7 November

Moored in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown is a unique example of Victoria's proud naval history.

HMAS Castlemaine was one of 60 Bathurst Class Corvettes built in Australia during the Second World War. She was added to the Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) in 2020.

Bathurst Class Corvettes were produced in eight shipyards across the country with a new ship commissioned on average every twenty-six days. It was Australia’s largest shipbuilding program in history. Castlemaine is one of only two surviving examples of this class in Australia. She is also the last intact Second World War-era naval ship in Victoria.

Castlemaine was constructed at Williamstown Naval Dockyard at a cost of £250,000. First launched in August 1941, she saw service in the Pacific theatre from 1942-1945. Taking in stops in northern Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Hong Kong, Castlemaine was primarily used for minesweeping, convoy escort and transport duties.

She returned to Australia in November 1945. In the following decades, she was on reserve duties and used as a training vessel. The Maritime Trust of Australia was established in 1974 to restore and preserve the vessel as a museum.

Castlemaine is open to the public on weekends and public holidays. She stands as a symbol of Victoria’s role in our nation’s defence.

You can find out more about HMAS Castlemaine at the links below.

Page last updated: 07/11/24