# Coastal Forces of the Royal Australian Navy

Coastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy established during World War II. It consisted of small coastal defence craft such as motor launches, submarine chasers, air-sea rescue launches, motor gun boats and motor torpedo boats. It did not include minesweepers, trawlers or landing craft. This article is about the equivalent boats used by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

## Units and craft

It included the following types of coastal defence craft:
| Type | Built | Lost | Notes |
| Harbour defence motor launch Fairmile B motor launch | 31 35 | 2 | |
31 harbour defence motor launches (HDMLs) and 35 Fairmile B motor launches entered service from October 1942. They were employed on routine patrols, convoy escorts, running special forces in and out of Japanese-held areas, boom defence patrols in harbours at home and abroad, courier operations, survey work, and raiding Japanese-held coasts.

## RAN HDMLs

| Ship | Builder | Commissioned | Career | Fate |
| HDML 1074 | L. Robinson, UK | 7 August 1940 (UK) | | Sold on 24 January 1948 |
| HDML 1125 | Berthon Boats, UK | 28 April 1942 (UK) | | Ex-RN trans to RAN 1943. Trans to Royal Indian Navy 1944 |
| HDML 1129 | Thornycrofts, UK | 7 November 1942 (UK) | | Sold in December 1947 |
| HDML 1161 | Sittinghouse, UK | 9 January 1943 (UK) | | Sold on 10 December 1947 |
| HDML 1321 | Purdon, Aust | 11 November 1943 | Z Special Unit during WW2 | Named Rushcutter in 1950s. Sold in August 1971. Sank in Darwin Harbour, 19 October 2016. |
| HDML 1322 | Purdon, Aust | 17 January 1944 | | Wrecked at North Head, Sydney, 5 August 1952 |
| HDML 1323 | MacFarlane, Aust | 21 June 1944 | | Royal Navy 1950. Transferred to Philippines in 1958. |
| HDML 1324 | MacFarlane, Aust | 12 June 1944 | | Named Huon/Nepean in 1957? Laid up and dismantled, 1982 |
| HDML 1325 | E. Jack, Aust | 4 November 1943 | | Named Leeuwin in 1950s. Active 1988 |
| HDML 1326 | E. Jack, Aust | 19 January 1944 | | Royal Navy 1950. Transferred to Philippines in 1958. |
| HDML 1327 | Purdon, Aust | 29 May 1944 | | Sold 1958 |
| HDML 1328 | MacFarlane, Aust | 16 Jan 1945 | | Royal Navy 1950. Transferred to Philippines in 1958. |
| HDML 1329 | E. Jack, Aust | 14 June 1944 | | Royal Navy 1950. Transferred to Philippines in 1958. |
| HDML 1338 | C.P. Leek, USA | 31 May 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1339 | C.P. Leek, USA | 15 June 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1340 | L.S. Thorson, USA | 12 May 1944 | | Sold 1948 |
| HDML 1341 | L.S. Thorson, USA | 1 December 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1342 | L.S. Thorson, USA | 24 July 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1343 | L.S. Thorson, USA | 3 October 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1344 | Truscott, USA? | | Not commissioned | Placed in reserve on 26 October 1945 |
| HDML 1345 | Truscott, USA? | | Not commissioned | Placed in reserve on 26 October 1945 |
| HDML 1346 | Truscott, USA | 6 January 1945 | | Paid off 1945. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1347 | Truscott, USA | 1 January 1945 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1352 | Freeport, USA | 12 May 1944 | | Sold 1948 |
| HDML 1353 | Freeport, USA | 18 October 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1354 | Freeport, USA | 11 December 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1355 | Freeport, USA | 11 December 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1356 | Elscot, USA | 20 December 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1357 | Elscot, USA | 4 November 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1358 | Elscot, USA | 21 October 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |
| HDML 1359 | Elscot, USA | 22 September 1944 | | Paid off 1946. Returned to USN under lend-lease? |

