 HMAS Parkes

HMAS "Parkes" (J361), named for the town of Parkes, New South Wales, was one of 60 "Bathurst"-class corvettes constructed in Australia during World War II, and one of 36 initially manned and commissioned by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).In 1938, the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (ACNB) identified the need for a general purpose 'local defence vessel' capable of both anti-submarine and mine-warfare duties, while easy to construct and operate.