HMAS Geraldton (J178)

HMAS Geraldton (J178) was a Bathurst-class corvette of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. Named for the city of Geraldton, Western Australia, she was one of sixty corvettes built in Australia during the war, designed for convoy escort and anti-submarine warfare.

Geraldton was laid down by Mort's Dock & Engineering Co. Ltd. in Balmain, New South Wales on 19 December 1940, launched on 12 July 1941, and commissioned into the RAN on 10 January 1942.

During her service, Geraldton primarily operated in Australian waters, escorting convoys along the eastern and southern coasts. She also participated in patrols and anti-submarine duties. She did not see combat with enemy vessels.

Geraldton was decommissioned on 27 November 1945. She was subsequently sold into civilian service in 1947 and renamed Wongala. Her fate is not well documented after this point.

The Bathurst-class corvettes were vital in protecting Australian waters and supply lines during World War II, and Geraldton played a significant, if uneventful, role in this effort.