Name Almeria
Goolgwai Commissioned 6 October 1939 Tonnage 273 gross tonnage | Name Goolgwai Decommissioned 1945 Launched 1919 | |
Owner Red Funnell Trawler Pty Ltd | ||
HMAS Goolgwai was an auxiliary minesweeper operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. She was launched in 1919 by Collingwood Shipbuilding Company at Collingwood, Ontario, Canada as Almeria. The ship operated in Australian waters from 1928, and was requisitioned by the RAN on 3 September 1939. She was returned to her owners in 1945 before being wrecked near Malabar, Sydney on 29 May 1955.
Operational history
Goolgwai was purchased by the Red Funnell Trawler Pty Ltd and sailed from Fleetwood, England to Sydney, Australia in 1928. On 3 September 1939, Goolgwai was requisitioned by the RAN for use as an auxiliary and commissioned on 6 October 1939.
During the war, Goolgwai was based initially in Sydney with Minesweeping Group 50 and operated along the New South Wales coastline before later operating in the Cape York/Thursday Island region. She was returned to her owners in November 1945.
On 29 May 1955, Goolgwai was wrecked after hitting rocks near Malabar, Sydney.