HMAS Gull

History
United Kingdom
Name:	Swanston
Builder:	J. S. Doig Limited
Fate:	Sold to Australia
Australia
Name:	Gull
Acquired:	1961
Commissioned:	19 July 1962
Decommissioned:	7 November 1969
Honours and awards:	Battle honours: Malaysia 1964–66
Fate:	Decommissioned
General characteristics
Class and type:	Ton-class minesweeper
Displacement:	440 tons
Length:	152 ft (46 m)
Beam:	28 ft (8.5 m)
Draught:	8 ft (2.4 m)
Propulsion:	Originally Mirrlees diesel, later Napier Deltic, producing 3,000 shp (2,200 kW) on each of two shafts
Speed:	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement:	33
Armament:	1 × Bofors 40 mm gun 1 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon 1 × M2 Browning machine gun

HMAS Gull (M 1185) (formerly HMS Swanston) was a Ton-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Construction

The ship was built by J. S. Doig Limited at Grimsby, England for the RN. The ship was commissioned as HMS Swanston.

Operational history

Australia

The minesweeper was sold to the RAN in 1961, and was recommissioned as HMAS Gull on 19 July 1962.

During the mid-1960s, Gull was one of several ships operating in support of the Malaysian government during the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation. This service was later recognised with the battle honour "Malaysia 1964–66".^[1][2]

Decommissioning and fate

HMAS Gull paid off on 7 November 1969.

References

1. "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.
2. "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.