HMAS Huon (D50)

Last updated

HMAS Huon (EN0425).jpg
HMAS Huon during her trials in December 1915
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgAustralia
Namesake Huon River
Builder Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company
Laid down25 January 1913
Launched19 December 1914
Completed4 February 1916
Commissioned14 December 1915
Decommissioned7 June 1928
Honours and
awards
FateScuttled 10 April 1931
General characteristics
Class and type River-class torpedo-boat destroyer
Displacement700 tons
Length
Beam24 ft 3.375 in (7.40093 m)
Draught8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)
Propulsion3 Yarrow boilers, Parsons geared turbines, 10,000 SHP, 3 propellers
Speed
  • 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) designed
  • 25.775 knots (47.735 km/h; 29.661 mph) mean trial speed
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) economical
Complement5 officers and 60 sailors
Armament

HMAS Huon (D50), named after the Huon River, was a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Originally to be named after the River Derwent, the ship was renamed before her 1914 launch because of a naming conflict with a Royal Navy vessel.

Contents

Huon was commissioned into the RAN in late 1915, and after completion was deployed to the Far East. In mid-1917, Huon and her five sister ships were transferred to the Mediterranean. Huon served as a convoy escort and anti-submarine patrol ship until a collision with sister ship HMAS Yarra in August 1918 saw Huon drydocked for the rest of World War I. After a refit in England, Huon returned to Australia in 1919.

The destroyer spent several periods alternating between commissioned and reserve status over the next nine years, with the last three spent as a reservist training ship. Huon was decommissioned for the final time in 1928, and was scuttled in 1931 after being used as a target ship.

Design and construction

Huon was one of the second batch of River-class torpedo-boat destroyers ordered for the RAN. She had a displacement of 700 tons, was 259 feet 9 inches (79.17 m) long overall and 245 feet (75 m) long between perpendiculars, had a beam of 24 feet 3.375 inches (7.40093 m), and a maximum draught of 8 feet 10 inches (2.69 m). [1] Propulsion was provided by three Yarrow-made boilers connected to Parsons geared turbines, which supplied 10,000 shaft horsepower to the three propellers. [2] Although designed to reach speeds of 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph), the destroyer could only achieve a mean speed of 25.775 knots (47.735 km/h; 29.661 mph) during high-speed trials. [1] Her economical cruising speed was 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). [1] The ship's company consisted of 5 officers and 60 sailors. [2]

At launch, the ship's armament consisted of a single 4-inch Mark VIII gun, three 12-pounder guns, a .303-inch Maxim gun, two .303-inch Lewis guns, and three revolving torpedo tubes for 18-inch torpedoes. [1] Four depth charge chutes were installed in 1917, although two were later removed in 1919. [1] Two depth charge throwers were added during a 1918 refit; at the same time, one of the torpedo tubes was removed. [1]

The ship was laid down at Cockatoo Island Dockyard on 25 January 1913. [1] She was launched on 19 December 1914 by the wife of federal politician Jens Jensen. [2] Huon was commissioned into the RAN on 14 December 1915, and completed on 4 February 1916. [2] The ship was originally to be named HMAS Derwent, after the Derwent River, but this was changed after the British Admiralty complained that there would be easy confusion with the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Derwent. [2]

Operational history

Huon first served with the British Far East Patrol, based at Sandakan, then later Singapore, from June 1916 to May 1917. [2] On 7 July 1917, Huon met her five sister ships off the Cocos Islands, with the six vessels sailing to the Mediterranean via Diego Garcia. [2] Huon joined the escort of a convoy from Port Said to Malta, and arrived on 20 August, after which the destroyer was docked for a month-long refit. [2]

Huon in action with a 12-pounder gun in the Adriatic Sea, circa. 1917 - 1918 HMAS Huon 12 pdr in action AWM EN0328.jpeg
Huon in action with a 12-pounder gun in the Adriatic Sea, circa. 1917 – 1918

From October 1917 until April 1918, Huon was based at Brindisi to patrol for Austrian submarines. [2] From 17 April to 16 May, the ship underwent another refit in Malta, then returned to Brisindi. [2] On 9 August 1918, while operating in the Straits of Otranto, Huon collided with sister ship HMAS Yarra. [2] Huon was sent to Genoa for repairs. [2] While in drydock, the ship was hit by the 1918 flu pandemic: four stokers and a lieutenant died from influenza between late October and early November. [3] Huon left dockyard hands a day before World War I ended. [2] The six River-class ships made for Portsmouth, with Huon docking for refit on 14 January 1919. [2] Released on 28 February, Huon joined her sister ships and the cruiser HMAS Melbourne for the voyage to Australia. [2] The ships reached Sydney on 21 May. [2] Although not recognised at the time, an overhaul of the RAN battle honours system in 2010 recognised Huon's wartime service with the honour "Adriatic 1917–18". [4] [5]

