HMAS Wato

HMAS Wato (W127) was a tug boat operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. During World War I she was operated by the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean Sea. She later operated as a tug boat for the Adelaide Steam Tug Company before being requisitioned by the RAN.[3] She was scrapped in 1955.

HMAS Wato
Wato just prior to being requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy.
History
Australia
NameWato[1]
OwnerAdelaide Steam Tug Company
BuilderJ. T. Eltringham & Company
Launched14 July 1904[2]
History
Australia
NameWato
Commissioned11 May 1941
Decommissioned12 November 1945
Honours and
awards
FateReturned to owners; scrapped 1955
General characteristics
TypeTug boat
Tonnage292 GRT[3]
Length125 ft (38 m)[3]
Beam23.7 ft (7.2 m)[3]
Depth12.4 ft (3.8 m)[3]
Installed powerTriple expansion steam[2] 182 hp (136 kW)[3]
Armament2 × .303-inch Vickers machine gun

Operational history

Built by J. T. Eltringham & Company, South Shields in 1904 for the Adelaide Steam Tug Company and arrived in Australia in October 1904.[2] Wato served with the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during World War I.

After being requisitioned by the RAN on 11 May 1941, she was sent to Darwin, Northern Territory. During the Japanese air raid on Darwin on 19 February 1942 she pulled an oil lighter clear of Barossa, and then pulled Barossa away from the MV Neptuna, only moments before Neptuna exploded. As the war moved away from Australia, Wato operated around New Guinea until 1944 before being operated out of Sydney at the end of the war. The vessel earned a single battle honour, "Darwin 1942", for her wartime service.[4][5]

She was returned to owners and was later scrapped in 1955.

References
  1. "Details of the Ship". Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  2. "The New Tug Wato". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 September 1904. p. 8. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  3. "Lloyds Register" (PDF). Plimsoll Ship Data. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  4. "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  5. "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.


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