De Havilland Marine

Last updated

de Havilland Marine
IndustryMarine manufacturing
Founded1959
Defunct15 June 1982 (1982-06-15)
FateCeased ops, deregistered
Headquarters Bankstown, New South Wales,
Australia
Key people

de Havilland Marine was a division of Hawker de Havilland Australia Pty. Ltd. which is now owned by Boeing Australia and known as Boeing Aerostructures Australia.

Contents

Following the downturn of aviation manufacturing in the late 1950s, the Australian subsidiary of de Havilland looked to produce products utilizing the skills and knowledge available to the company. It found a ready market in the production of a range of small aluminium boats made using techniques similar to those employed in the aircraft industry. de Havilland Marine's designers were initially headed by Frank Bailey, the Vampire Production Engineering Manager, starting in 1959. Later designers included in 1966 naval architect Alan Payne, designer of Australia's first America's Cup (1962 America's Cup) challengers Gretel and Gretel II . [1] de Havilland Australia built the mast and rig for Gretel.

In 1965, The Sydney Morning Herald reported the marine division had produced 15,000 craft of all types, with a projected annual production of 5,000 craft per year. [2] By the end of the small boat production in the 1970s over 55,000 had been produced

de Havilland Marine (Large Craft) (registered company number F11799) was located on the waters edge at 5-7 Burroway Road, Homebush Bay. Due to a lack of new business it closed its doors in 1982. In the years prior it manufactured various large aluminium craft for both the local and international market. These included Carpentaria Class Patrol Boats for Burma & the Solomon Islands, Titan Work Boats for the New South Wales (NSW) government, and the hulls of the Nepean Belle which still operates on the Nepean River in NSW.

History

de Havilland Australia opened in Melbourne in March 1927 as de Havilland Aircraft Pty. Ltd. In 1930 the company moved to Bankstown (a suburb of Sydney), where it acted as an agency for the parent company, with assembly, repair and spares facilities for its range of aircraft. Aircraft design and full manufacture by de Havilland Australia (DHA) did not take place until the Second World War. Following the end of the war, the Australian company diversified into an aircraft sales agency and engineering and marine craft manufacturing. In 1960, following the takeover of the parent company de Havilland Holdings Ltd of England by the Hawker Siddeley Group, de Havilland Australia was renamed Hawker de Havilland. The company is now owned by Boeing Australia, who announced on 6 February 2009 that Hawker de Havilland would be known as Boeing Aerostructures Australia.

Marine craft

Following a report in January 1959 by Daryl Murray Jones to the New Products Committee, it was recommended that small aluminium boat production be started in time to meet the Spring selling season, starting with an 11/12-foot dinghy. A naval architect designed prototype was commissioned, following which Frank Bailey, the Vampire Production Engineering Manager, redesigned it to be easier and cheaper to make, while also making it more attractive to the anticipated market.

On 21 September 1959 the Board approved the manufacture of 50 12-foot boats, all of which had been sold by 31 December 1959. By the end of 1960, 1100 boats of four different models had been made and sold. The brand name Topper was also adopted in 1960, intended initially to demonstrate that these lightweight and strong boats were suitable for transporting on a car top.

While Frank Bailey designed the first aluminium 12-foot Tiki sailing boat and 12-foot fibreglass Vagabond, de Havilland Marine later produced three small fibreglass yachts designed by Alan Payne, following trials from 1966. These were the 10-foot Gipsy, the 16-foot Corsair and the 18-foot six-inch trailer/sailer Rambler. By 1976 with 549 made, the Corsair had become a national class, [3] sailed in five Australian states and Papua New Guinea, with its production continuing to this day.

As part of a range of marketing activities to promote the strength and sea worthiness of the aluminium boats, Leon Simons and Bryan Dodd from de Havilland Marine took a de Havilland "Sea Topper" from Sydney to Melbourne (a distance of 700 miles), on 8 July 1965. [4]

Ben Lexcen and Craig Whitworth of Miller and Whitworth joined with de Havilland Marine in 1964 to design, produce and market a range of aluminium yacht spars which started to replace the traditional wooden spars.

In 1960, de Havilland Marine also obtained a license to produce a power boat using a water jet propulsion system developed by Bill Hamilton, [5] founder of C.W.F. Hamilton & Co of New Zealand. A prototype hull was equipped with a propulsion unit and was tested at Rose Bay, New South Wales.

