Coastal Forces of the Royal Australian Navy
was a division of the Royal Navy established during World War II. It consisted of small coastal defence craft such as Motor Launches, submarine chasers, air-sea rescue launches, Motor Gun Boats and Motor Torpedo Boats. It did not include minesweepers, trawlers or landing craft. This article is about the equivalent boats used by the Royal Australian Navy.
Units and craft
It included the following types of coastal defence craft:| Type | Built | Lost | Notes |
| Harbour Defence Motor Launch Fairmile B Motor Launch | 31 35 | 2 |
31 Harbour Defence Motor Launches and 35 Fairmile B Motor Launches entered service from October 1942. They were employed on routine patrols, convoy escorts, running special forces in and out of Japanese-held areas, boom defence patrols in harbours at home and abroad, courier operations, survey work, and raiding Japanese-held coasts.
RAN HDMLs
RAN Fairmiles
A Fairmile school was established at HMAS Rushcutter on 1 June 1942. The first Australian Fairmile, ML 813, entered service at the end of that year. Originally designed in the UK for coastal anti-submarine and convoy duties, the RAN Fairmiles performed these and a variety of other functions. Their tasks included convoy escort, servicing and supporting advancing troops, landing and recovering commandos and coastwatchers, rescuing civilians from enemy occupied territories, and invasion escort.| Ship | Builder | Commissioned | Career | Fate |
| ML 424 | Green Point, NSW | 28 Jan 1943 | Listed for disposal in March 1947 and sold in August, 1947. This was purchased by Roylen Cruises, Mackay, Queensland. The name came from the last three letters of the founder's son FITZROY and his daughter HELEN. In the mid-1970s it was sold and renamed Reef Princess. It met its fate off Townsville on Wheelers Reef in 1981. This story was covered in a newspaper article entitled "Death of a Princess". | |
| ML 425 | Green Point, NSW | 6 Feb 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 426 | Green Point, NSW | 5 Mar 1943 | Sold July, 1947 | |
| ML 427 | Green Point, NSW | 15 Mar 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 428 | Green Point, NSW | 31 Mar 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 429 | Green Point, NSW | 15 Apr 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 430 | Green Point, NSW | 6 May 1943 | Lost in a "friendly fire" incident with ML819 in New Guinea waters, 13 August 1944, when the two vessels were hunting a Japanese submarine. | |
| ML 431 | Green Point, NSW | 14 May 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 801 | Green Point, NSW | 29 May 1943 | Sold September, 1947 | |
| ML 802 | Green Point, NSW | 15 Jun 1943 | Sold December, 1947 | |
| ML 803 | Green Point, NSW | 3 Jul 1943 | Sold December, 1947 | |
| ML 804 | Green Point, NSW | 15 Jul 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 805 | Green Point, NSW | 3 Aug 1943 | Sold January, 1948 | |
| ML 806 | Green Point, NSW | 8 Sep 1943 | Sold December, 1947 | |
| ML 807 | Green Point, NSW | 13 Sep 1943 | Sold November, 1947 | |
| ML 808 | Green Point, NSW | 23 Sep 1943 | Sold December, 1947 | |
| ML 809 | Green Point, NSW | 8 Oct 1943 | Sold August, 1947. This vessel was acquired by Northern Plywood at Cairns and later acquired by McLean's Roylen Cruises and renamed Roylen Star. It was commanded by Fitzroy McLean with engineer John Lacey for much of its Roylen service. It was sold in 1979 and sank near Palm Island in about 1979. | |
| ML 810 | Green Point, NSW | 25 Oct 1943 | This vessel was named AJAX and fitted out as a luxury cruiser with all internal fittings fitted out in mahogany. It was refitted with two Hall Scott petrol engines and was believed to be able to reach speeds in excess of 20 knots. When it was acquired by Roylen Cruises it was renamed PETAJ, the first 3 letters of the son of Fitzroy McLean and the last two letters of the AJAX, as it was believed to be bad luck to completely change a vessels name. The petrol engines were removed as they were prone to fire and it was refitted with two cat diesel engines, giving it a speed of approximately 16 knots. This vessel was used for more up market guests and was also used for HRH Prince Charles to cruise the Barrier Reef. This trip was commanded by Captain Fitzroy McLean. Petaj was badly damaged in Cyclone Kerry in the late 1970s, but was later repaired. In the mid-1990s Petaj was used in the Solomon Islands for a Fishing / local buying vessel. It was surrounded by controversy and later sank near Munda in the Solomon Islands. It is believed that it was later refloated by a dive operation from Gizo which took it to a side of Gizo and resunk it as a dive site, near Plum Pudding Island where President John F Kennedy's PT 109 was cut in half in an area known as "The Slot" | |
| ML 811 | Green Point, NSW | 5 Nov 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 812 | Green Point, NSW | 4 Dec 1943 | Sold November, 1947 | |
| ML 813 | Halvorsen, NSW | 16 Nov 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 814 | Halvorsen, NSW | 1 Jan 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 815 | N. Wright, Qld | 11 Jan 1943 | Sold November, 1947 | |
| ML 816 | N. Wright, Qld | 2 Jun 1943 | Sold August, 1949 | |
| ML 817 | Halvorsen, NSW | 16 Feb 1943 | Sold November, 1947 | |
| ML 818 | Halvorsen, NSW | 29 Mar 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 819 | Halvorsen, NSW | 10 Mat 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 820 | Halvorsen, NSW | 21 Jun 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 821 | Halvorsen, NSW | 27 Jul 1943 | Sold August, 1947 | |
| ML 822 | Halvorsen, NSW | 30 Aug 1943 | Sold January, 1943 | |
| ML 823 | Halvorsen, NSW | 30 Sep 1943 | Sold October, 1947. This was operated by Loch Nicholson from Lindeman Island under the name of Esmeralda, but later was purchased by the Evetts family and renamed the Elizabeth E which operated similar cruises to that of Roylen Cruises. The Evetts were so impressed with the design that they later had another vessel built in a very similar design to that of the original fairmile. | |
| ML 824 | Halvorsen, NSW | 18 Nov 1943 | Sold November, 1947 | |
| ML 825 | Halvorsen, NSW | 1 Feb 1944 | Sold January 1948 | |
| ML 826 | N. Wright, Qld | 1 Jan 1944 | Sold November, 1947 | |
| ML 827 | N. Wright, Qld | 19 Apr 1944 | Grounded at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain on 17 November 1944, sank while under tow by CAMBRIAN SALVOR off New Britain on 20 November 1944. | |
| ML 828 | N. Wright, Qld | Order cancelled |