WWII MINES FOUND OFF CAIRNS COAST
NORTH QUEENSLAND

The second Japanese mine in 10 days washed ashore on Green Island off Cairns on about 26 March 1945 and was exploded by a demolition squad. A few days earlier a mine washed ashore on Magnetic Island near Townsville.

Malcolm Ford wrote a letter to the Editor of the Cairns Post on 1 September 1946 stating:-

"Whether local sportsmen and local authorities are indifferent to floating mines is more than I can say, but on each occasion of four recent week-end trips I have seen floating mines inside the reef and colleagues from the south view with concern mines 20 feet off a boat when cruising at dusk."

"I understand that the presence of mines within the reef is common knowledge. If such is the case, I feel it is high time action is taken to clear the danger."

An article in the Cairns Post dated Thursday 17 October 1946 reported that no fewer than seven WWII mines had been observed floating in the sea off the Russell River Heads north of Flying Fish Point. The Police and Naval authorities were notified.

An article in the Tweed Daily of Friday 22 November 1946 stated that the Minister for the Navy, Mr. Riordan has reported in the House of Representatives that day that three RAN ships of the Mines Disposal Squadron had destroyed about 200 mines between Cairns and Townsville. Mr. Riordan indicated that the mines were fitted with a device which rendered a mine harmless to shipping when it broke adrift from its anchored position.

An article in the Northern Miner (Charters Towers) dated Tue 28 January 1947 stated that a WWII mine which had floated across the shipping lane of Trinity Bay off Cairns was destroyed on Sunday 26 January 1947 by two R.M.S personnel. The mine exploded about four miles from the Cairns waterfront, sending a column of water skywards about 300 feet high. R.M.S Officer Lt. W. Fisher and A.B. F. Butterworth swam to the mine from an RAAF Crash Launch to remove the detonator from the mine when it was about 60 yards from the shore at False Cape, in Cairns Inlet. They swam to the mine carrying spanners and chisels to work on the mine in the deep water. They removed the detonator and inserted a stick of dynamite in the mine. They towed the mine a further mile out to sea and detonated the dynamite. The mine had been sighted about 400 yards off Cape Grafton, about six miles from Cairns the previous day around noon by a tourist party in a launch belonging to Mr. S. Favell of Cairns.

An article in the Cairns Post dated Tuesday 25 March 1947 stated that all eleven vessels of the 20th Mine-sweeping Flotilla had arrived in Cairns Harbour on 24 March after clearing mines from the seas east of Mourilyan Harbour. The Flotilla comprised the sloop HMAS Swan, six corvettes and four harbour defence motor launches. About 100 mines had been located and destroyed. Some were exploded when their cables were cut and they came to the surface, but those that were in deep water were sunk by gun fire. The article stated that some 600 mines had buy then been cleared in the Barrier Reef area.

On Wednesday 16 April 1947, the Townsville Daily Bulletin reported that HMAS Swan and two RAN Corvettes, HMAS Deloraine and HMAS Echuca had returned to Cairns Harbour on the afternoon of 15 April 1947 from carrying out mine sweeping operations off Cairns in far north Queensland. Despite being hampered by bad weather they were able to locate and destroy 80 WWII mines. The three ships and a Harbour Defence motor launch left Cairns Harbour on 16 April 1947 headed for Port Moresby to continue further mine sweeping operations. The rest of the 20th Mine Sweeping Flotilla arrived in Cairns on 17 April 1947 and after some boiler cleaning continued their mine sweeping operations based out of Cairns.

HMAS Warrnambool cleared 325 mines in waters along the North Queensland coast both during and after the war. Then on 13 September 1947, it hit a mine and sank off North Cockburn Reef with the loss of four lives. The mines had been laid by HMAS Bungaree in 1943. The two survivors of HMAS Warrnambool, Steward R. R. Johnson and A/B Morton, were still in hospital in Cairns in early October 1947 but were in a much better condition. There was still no decision on when they would be discharged.

An Article in the Cairns Post dated Wednesday 8 October 1947 reported that the RAN's 20th Mine-sweeping Flotilla arrived back in Cairns Harbour after destroying about 160 mines in its last 12 day cruise. Captain R. Wheatley, the Commander of the Flotilla, stated that the area swept for mines was between Cairns and the Flinders Group about 230 miles north of Cairns. The three ships involved were the sloop HMAS Swan and Corvettes HMAS Mildura and HMAS Katoomba.

An article in the Cairns Post dated Friday 9 January 1948 stated that the RAAF Search and Rescue Launch O2-8 had returned to Townsville from Cairns after 15 months service in the Cairns area where it located and destroyed 37 WWII mines.

An article in the Daily Mercury (Mackay) dated Tuesday 3 August 1948, stated that over 50 mostly Allied mines had been washed up and deloused in Lloyd Bay, near Cape Direction, on the eastern side of Cape York Peninsula since the end of WWII. Lloyd Bay was a meeting place for all currents around that section of the coast according to Naval authorities. One mine and a cylindrical object had been washed up and reported in July 1948 by the Lockhart River Mission Station. In the previous two years, 24 mines were exploded in the one visit by a naval party.

An article in the Courier Mail dated Saturday 7 August 1948 stated that the Commander of the 20th Mine-sweeping Flotilla, Captain R. W. Wheatley claimed that "The whole of the Australian coast should be clear of mines now." Most of the mines cleared had been laid by the Allies but some German mines laid by German sea raiders had been disposed of off the NSW coast. The Flotilla was on its way to Sydney to be disbanded after three years of mine sweeping operations between Adelaide and New Guinea. Clearly Commander Wheatley's claim was an exaggerated claim as WWII mines are still occasionally found even today.

The Courier Mail dated 28 September 1948 reported that the Navy General Purpose Vessel "957" left Cairns on 27 September 1948 to demolish 13 more WWII mines that had washed ashore on Cape York Peninsula. Twelve had been reported by two miners on a 10-mile strip of beach between Esker Point and False Oxford Mess (probably False Orford Ness), about 40 miles south east of Cape York. The thirteenth mine was sighted beached at Newcastle Bay, about 12 miles south of Cape York. The article stated that the 20th Sweeping Flotilla had cleared 2,000 miles of coastal waters in ten months and had destroyed about 700 WWII mines.

RAN General Purpose Vessel "957" left Portland Roads on its way to Cairns on about 22 October 1948 after destroying 25 mines in the Portland Roads - Pascoe River area. The mines had been reported to the Navy by Superintendent H. E. Johnson of the Lockhart River Mission. The deafening noises of the explosion caused much discomfort to nearby residents, rattling and shaking their houses. The explosions could be distinctly heard at the Lockhart River Mission a distance away of some 30 to 40 miles. On its way south Launch "957" rendered more mines located by Mr. Johnson.

NOTE:- There are many other newspaper articles covering the destruction of more WWII mines that were located and destroyed. I've decided not to continue to add them to this web page and move onto researching other WWII topics.

WWII Mines found off the Townsville Coast

Can anyone help me with more information?

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This page first produced 17 August 2022

This page last updated 19 August 2022