## RAN Fairmiles

A Fairmile school was established at HMAS Rushcutter on 1 June 1942. The first Australian Fairmile, ML 813, entered service at the end of that year. Originally designed in the UK for coastal anti-submarine and convoy duties, the RAN Fairmiles performed these and a variety of other functions. Their tasks included convoy escort, servicing and supporting advancing troops, landing and recovering commandos and coastwatchers, rescuing civilians from enemy occupied territories, and invasion escort.
| Ship | Builder | Commissioned | Fate |
| ML 424 | Green Point, NSW | 28 January 1943 | Listed for disposal in March 1947 and sold in August, 1947. This was purchased by Roylen Cruises, Mackay, Queensland. The name came from the last three letters of the founder's son Fitzroy and his daughter Helen. In the mid-1970s it was sold and renamed Reef Princess. It met its fate off Townsville on Wheelers Reef in 1981. This story was covered in a newspaper article entitled "Death of a Princess". |
| ML 425 | Green Point, NSW | 6 Feb 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 426 | Green Point, NSW | 5 Mar 1943 | Sold July, 1947 |
| ML 427 | Green Point, NSW | 15 Mar 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 428 | Green Point, NSW | 31 Mar 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 429 | Green Point, NSW | 15 Apr 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 430 | Green Point, NSW | 6 May 1943 | Lost in a "friendly fire" incident with ML819 in New Guinea waters, 13 August 1944, when the two vessels were hunting a Japanese submarine. |
| ML 431 | Green Point, NSW | 14 May 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 801 | Green Point, NSW | 29 May 1943 | Sold September, 1947 |
| ML 802 | Green Point, NSW | 15 Jun 1943 | Sold December, 1947 |
| ML 803 | Green Point, NSW | 3 Jul 1943 | Sold December, 1947 |
| ML 804 | Green Point, NSW | 15 Jul 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 805 | Green Point, NSW | 3 Aug 1943 | Sold January, 1948 |
| ML 806 | Green Point, NSW | 8 Sep 1943 | Sold December, 1947 |
| ML 807 | Green Point, NSW | 13 Sep 1943 | Sold November, 1947 |
| ML 808 | Green Point, NSW | 23 Sep 1943 | Sold December, 1947 |
| ML 809 | Green Point, NSW | 8 Oct 1943 | Sold August, 1947. This vessel was acquired by Northern Plywood at Cairns and later acquired (1952) by McLean's Roylen Cruises and renamed Roylen Star. It was commanded by Fitzroy McLean with engineer John Lacey for much of its Roylen service. It was sold in 1979 and sank near Palm Island in about 1979. |
| ML 810 | Green Point, NSW | 25 Oct 1943 | This vessel was named Ajax and fitted out as a luxury cruiser with all internal fittings fitted out in mahogany. It was refitted with two Hall Scott petrol engines and was believed to be able to reach speeds in excess of 20 knots. When it was acquired by Roylen Cruises it was renamed Petaj, the first 3 letters of the son of Fitzroy McLean and the last two letters of the Ajax, as it was believed to be bad luck to completely change a vessels name. The petrol engines were removed as they were prone to fire and it was refitted with two cat diesel engines, giving it a speed of approximately 16 knots. This vessel was used for more up market guests and was also used (between the 15 to 18 July 1966) for HRH Prince Charles to cruise the Barrier Reef. This trip was commanded by Captain Fitzroy McLean. Petaj was badly damaged in Cyclone Kerry in the late 1970s, but was later repaired. In the mid-1990s Petaj was used in the Solomon Islands for a Fishing / local buying vessel. It was surrounded by controversy and later sank near Munda in the Solomon Islands. It is believed that it was later refloated by a dive operation from Gizo which took it to a side of Gizo and resunk it as a dive site, near Plum Pudding Island where President John F Kennedy's PT 109 was cut in half in an area known as "The Slot" |
| ML 811 | Green Point, NSW | 5 Nov 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 812 | Green Point, NSW | 4 Dec 1943 | Sold November, 1947 |
| ML 813 | Halvorsen, NSW | 16 Nov 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 814 | Halvorsen, NSW | 1 Jan 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 815 | N. Wright, Qld | 11 Jan 1943 | Sold November, 1947 |
| ML 816 | N. Wright, Qld | 2 Jun 1943 | Sold August, 1949 |
| ML 817 | Halvorsen, NSW | 16 Feb 1943 | Sold November, 1947 |
| ML 818 | Halvorsen, NSW | 29 Mar 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 819 | Halvorsen, NSW | 10 Mat 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 820 | Halvorsen, NSW | 21 Jun 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 821 | Halvorsen, NSW | 27 Jul 1943 | Sold August, 1947 |
| ML 822 | Halvorsen, NSW | 30 Aug 1943 | Sold January, 1943 |
| ML 823 | Halvorsen, NSW | 30 Sep 1943 | Sold October, 1947. This was operated by Loch Nicholson from Lindeman Island under the name of Esmeralda, but later was purchased by the Evetts family and renamed the Elizabeth E which operated similar cruises to that of Roylen Cruises. The Evetts were so impressed with the design that they later had another vessel built in a very similar design to that of the original Fairmile. |
| ML 824 | Halvorsen, NSW | 18 Nov 1943 | Sold November, 1947 |
| ML 825 | Halvorsen, NSW | 1 Feb 1944 | Sold January 1948 |
| ML 826 | N. Wright, Qld | 1 Jan 1944 | Sold November, 1947 |
| ML 827 | N. Wright, Qld | 19 Apr 1944 | Grounded at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain on 17 November 1944, sank while under tow by Cambrian Salvor off New Britain on 20 November 1944. |
| ML 828 | N. Wright, Qld | Order cancelled | |

## Surviving craft

One Fairmile survives as Challenger 1, based in Melbourne for charter. It went to Fremantle in 1962, then to Gold Coast in 1977. It was upgraded there with a more-upmarket fitout. The previous east-coast survivor was an ex Roylen Cruises fairmile, Roylen Sandra which sank in a creek at Ingham in 2010. The fate of second last to stay afloat was ex HML 815 which became Roylen Pataj (named after the son and grandson of the operators of Roylen Cruises, Peter with the last letters of AJAX as it was known) this sank Rendova Island in the Solomon Islands and was later raised and sunk again near Kennedy Island near Gizo as dive site by the local scuba diving company. Petaj was fitted out as a luxury cruiser and was also used to ferry HRH Prince Charles around the Barrier Reef in 1965 before being acquired by Roylen Cruises.