31/05/2026
Every ship needs a good lookout, but this sailor didn’t walk on two legs.
Ship’s cats have sailed with humans for thousands of years, serving as both pest controllers and as sources of morale and luck. You may know Matthew Flinders’ cat, Trim; Unsinkable Sam, who survived three WWII sinkings; or Mrs Chippy from Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition. But have you heard of Mr ###X?
Pronounced Four-X, like the beer, Mr ###X was the ship’s cat on HMAS Castlemaine, a WWII Bathurst-class corvette. The ship mainly operated in the New Guinea area, the Indian Ocean, and the China Sea, transporting troops and supplies, conducting minesweeping, and carrying out surveys.
The story goes that, because the ship sailed in tropical waters, flying fish were abundant. Mr ###X seemed to sense their presence long before the crew did. He would sit in a doorway, whiskers quivering in anticipation, and, when a fish landed on deck, pounce with lightning speed before carrying his prize to a secret spot. No one ever figured out where.
Today, HMAS Castlemaine is listed on the ARHV under HV000421, and remains afloat in Williamstown, VIC. Through the Maritime Trust of Australia, HMAS Castlemaine received funding in the 2025–26 round of MMAPSS grants to repair the deck plating. Now, as the last intact corvette of its class, a volunteer team continues to preserve the vessel in honour of all the people (and their furry companions) who served on the original sixty corvettes. Visitors can step aboard and walk in the shoes, or perhaps
follow in the pawprints, of the original crew. I’m sure Mr ###X, with whiskers waving and tail aloft, would approve. 👇https://arhv.sea.museum/collections
Image courtesy of Maritime Trust of Australia. Photographed by Ken Fenton, WWII crew member of HMAS Castlemaine.
