HMAS 'King Bay' (AV 708) reference to salvage of flying boat

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silvano jung
2nd Lieutenant
Posts: 23
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Location: Darwin, Northern Territory
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HMAS 'King Bay' (AV 708) reference to salvage of flying boat

Post by silvano jung »

Dear all

I am seeking a reference to HMAS 'King Bay' having been in Broome, Western Australia, in 1942/43. The vessel was reported to have been there to salvage the 3 March 1942 flying boat wrecks.

This salvage history of the vessel is mentioned in the website below:

http://users.chariot.net.au/~lenshome/index.htm

I've looked at Nesdale's 'Small ships at war: they joined the R.A.N.' (1993), but it did not mention the 'King Bay' in Broome.

The other reference mention is 'Warships of World War II' by HT Lenton and JJ Colledge. It's a rare book and have not been able to get it on inter-library loan as most libraries that have this book, keep it in their reference collection. If anyone has this reference, could they look-up 'King Bay' as see if the vessel's mission in Broome is recorded there? If the vessel is mentioned, please provide me with full bibliographic details.

Thanking you in advance
Silvano
Dr. Silvano Jung

Daniel Leahy
Lt Col
Posts: 284
Joined: Mon Dec 16, 2002 10:21 pm
Location: Australia
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Post by Daniel Leahy »

I've done a bit of a search on NAA and came across a couple of items that may be of interest:

HMAS King Bay - Provisional Scheme of Complement - 9 February 1943
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/ItemDet ... &B=3374400
This would have been around the end of the three month mission at Broome.

Ships Standing Orders - HMAS King Bay - 1943
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/ItemDet ... 0&B=472598

Sorry I couldn't be of any more assistance. Good luck with your search...
Daniel J. Leahy
Australia

AIR POWER ARCHAEOLOGY
http://www.airpowerarchaeologyc.com

silvano jung
2nd Lieutenant
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2002 12:44 am
Location: Darwin, Northern Territory
Contact:

HMAS 'King Bay' (AV 708) reference to salvage of flying boat

Post by silvano jung »

Hi Daniel

Thanks for your response. From an interview with Claude Choules in 2003 (WWII RAN demolitions expert), it has been determined that 'King Bay' was in Broome from December 1942 until February 1943. No ship's logs have survived or reached archives for this period. Finding these logs would be like finding gold, in terms of finding out what the ship and her divers did to the flying boat wrecks in Broome. See below for additional reading:

Choules-Edinger, D. and Marsh, G. 2003. ‘WA’s Pearl Harbour [sic]: The Submerged Aircraft Wrecks Of Broome’.
URL: (http://users.bigpond.net.au/sellwood/ki ... 202003.htm) Assessed 19 August 2004.

From my archaeological research it would seem that King Bay's salvage divers may have removed one entire wreck site and dumped it in deeper water, but they left the rest behind. It would be great getting in touch with these divers or their families. Four salvage divers were said to have travelled with Choules to Broome, but who these people were is not recorded.

I'll look at the archival documents you mention. I've known about them, but didn't think they would show much ie, providing data on the ship being in Broome. Has anyone cited them? If so, you sure would save me a lot of money if you could tell me that there is reference to Broome in these two items.

Cheers
Silvano
Dr. Silvano Jung

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