Ballarat HMAS

HMAS Ballarat (I) was one of sixty Australian Minesweepers (commonly known as corvettes) built during World War II in Australian shipyards as part of the Commonwealth Government’s wartime shipbuilding programme. Twenty (including Ballarat (I)) were built on Admiralty order but manned and commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy. Thirty-six were built for the Royal Australian Navy and four for the Royal Indian Navy.
http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-ballarat-i (accessed on 27/9/2017);
brief account of service until 9/3/1943 when first arrived at Cairns for operations; then extracts from the diary of SBA tom McLean until ship left for south, Sep 1944;