HMAS Gympie

HMAS Gympie (J238/M238), named for the city of Gympie, Queensland, 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).

Construction
Gympie was laid down by Evans Deakin & Co at Brisbane, Queensland on 27 August 1941. She was launched on 30 January 1942 by Mrs Deakin, wife of the managing director, and commissioned into the RAN in Brisbane on 4 November 1942.

Operational history
From November 1942 to February 1944, Gympie escorted convoys off Australia's east coast. While none of the convoys under her protection were attacked, she came to the aid of the torpedoed US ship Peter H. Burnett in January 1943. Following a refit Gympie was deployed to New Guinean waters in February 1944, where she was used for escort and anti-submarine patrol duties. She returned to Australia in February 1945 for a refit and was returned to New Guinea in July 1945.

Following the end of World War II, Gympie participated in surrender ceremonies at Dili on 24 September and Kupang on 3 October, after which she performed survey work in the area. In November, the corvette collided with the merchant vessel SS Tullahoma, and returned to Brisbane for minor repairs.

The ship received two battle honours for her wartime service: "Pacific 1943-45" and "New Guinea 1943-44".

Decommissioning and fate
Gympie was decommissioned into reserve in Brisbane on 23 May 1946. In early November 1947, she was towed to Sydney by sister ship Lithgow.

Gympie was sold for scrapping on 6 January 1961 to Kinoshita (Australia) Pty Ltd.