HMAS Kimbla
Royal Australian Navy ship
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HMAS Kimbla was a boom defence vessel of the Royal Australian Navy from 1956 until 1985.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia | |
| Builder | Walkers |
| Laid down | 4 November 1953 |
| Launched | 23 March 1956 |
| Commissioned | 26 March 1956 |
| Decommissioned | 15 February 1985 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 733 t (721 long tons) |
| Length | 54.56 m (179 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 9.75 m (32 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | 3.66 m (12 ft 0 in) |
| Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 40 |
History
HMAS Kimbla was built by Walkers of Maryborough, Queensland, being commissioned on 26 March 1956. It operated in Australian and New Guinea waters, laying and maintaining moorings. Built as a boom defence vessel, it was converted to an oceanographic research ship in 1959.[1][2]
Kimbla participated in a number of salvage operations. In June 1960 it was involved in the recovery of a Trans Australia Airlines Flight 538 followed in November 1961 by Ansett-ANA Flight 325.[3] In October 1962 it was involved in the recovery of a RAN Sea Venom aircraft off Jervis Bay and in 1978 of a General Dynamics F-111C off New Zealand.[1][2]
On 31 August 1979, a crewman was washed overboard in heavy seas while the ship was leaving Port Phillip Bay.[4] When it was decommissioned on 15 February 1985, Kimbla was the last RAN ship to use a reciprocating steam engine as a form of propulsion.[2][5]