HMAS Castlemaine HMAS " Castlemaine " ( J244 / M244 / A248 ) , named for the city of Castlemaine , Victoria , was one of 60 " Bathurst " class corvettes constructed during World War II , and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) . Launched in 1941 and commissioned in 1942 , " Castlemaine " operated during World War II in the waters of Australia , New Guinea , and Timor . She remained in service until 1945 , when she was decommissioned into reserve and converted into an immobilised training ship . In 1973 , " Castlemaine " was presented to the Maritime Trust of Australia for conversion of a museum ship . She is one of two surviving examples of the " Bathurst " class , the other being HMAS " Whyalla " . Construction . " Castlemaine " was laid down by HMA Naval Dockyard in Williamstown , Victoria on 17 February 1941 . She was launched on 7 August 1941 by Dame Pattie Menzies , wife of the then Prime Minister of Australia , Sir Robert Menzies . The corvette was commissioned into the RAN at Melbourne on 17 June 1942 . Operational history . After commissioning , " Castlemaine " sailed to Sydney , where she was involved in training exercises and convoy escort along the east coast of Australia . On the night of 11 August 1942 , the corvette collided with a Manly ferry , requiring a week of repairs at Cockatoo Island Dockyard . After repairs , " Castlemaine " was ordered to Townsville , then assigned to Darwin in October : at both locations the ship was tasked with supporting and supplying Allied guerrilla operations in Timor . In late November 1942 , the RAN was called on to evacuate the commandoes of the 2 / 2nd Independent Company ( an evacuation attempt in September failed when the destroyer grounded and was scuttled after being badly damaged by attacking Japanese aircraft ) , a contingent of Dutch troops , and over 100 Portuguese civilians , while delivering a relief contingent . " Castlemaine " , sister ship , and the auxiliary patrol boat were assigned to the operation by Commodore Cuthbert Pope , Naval Officer in Charge Darwin , with " Castlemaine " the commanding ship . The plan was for " Kuru " to reach Betano Bay early on the night of 30 November , offload supplies , and take on the civilians . The two corvettes were to arrive two hours later ; " Kuru " would deliver her passengers to " Castlemaine " , which was to head for Darwin at first opportunity , then shuttle relief troops aboard " Armidale " to shore while evacuating the soldiers . The corvettes sailed from Darwin at midday on 29 November , leaving just as Japanese aircraft flew over the harbour . At 09 : 00 on 30 November , the two ships were located by a Japanese reconnaissance plane , but were unable to shoot it down . Because of the likelihood of attack during the day and the distance from the destination , the ships radioed Darwin and suggested that the mission be aborted , but Pope instructed they were to continue after steering away from their intended destination for an hour , and promised fighter support . " Armidale " and " Castlemaine " were attacked at midday by 14 Japanese bombers , but these were driven off by a force of Bristol Beaufighter s , which then returned to Australia . Another attack came at 14 : 00 , but neither side was able to do damage . Delays from the evasive course and two air attacks meant the corvettes reached Betano Bay after 02 : 30 on 1 December , with no sign of " Kuru " , and retreated to sea . " Kuru " was sighted at daybreak - assuming the covettes were not coming , her commander chose to sail for Darwin with the civilians - and the civilians were transferred to " Castlemaine " . Although as senior ship , " Castlemaine " s commanding officer felt he should return to Betano Bay with the soldiers , the troops were aboard the other corvette , and at 11 : 00 he ordered ( with Commodore Pope ' s approval ) " Armidale " and " Kuru " to return by separate routes and attempt the operation again that night . Although " Castlemaine " returned without trouble , " Armidale " was attacked and sunk by Japanese aircraft on 1 December . On 15 December , " Castlemaine " was escorting the merchant ships " Period " and " James Cook " to Thursday Island when they were attacked by Japanese aircraft . Four of " Period " s crew were killed , and the three ships were attacked two more times on 15 December , and a fourth time on 16 December . No further damage was sustained , with the aircraft driven off by the corvette ' s anti - aircraft armament on all four occasions . Following the Allied withdrawal from Timor in early 1943 , " Castlemaine " was assigned to minesweeping and escort duties in northern Australian waters . This continued until the end of 1943 , when she was reassigned to the convoy escort role between Queensland and New Guinea . In August 1944 , the corvette was tasked with survey duties in Australia waters , before sailing to Hong Kong for the Japanese surrender in September 1945 . The ship was granted three battle honour s for her wartime service : " Darwin 1942 - 43 " , " Pacific 1942 - 43 " , and " New Guinea 1942 - 44 " . Decommissioning . Post - decommissioning service . " Castlemaine " paid off to reserve on 14 December 1945 . She was immobilised at HMAS " Cerberus " at Crib Point in Victoria as a training hulk for Engine Room Artificers , who ran the boilers in part providing steam heating throughout the base . During this period , she was also used for damage control training for service personnel . Preservation . In September 1973 , " Castlemaine " was presented as a gift to the Maritime Trust of Australia from the Australian Government . Transferred into Trust ownership by the end of 1973 , minus most of the original fittings , " Castlemaine " was restored and converted into a museum ship . " Castlemaine " is presently berthed at Gem Pier , Williamstown , Victoria , adjacent to the historic Customs House . The ship is not capable of sailing , as the main mess deck houses a museum , and the engines have been converted to run on compressed air , displaying their mechanical operation to visitors .