HMAS Black Snake
HMAS Black Snake was a Snake-class junk built for the Royal Australian Navy during the Second World War. She was launched in 1944 and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy on 30 December 1944. She was used by the Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD) and was paid off on 3 November 1945, before being handed over to the British Civil Administration in Borneo.[1]
 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Name: | HMAS Black Snake |
| Builder: | J.J. Savage and Sons, Williamstown |
| Launched: | 1944 |
| In service: | 30 December 1944 |
| Out of service: | 3 November 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Snake-class junk |
| Tonnage: | 80 tons (gross) |
| Length: | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Beam: | 17 ft (5.2 m) |
| Depth: | 7.6 ft (2.3 m) |
| Installed power: | Gray Marine 64 YTL diesel, single screw, 300 hp (220 kW) |
| Speed: | 9 knots (17 km/h) |
| Range: | 500 nautical miles (930 km) |
| Capacity: | 20 tons of cargo |
| Complement: | 9 |
| Armament: | Two Oerlikon 20 mm cannon, three or four M2 Browning machine guns or Bren Guns |
On 26 April 1945 HMAS Black Snake, commanded by Sub-Lieutenant John Key, deployed a party of nine SRD operatives, called Giraffe 3, in the Celebes area. They anchored off the west coast of Maloe Island. Using Hoehn military folboats (collapsible kayak) the party of four including Key landed at Pasirpoeth to repair native boats. Some then sailed on to nearby Tifore Island to give assistance and medical attention to natives. On 30 April 1945, Black Snake returned to Morotai.[2]
On 16 May 1945, a party of SRD operatives, codenamed Swift, went to Loloda Island in the Celebes via HMAS Blacksnake and used a folboat to go ashore and gather general intelligence.[2]
Notes
- Straczek 1996.
- Hoehn 2011, p. 71.
References
- Hoehn, John (2011). Commando Kayak: The Role of the Folboat in the Pacific War. Zurich, Switzerland: Hirsch. ISBN 978-3-033-01717-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Straczek, J.H. (1996). Royal Australian Navy: A-Z Ships, Aircraft and Shore Establishments. Sydney: Navy Public Affairs. ISBN 1876043784.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Further reading
- Corvettes. Australia's Naval Patrol Forces. Photofile No. 10. Marrickille: Topmill. 2001. ISBN 1-876860-21-9.