HMAS Lismore (J145)

HMAS Lismore (J145/B247/A121), named for the city of Lismore, New South Wales, was one of 60 Bathurst class corvettes to be constructed during World War II, and one of 20 to be manned and commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) under Admiralty order. During her Australian service, Lismore covered 191132 nmi, and spent the longest period away from Australia of any RAN vessel during World War II; 1,409 days. Serving with the RAN for five years, Lismore later spent twelve years as part of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN), classified as the frigate HNLMS Batjan.

Construction
Lismore was laid down by Morts Dock & Engineering Co in Sydney on 26 February 1940. She was launched on 10 August 1940 by the wife of Commodore Gerard Muirhead-Gould, the Naval-Officer-in-Charge Sydney, and commissioned on 25 January 1941.

Operational service
From December 1941 Lismore operated with the British Eastern Fleet. On 17 June 1943 when the British troopship SS Yoma was sunk off the coast of Libya, Lismore and her sister ship HMAS Gawler (J188) were among the ships that rescued 1,477 survivors. In December 1944 Lismore was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet.

The corvette earned four battle honours for her wartime service: "Indian Ocean 1941-44", "Sicily 1943", "Pacific 1945", and "Okinawa 1945".

Lismore was paid off from RAN service on 3 July 1946, transferring immediately into the Royal Netherlands Navy, where she was renamed HNLMS Batjan and reclassified as a frigate. She was removed from service in 1958.

Affiliations

 * TS Lismore, Australian Navy Cadets