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The Ton-class minesweepers were a purpose-designed class of coastal minesweeping vessels built for the Royal Navy in the 1950s. Their construction featured wooden hulls and non-ferrous materials to reduce magnetic signature, and their shallow-draft design allowed operations in littoral waters, estuaries, and harbour approaches—a capability that earlier deep-ocean minesweepers lacked. Numerous ships were built in the United Kingdom and many were later transferred to Commonwealth navies, including the Royal Australian Navy.
HMAS Gull began life as HMS Swanston (M1185), built by J.S. Doig Ltd in Grimsby, England, and commissioned into the Royal Navy on 27 July 1955. In 1961, the ship was acquired by the Royal Australian Navy and was officially commissioned as HMAS Gull on 19 July 1962 under the command of Lieutenant B. J. Dunn. She sailed to Sydney with her sister ships and commenced operations with the RAN’s 16th Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Squadron shortly thereafter.
During her RAN service, HMAS Gull engaged in a variety of mine-countermeasure, patrol, and mapping tasks. In September 1963, she took part in Operation Gardening, clearing a channel at Tonolei Harbour, Bougainville. In May 1964, she sailed for the Far East Strategic Reserve as part of Australia’s regional commitment, remaining there in rotational service until April 1967. She was placed into operational reserve on 5 May 1967, recommissioned briefly in February 1968, and ultimately paid off on 7 November 1969 after steaming nearly 199,000 nautical miles in Australian service.
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