Manufacturing process

The first stage in the manufacturing of aluminium boats was to cut out the hull skins and the other sheet metal parts such as the seats using templates under a radial arm router. Sections were then formed by a brake press and swaging, to form the gunwales and hull folds. Stiffening of sheet metal panels was by means of a 3,000 ton rubber press. Extruded gunwale, keel and strake sections of the hull were initially formed in a half-hard condition for ease of working and drop hammering, later being placed in a curing oven to bring them to full-hard condition. The skin sections were welded on wooden jigs on which the seats, gunwales, decks and extruded sections were positioned and riveted into position. The boat was then tested in a pressure tank to reveal any water leaks. The finished craft was then painted in a temperature-controlled paint shop. [6] de Havilland also produced the polyurethane flotation material used in the boats which shaped and fitted [7] into position. The company was noted for its use of rivets to join sections of the craft, together with the more common use of welding. In its advertisements, de Havilland Marine referred to this riveting process by the Sealomatic [2] name.

Logo and branding

The company logo was similar to other members of the de Havilland group in that the letters D and H were superimposed on the wings of an aircraft, which in turn were overlaid onto the design of a ship's anchor. A number of logo variants were used during the marine division's existence in newspaper advertisements. During 1966, the division was styled Hawker de Havilland Marine often followed by the craft range, i.e. Feathercraft Division.

Range of craft

de Havilland Marine manufactured craft from yachts and sportboats to workboats: from the Toppercraft range, Sea Topper, Standard Topper, Topper Cub, and Topper Playboy; from the Feathercraft range, [8] Apache, Bobcat, Comanche, Mustang, Pawnee, Sea Otter and Seminole; from the Yacht range, Corsair, Gipsy 3 m (10 ft) cat-rigged, and Vagabond; other craft include the Customs boat, [9] Hercules, John, and Norseman. [10]

Related Research Articles

de Havilland 1920–1963 aircraft manufacturer

The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of north London. Operations were later moved to Hatfield in Hertfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker Siddeley</span> 1934–1977 aircraft manufacturer in the United Kingdom

Hawker Siddeley was a group of British manufacturing companies engaged in aircraft production. Hawker Siddeley combined the legacies of several British aircraft manufacturers, emerging through a series of mergers and acquisitions as one of only two such major British companies in the 1960s. In 1977, Hawker Siddeley became a founding component of the nationalised British Aerospace (BAe). Hawker Siddeley also operated in other industrial markets, such as locomotive building and diesel engine manufacture. The company was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairey Aviation Company</span> British aerospace and engineering company (1915–1977)

The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire that designed important military aircraft, including the Fairey III family, the Swordfish, Firefly, and Gannet. It had a strong presence in the supply of naval aircraft, and also built bombers for the RAF.

Saunders-Roe Limited, also known as Saro, was a British aerospace and marine-engineering company based at Columbine Works, East Cowes, Isle of Wight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combat Rubber Raiding Craft</span> Rubberised fabric tactical inflatable boat used by the US Navy

The Zodiac Milpro Futura Commando 470 or in short FC470 Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC), also known as the "Combat Rubber Reconnaissance Craft," is a specially fabricated rubber inflatable boat often used by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Army, and others. The CRRC is typically called "Zodiac," referring to the boat's manufacturer, Zodiac Milpro.

de Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd (DHA) was part of de Havilland, then became a separate company. It acquired the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in 1985 and was purchased by Boeing in 2000 and merged with the Boeing owned AeroSpace Technologies of Australia to become Hawker de Havilland Aerospace Pty Ltd. In 2009, the name was changed to Boeing Aerostructures Australia (BAA) and is a subsidiary of Boeing Australia Ltd.

Boeing Australia Holdings Pty Ltd., or simply Boeing Australia, is Boeing's largest subdivision outside the United States. Established in 2002, the company oversees its seven wholly owned subsidiaries, consolidating and co-ordinating Boeing's businesses and operations in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vought</span> 1917–1992 series of American aerospace companies

Vought was the name of several related American aerospace firms. These have included, in the past, Lewis and Vought Corporation, Chance Vought, Vought-Sikorsky, LTV Aerospace, Vought Aircraft Companies, and Vought Aircraft Industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Siddeley</span> British aero engine manufacturer

Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd (BSEL) was a British aero engine manufacturer. The company was formed in 1959 by a merger of Bristol Aero-Engines Limited and Armstrong Siddeley Motors Limited. In 1961 the company was expanded by the purchase of the de Havilland Engine Company and the engine division of Blackburn Aircraft. Bristol Siddeley was purchased by Rolls-Royce Limited in 1966.