Huon recommissioned at Sydney on 1 August 1919, [6] and operated in local waters over the course of the next year, including a stint escorting the battlecruiser HMS Renown during the visit of Edward, Prince of Wales in early 1920. [2] The destroyer was placed in reserve in August 1920. [2] Huon was reactivated on 22 April 1921. [2] On 9 February 1922, the destroyer was holed below the waterline in a collision with the submarine HMAS J4. [2] Repairs were successful, but Huon returned to reserve on 31 May. [2] The destroyer was recommissioned on 29 August 1925, and served as a reservist training ship at Hobart until 26 May 1928, when she returned to Sydney. [2]

Decommissioning and fate

HMAS Huon's bell on display at the Australian War Memorial in August 2012 HMAS Huon ship bell at the AWM Aug 2012.JPG
HMAS Huon's bell on display at the Australian War Memorial in August 2012

Huon was decommissioned for the final time on 7 June 1928. [2] On 10 April 1931, the destroyer was towed out to sea off Sydney, and was used as a gunnery target ship by Australia, Canberra, Anzac, and Albatross, before being scuttled [2] in 33°58′S151°36′E / 33.967°S 151.600°E / -33.967; 151.600 . [7] Her bell currently resides at the Australian War Memorial.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 45
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 46
  3. ↑ Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 48
  4. ↑ "Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours". Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  5. ↑ "Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours" (PDF). Royal Australian Navy. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  6. ↑ "List of Ships of the Royal Australian Navy: 11. "Huon"" (PDF). The Navy List. Commonwealth of Australia: 29. 1 January 1920. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 31 August 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

Related Research Articles

HMAS <i>Swordsman</i> Australian warship

HMAS Swordsman (H11) was an Admiralty S-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built for the Royal Navy during World War I, the ship was not completed until 1919, and was transferred to the RAN at the start of 1920. The destroyer's career was uneventful, with most of it spent moored in Sydney. Swordsman was decommissioned in 1929, and scuttled off Sydney in 1939.

HMAS <i>Tasmania</i>

HMAS Tasmania (H25) was an Admiralty S class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built for the Royal Navy during World War I, the ship was not completed until 1919, and spent a year commissioned but not operational in British service before being transferred to the RAN at the start of 1920. The destroyer's career was uneventful, with almost all of it spent in Australian waters. Tasmania was decommissioned in 1930, and was sold for ship breaking in 1937.

HMAS <i>Tattoo</i>

HMAS Tattoo (H26) was an Admiralty S class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built for the Royal Navy during World War I, the ship was not completed until 1919, and spent less than eight months in British service before being transferred to the RAN at the start of 1920. After arriving in Australia, Tattoo spent her entire career in Australian waters, and was placed in reserve on several occasions. Tattoo was decommissioned in 1936, and was sold for ship breaking in 1937.

HMAS <i>Parramatta</i> (D55) River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Parramatta, named after the Parramatta River, was a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Ordered in 1909 for the Commonwealth Naval Forces, Parramatta was the first ship launched for the RAN. Temporarily commissioned into the Royal Navy for the delivery voyage to Australia, the destroyer came under Australian naval control in 1910, and was recommissioned into the RAN on 1 March 1911, shortly before the latter's formal creation.

HMAS <i>Stuart</i> (D00) Admiralty type flotilla leader

HMAS Stuart was a British Scott-class flotilla leader. The ship was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company for the Royal Navy during World War I, and entered service at the end of 1918. The majority of the destroyer's British service was performed in the Mediterranean, and in 1933 she was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy. Although placed in reserve in 1938, Stuart was reactivated at the start of World War II to lead the Australian destroyer force, nicknamed the "Scrap Iron Flotilla" by German propagandists.

HMAS <i>Swan</i> (D61) River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Swan was a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). One of six built for the RAN, Swan was built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, and entered service in 1916. The early part of the ship's career was spent on blockade duty in the Far East, before she was transferred to the Mediterranean for anti-submarine duty. Apart from performing shore bombardment during the Second Battle of Durazzo, Swan's wartime career was uneventful. The destroyer was placed in reserve in 1920, but was reactivated between 1925 and 1927 and assigned to Tasmania. Swan was decommissioned in 1928, stripped of parts, and sold for use as prisoner accommodation on the Hawkesbury River. After changing hands several times, the hull sank during gale conditions in 1933.

HMAS <i>Sydney</i> (1912) Town-class light cruiser

HMAS Sydney was a Chatham-class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Laid down in 1911 and launched in 1912, the cruiser was commissioned into the RAN in 1913.

HMAS <i>Anzac</i> (G90)

HMAS Anzac was a Parker-class destroyer leader that served in the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Launched in early 1917 and commissioned into the Royal Navy, Anzac led the 14th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet during the First World War. In 1919, she and five other destroyers were transferred to the RAN, with Anzac commissioning as an Australian warship in 1920. Except for three visits to New Guinea and one to the Solomon Islands, Anzac remained in southern and eastern Australian waters for her entire career. The destroyer was decommissioned in 1931, sold for scrapping four years later, stripped for parts, then towed outside Sydney Heads and sunk as a target ship in 1936.

