Move to save historic Angus-built warship

MONTROSE: Bid to raise funds to save ex-minesweeper described as a ‘national treasure’

A forgotten warship built in Montrose and described as “irreplaceable” is in danger of being scrapped.

HMAS Curlew was built in 1953 by Montrose Ship Building Company Ltd as a minesweeper and was accepted into service with the Royal Navy as HMS Chediston.

She was renamed HMS Montrose and, from August 1955 to October 1957, was used by the Tay Division of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve.

Subsequently, she reverted to her former name and was placed in storage until purchased by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in the 1960s.

Curlew was converted into Australia’s first mine-hunter in 1967 and served with the Royal Australian Navy for 28 years – clearing Second World War-era mines from the waters around Papua New Guinea, being one of the first ships to respond to the Melbourne–Voyager disaster in February 1964 and helping Darwin get back on its feet after Cyclone Tracy in 1974.

During the month-long operation, several sunken trawlers and other navigational hazards were located, most of them victims of the cyclone, and whose fate had been unknown.

Curlew had steamed more than 400,000 nautical miles in 40,000 hours before she was decommissioned in April 1990 and appeared to vanish.

Curlew’s new owner, Kris Mitchell, fell in love with the ship when he first saw it 20 years ago. But with a price tag of close to $1 million at the time, he could not afford it. In April this year, he paid $1 for the old minesweeper – which has been sitting in southern Tasmania – but the bills are growing and the warship is in danger of being scrapped unless $100,000 is raised.

Mr Mitchell has starting fundraising to save the minesweeper. He described Curlew as an “irreplaceable part of maritime and naval history spanning both the UK and Australia”.

“A simple task has become a complex one and moving Curlew to a safe port away from Tasmania is imperative,” he said. “There is money owed now due to works looking after her and the bills are growing. Her scrap value is very high and I am under enormous pressure to order this and remove a problem but this is not the right way.

“She needs to be preserved but without help we cannot do that and now it is time to ask for some serious help. She is a national treasure and hopefully the nation will both see and ensure this.”

See www.gofundme.com/5jfg3wg

Top: the ship in its heyday. Above: Curlew docked in southern Tasmania, from where it needs to be moved.