HMAS Warrnambool (J202), named for the city of Warrnambool, Victoria was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned solely by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Warrnambool sank after she hit a mine in the Great Barrier Reef on 13 September 1947. She was one of only four Bathurst class corvettes lost while in Australian service, and the only one lost after World War II.
Following the conclusion of World War II, Warrnambool performed mine clearance work in the Solomon and New Guinea Islands before moving to the Great Barrier Reef. While performing clearance work on 13 September 1947, the corvette hit a mine around 16:00 near Cockburn Reef, off the northern Queensland coast. Four sailors were killed and another 29 were injured. Warrnambool sank shortly afterward, in 25 metres (82 ft) of water. The wreck was sold to Southern Cross Diving and Salvage on 3 July 1972. A Board of Inquiry found that there was no culpable negligence in the loss of the corvette, and praised the conduct of her crew and commanding officer. Warrnambool is the only RAN ship to be sunk by a mine. A survey conducted in 2016 by HMAS Mermaid found that the wreck of Warrnambool remained largely intact.
The corvette's wartime service was recognised with three battle honours: "Darwin 1942", "Pacific 1942–45", and "New Guinea 1942".
As a Letterbox Hybrid cache, you will find a logbook AND a Stamp. The stamp is not a trade item but intended to stay within the cache. Use it to stamp your own notebook, and stamp the logbook with your own personal stamp, OR alternatively, simply date and sign the logbook as you would normally do at any other geocache. Again, the stamp and logbook remain in the letterbox for the next visitor to use.