HMAS Allenwood

The wooden coastal cargo vessel Allenwood was built by Wrights of Tuncurry, Cape Hawke, NSW, in 1920.

It was requisitioned for naval service on 29 July 1941 as an auxiliary minesweeper. At that time the RAN was in desperate need of vessels capable of conducting minesweeping operations and Allenwood was one of many coastal steamers and fishing vessels requisitioned for that purpose. These small ships were crewed by members of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve and formed into groups of auxiliary minesweepers that were dispersed at principal Australian ports as follows:

• Group 50 - Sydney
• Group 54 - Melbourne
• Group 60 - Hobart
• Group 63 - Port Adelaide
• Group 66 - Fremantle
• Group 70 - Darwin
• Group 74 - Brisbane
• Group 77 - Newcastle

HMAS Allenwood commissioned on 16 September 1941 under the command of Lieutenant FC Pilcher RANR(S), and served chiefly on the Eastern Australian seaboard.

Allenwood paid off on 31 October 1944 and was subsequently returned to its owners, A Taylor and Co Ltd.

On 14 September 1951 Allenwood was declared a total loss after being wrecked on the Central Coast of New South Wales, 5 miles north of Norah Head. All crew members were saved and the wreck was later sold.