HMAS Stalwart (H14)

Last updated

HMAS Stalwart (H-14).jpg
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgAustralia
Builder Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited
Laid downApril 1918
Launched23 October 1918
Completed5 April 1919
Commissioned
  • Royal Navy: April 1919
  • RAN: 27 January 1920
Decommissioned1 December 1925
Motto
  • Cor Roboris Cona Fors
  • "The Heart of Strength is Good Fortune"
FateSold for scrap, 1937
General characteristics
Class and type Admiralty S class destroyer
Displacement1,075 tons
Length
Beam26 ft 8.25 in (8.1344 m)
Propulsion3 × Yarrow boilers, Brown-Curtis turbines, 27,000 shp (20,000 kW), 2 shafts
Speed
  • 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph) as designed
  • 32.7 knots (60.6 km/h; 37.6 mph) on power trails
  • 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) economical
Range2,608 nautical miles (4,830 km; 3,001 mi) at 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement6 officers, 93 sailors
Armament

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.

Contents

Design and construction

Stalwart was built to the Admiralty design of the S class destroyer, which was designed and built as part of the British emergency war programme. [1] The destroyer had a displacement of 1,075 tons, a length of 276 feet 1.75 inches (84.1693 m) overall and 265 feet (81 m) between perpendiculars, and a beam of 26 feet 8.25 inches (8.1344 m). [2] The propulsion machinery consisted of three Yarrow boilers feeding Brown-Curtis turbines, which supplied 27,000 shaft horsepower (20,000 kW) to the ship's two propeller shafts. [3] Although designed with a maximum speed of 36 knots (67 km/h; 41 mph), Stalwart was only able to achieve 32.7 knots (60.6 km/h; 37.6 mph) on power trials. [2] The destroyer's economical speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) gave her a range of 2,608 nautical miles (4,830 km; 3,001 mi). [1] The ship's company was made up of 6 officers and 93 sailors. [3]

The destroyer's primary armament consisted of three QF 4-inch Mark IV guns. These were supplemented by a 2-pounder pom-pom, five .303 inch machine guns (a mix of Lewis and Maxim guns), two twin 21-inch torpedo tube sets, two depth charge throwers, and two depth charge chutes. [2]

Stalwart was laid down by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited at their Wallsend-on-Tyne shipyard in April 1918. [3] The destroyer was launched on 23 October 1918, and completed on 5 April 1919. [3] The ship was briefly commissioned into the Royal Navy in April 1919, but was quickly marked for transfer to the RAN, along with four sister ships. [3] Stalwart was commissioned into the RAN on 27 January 1920. [3] There were plans to rename the destroyer HMAS Darwin, but these were cancelled in mid 1920. [2] The ship's badge depicted an acorn, and Stalwart carried the motto "Cor Roboris Bona Fors"; Latin for "The Heart of Strength is Good Fortune". [3]

Operational history

Although the other four S class ships sailed on 20 February, Stuart remained in England for another six days, and sailed with the destroyer leader HMAS Anzac. [3] Stalwart spent most of her career operating within the Australia Station, primarily along the east coast of the continent. [3]

Decommissioning and fate

Stalwart was paid off to reserve on 1 December 1925. [3] The ship was sold to Penguins Limited for ship breaking on 4 June 1937. [3] The ship was stripped of useful materials, and the remaining hulk was sunk at 33°59.906′S151°36.067′E / 33.998433°S 151.601117°E / -33.998433; 151.601117 Coordinates: 33°59.906′S151°36.067′E / 33.998433°S 151.601117°E / -33.998433; 151.601117 on 22 July 1939. [4] [5] The ship had been loaded with a cargo of condemned onions before sinking: currents removed many onions from the wreck and caused them to wash up on beaches around Bondi. [6] The ship's mast was removed before the ship's sinking, and is preserved inside the Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre. [7]

Citations

  1. 1 2 Cassells, The Destroyers, pp. 103–4
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 103
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Cassells, The Destroyers, p. 104
  4. NSW Wrecks, Scuttled Vessels
  5. Sunk at Sea. Obsolete destroyer, in The Evening Post
  6. Bastock, Australia's Ships of War, p. 84
  7. Royal Australian Navy, Heritage Centre - Online Guided Tour

Related Research Articles

HMAS <i>Nestor</i> (G02) Destroyer

HMAS Nestor (G02) was an N-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Built in Scotland, Nestor was commissioned in February 1941; although manned by Australians and commissioned as an Australian warship, she remained the property of the Royal Navy.

HMAS <i>Quiberon</i> (G81) Australian royal navy ship

HMAS Quiberon (G81/D20/D281/F03) was a Q-class destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Although built for the Royal Navy and remaining British property until 1950, Quiberon was one of two Q-class destroyers commissioned into the RAN during World War II. She was passed into full RAN ownership in 1950, and converted into an anti-submarine frigate.

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>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.

HMS <i>J1</i> J class submarine

HMS J1 was a J-class submarine operated by the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.

HMS <i>J2</i> J class submarine

HMS J2 was a J-class submarine operated by the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.

HMS <i>J5</i> 1916 J class submarine

HMS J5 was a First World War J class submarine operated by the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.

HMS <i>Quality</i> (G62) Destroyer of the Royal Navy

HMS Quality (G62/D18) was a Q-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy. Entering service in 1942, the destroyer served in several theatres of World War II. Following the war's conclusion, the ship was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), commissioning as HMAS Quality (G62/D262) in late 1945. Unlike her sister ships, which were refitted as anti-submarine frigates, Quality was not modified, decommissioned after only 59 days of service, and was sold for scrap in 1958.

HMAS <i>Pioneer</i> Pelorus-class protected cruiser built for the Royal Navy at the end of the 19th century

HMAS Pioneer was a Pelorus-class protected cruiser built for the Royal Navy at the end of the 19th century. She was transferred to the fledgling Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1912. During World War I, the cruiser captured two German merchant ships, and was involved in the East African Campaign, including the blockade of the cruiser SMS Königsberg and a bombardment of Dar-es-Salaam. She returned to Australia in late 1916 and was decommissioned. Pioneer was used as an accommodation ship for the following six years, then was stripped down and sold off by 1926. The cruiser was scuttled outside Sydney Heads in 1931.

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 1934.

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) Parker-class destroyer of Royal Australian Navy

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>Canberra</i> (D33)

HMAS Canberra (I33/D33), named after the Australian capital city of Canberra, was a Royal Australian Navy (RAN) heavy cruiser of the Kent sub-class of County-class cruisers. Constructed in Scotland during the mid-1920s, the ship was commissioned in 1928, and spent the first part of her career primarily operating in Australian waters, with some deployments to the China Station.

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>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>Huon</i> (D50) River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy

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.

HMAS <i>Success</i> (H02) S-class destroyer of Royal Australian Navy

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.

References