HMAS <i>Warramunga</i> (I44)

HMAS Warramunga (I44/D123) was a Tribal-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built during World War II, the destroyer entered service in late 1942. She was initially assigned to convoy escort duties, but was assigned to the joint Australian-American Task Force 74 in 1943, and was involved in supporting numerous amphibious landings through the South-east Asian region until the end of the war. From 1950 and 1952, Warramunga fought in the Korean War, then was converted into an anti-submarine destroyer. Returning to service in 1954, the destroyer was one of the first RAN ships to operate with the Far East Strategic Reserve, and undertook two tours with the organisation before she was decommissioned in 1959 and sold for ship breaking in 1963.

HMAS <i>Tobruk</i> (D37) Battle-class destroyer

HMAS Tobruk (D37) was a Battle-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard, the destroyer was completed in 1950. Tobruk was deployed to the Korean War twice, and served with the Far East Strategic Reserve on three occasions during the late 1950s. In 1960, she was damaged beyond economical repair by sister ship HMAS Anzac during a gunnery exercise, which led to the destroyer's decommissioning that year, and sale for scrap in 1971.

HMAS <i>Brisbane</i> (1915) Town-class light cruiser

HMAS Brisbane was a Town class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in Sydney between 1913 and 1916 to the Chatham subtype design, Brisbane operated in the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Australian coastal waters during World War I.

HMAS <i>Vampire</i> (D11) 1959-1986 Daring-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Vampire was the third of three Australian-built Daring class destroyers serving in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). One of the first all-welded ships built in Australia, she was constructed at Cockatoo Island Dockyard between 1952 and 1959, and was commissioned into the RAN a day after completion.

HMAS <i>Voyager</i> (D31) W-class destroyer of the Royal Navy and Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Voyager (D31/I31) was a W-class destroyer of the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Commissioned into the RN in 1918, the destroyer remained in RN service until 1933, when she was transferred to the RAN. Recommissioned, Voyager served in the Mediterranean and Pacific theatres of World War II until 23 September 1942, when she ran aground while trying to deliver troops to Timor. The ship was damaged by Japanese bombers while trying to refloat, then was scuttled by her crew.

HMAS <i>Vendetta</i> (D69)

HMAS Vendetta (D69/I69) was a V-class destroyer that served in the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). One of 25 V class ships ordered for the Royal Navy during World War I, Vendetta entered service in 1917.

HMAS <i>Yarra</i> (D79) River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Yarra, named for the Yarra River, was a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Ordered in 1909 for the Commonwealth Naval Forces, Yarra was temporarily commissioned into the Royal Navy on completion in 1910 and handed over to Australian control on arrival in Australia.

HMAS <i>Torrens</i> (D67) River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Torrens, named for the River Torrens, was a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The destroyer was built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard and entered service with the RAN in 1916. The destroyer was first deployed to East Asia, then the Mediterranean, where she remained for the rest of World War I. After returning to Australia, the destroyer was decommissioned, but saw use in several ports for reservist training before the decision to sell her for scrap was made. After being stripped, the destroyer was towed outside Sydney Heads, used for gunnery practice, and scuttled.

River-class torpedo-boat destroyer

The River class was a class of six torpedo-boat destroyers operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The design was based on a modified version of the British River-class destroyer, 13 of which were planned under the 1904 Naval Estimates, but were cancelled before orders were placed. The first batch of three ships was ordered for the Commonwealth Naval Forces in 1909, followed later by a second batch of three a few years later. All six vessels are named after Australian rivers.

HMAS <i>Warrego</i> (D70) River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Warrego, named for the Warrego River, was a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Ordered in 1909, construction of the destroyer started in England, but she was then broken down and reassembled at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in order for the Australian shipbuilding industry to gain experience in warship construction. Warrego was commissioned into the RAN in 1912, and spent her early career operating in Australian waters.

HMAS <i>Success</i> (H02)

HMAS Success was an Admiralty S-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built for the Royal Navy during World War I, the ship was not completed until 1919, and spent less than eight months in British service before being transferred to the RAN at the start of 1920. The destroyer's career was uneventful, with almost all of it spent in Australian waters. Success was decommissioned in 1930, and was sold for ship breaking in 1937.

HMAS <i>Stalwart</i> (H14)

HMAS Stalwart (H14) was an Admiralty S class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built for the Royal Navy during World War I, the ship was not completed until 1919, and spent less than eight months in British service before being transferred to the RAN at the start of 1920. The destroyer's career was uneventful, with almost all of it spent operating along the east coast of Australia. Stalwart was decommissioned at the end of 1925, was sold for ship breaking in 1937, then was scuttled in 1939.

References

Coordinates: 33°58′S151°36′E / 33.967°S 151.600°E / -33.967; 151.600

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.