Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Minesweeper FY 109, in service 1941-1945. The HMAS Paterson was a civilian vessel brought into naval service at the end of 1940, as part of a general effort to boost the protection of Australia's coasts against enemy mines and submarines.

She was 45 metres in length and displaced 446 tons. During wartime service she carried a single 12-pounder gun and a machine gun. The official complement was four officers and 27 sailors.

The main role of a minesweeper was to find and clear naval mines (en.wikipedia.org), which required a variety of methods and technologies.

The Paterson spent from May to November 1941 minesweeping out of Melbourne. Then she moved to Sydney and Newcastle and spent the remainder of the war operating off the NSW coast.