sydney for a refit in December. During his final months in command, Mills attempted to reassert his authority through the use of increasingly frequent disciplinary punishments for minor breaches, such as failing to properly lash hammocks, or washing clothes in the wrong place. Mills' replacement, Lieutenant Commander D. L. Thompson, noted a dramatic improvement in the attitude and discipline of the ship's company when he took command.
1944-45
After the December 1943 refit, Pirie was assigned to patrol and escort duties out of Darwin. During the second half of 1944, the ship operated in the Great Barrier ReefGreat Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
as a minesweeper. In November, Pirie was attached to the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
's Minesweeping Flotilla.
In July 1945, the corvette was used as a convoy escort off Okinawa and Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
. Pirie was the third Australian warship to enter Japanese territorial waters during the war, entering Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
on 31 August 1945. She remained in Tokyo Bay until mid-September and was present on Victory over Japan Day
Victory over Japan Day
Victory over Japan Day is a name chosen for the day on which the Surrender of Japan occurred, effectively ending World War II, and subsequent anniversaries of that event...
(2 September 1945), when the Japanese Instrument of Surrender
Japanese Instrument of Surrender
The Japanese Instrument of Surrender was the written agreement that enabled the Surrender of Japan, marking the end of World War II. It was signed by representatives from the Empire of Japan, the United States of America, the Republic of China, the United Kingdom, the Union of Soviet Socialist...
was signed.
Piries wartime service is recognised by three battle honour
Battle honour
A battle honour is an award of a right by a government or sovereign to a military unit to emblazon the name of a battle or operation on its flags , uniforms or other accessories where ornamentation is possible....
s: "Pacific 1942-45", "New Guinea 1943-44", and "Okinawa 1945".
Post-war handover
Pirie returned to Sydney in February 1946. She was decommissioned from RAN service on 5 April, and was immediately recommissioned into the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as HMS Pirie. On 21 May, Pirie, along with sister ships and , sailed for Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
for transfer into the Turkish Navy
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
.