Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Gascoyne, a minehunter vessel, berthed at Bundaberg Port on Saturday morning.
According to the Royal Australia Navy, HMAS Gascoyne II is the fourth of the six Huon Class Minehunters.
She was launched on 11 March 2000 and is based in Sydney at HMAS Waterhen.
HMAS Gascoyne is a large minehunter by world standards, weighing in at 720 tonne, 52.5metres and is propelled by a V8 diesel engine driving a controllable pitch propeller in transit, and three retractable thrusters while minehunting.
Gascoyne is the second Royal Australian Navy ship to carry the name.
HMAS Gascoyne (I) was Australia’s first River Class Anti-Submarine Frigate that served with distinction during World War II.
“In October 1944, while surveying for the US landings at Leyte Gulf, Gascoyne (I) experienced 39 air attacks and saw 30 Japanese aircraft destroyed,” the Navy website said.
“In July 1945, she provided bombardment support for the Australian troop landings in the Balikpapan area of Borneo.”
Origins of the Gascoyne name
The Gascoyne is an area of undefined boundaries in north-west Western Australia.
The area takes its name from the Gascoyne River, Western Australia’s longest river (820 km) that is approximately 800km north of Perth.
According to the Royal Australia Navy, George Grey named it in 1839 “after my friend, CAPT J. Gascoyne”.
The original HMAS Gascoyne was named after this river.
The Gascoyne Region is about twice the size of Tasmania and incorporates some key coastal geographic features including: Ningaloo Reef and Marine Park, Coral Bay, Cape Range National Park and the Shark Bay World Heritage Area.
The region also contains Mt Augustus – the world’s largest monocline.
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