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (DHC) is a Canadian aircraft manufacturer that has produced numerous aircraft models since its inception including the popular Dash 8. The company's primary facilities were located in the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario for many years; in 2022, it was announced that it would relocate primary manufacturing to De Havilland Field, under development near Calgary, Alberta. The aircraft types currently in production or planned for production include the DHC-6 Twin Otter, DHC-8 Dash 8, and DHC-515 Firefighter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">505 (dinghy)</span> International racing sailing class

The International 505 is a One-Design high-performance two-person monohull planing sailing dinghy, with spinnaker, utilising a trapeze for the crew.

Fairey Marine Ltd, latterly known as FBM Marine, was a boat building company based on the River Hamble, Southampton, England. The company was created in the late 1940s by Sir Charles Richard Fairey and Fairey Aviation's managing director, Mr. Chichester-Smith. Both were avid sailing enthusiasts along with Chichester-Smith's good friend and former Olympic yachtsman, Charles Currey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker Siddeley Trident</span> British trijet T-tail airliner

The Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident is a British airliner produced by Hawker Siddeley. In 1957, de Havilland proposed its DH.121 trijet design to a British European Airways (BEA) request. By 1960, de Havilland had been acquired by Hawker Siddeley. The Trident's maiden flight happened on 9 January 1962, and it was introduced on 1 April 1964, two months after its main competitor, the Boeing 727. By the end of the programme in 1978, 117 Tridents had been produced. The Trident was withdrawn from service in 1995.

The Corsair is a class of sixteen foot, three handed sailing dinghy. The boat was designed by Australian designer Alan Payne who is famous for designing Sir Frank Packer's America's Cup challenge yachts Gretel and Gretel II.

BAE Systems Military Air & Information is a business unit of British defence company BAE Systems responsible for the design, development, manufacture and support of fixed wing military aircraft. MAI customers include the Royal Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Force, US Navy and Indian Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiduminium</span> Aluminum alloy

The Hiduminium alloys or R.R. alloys are a series of high-strength, high-temperature aluminium alloys, developed for aircraft use by Rolls-Royce ("RR") before World War II. They were manufactured and later developed by High Duty Alloys Ltd. The name Hi-Du-Minium is derived from that of High Duty Aluminium Alloys.

Lars Halvorsen Sons was an Australian pleasure craft and boat building company, described as "one of the most famous [names] in Australian marine engineering".

<i>Gretel II</i>

Gretel II (KA-3) is an International 12-metre class racing yacht built for the America's Cup challenge series in 1970. She was designed by Alan Payne and built by W.H. Barnett for Australian media tycoon Sir Frank Packer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Payne (naval architect)</span> Australian naval architect

Alan Newbury Payne AM was a naval architect born in England but who worked in Australia. His yacht designs were readily built by both professionals and amateurs, and remain well represented in the ocean-going and coastal yacht fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minisail (dinghy)</span>

The Minisail is a 13-foot single-handed dinghy which was designed by Ian Proctor in 1959 and became popular in the 1960s. It was the predecessor to the Topper and was the first British production boat to popularise the idea of the "sailing surfboard". As the Topper gained popularity in the 1980s, the Minisail disappeared from the scene. However, on 28 August 2011, a group of enthusiasts restarted the Minisail Class Association, which now has a small but committed following mainly in north-west Europe. The class association website is https://www.minisail.org.uk/

References

  1. ↑ "Gretel". Robbe & Berking Classics. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  2. 1 2 Advertisement for De Havilland boats (26 February 1965).
  3. ↑ "Corsair Class of Australia". Archived from the original on 14 April 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  4. ↑ "Sea Topper is 12ft. tiger outside". The Sydney Morning Herald. 23 July 1965. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Yetman, David S. (2010). Without a Prop. Indianapolis: Dog Ear Publishing. p. 51. ISBN   978-160844-475-5.
  6. ↑ Advertisement for De Havilland Topper (26 November 1965).
  7. ↑ Patent US2760400 [ dead link ] (1956). US Patent Office Application for bolt head with attached triangular shaped sealing ring.
  8. ↑ 1966 Advertisement for De Havilland (11 November 1966).
  9. ↑ "Patrol boat gift to Malaysia". The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 September 1972. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Flett, Neil (15 August 1971). "Trail and Sail Now the Go". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2 January 2013.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.