River class torpedo boat destroyer
Encyclopedia
The River class was a class
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of six torpedo-boat destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s operated by the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
. Three were ordered for the Commonwealth Naval Forces (the post-Federation
Federation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
amalgamation of the Australian colonial navies
Colonial navies of Australia
Before Federation in 1901 five of the six separate colonies maintained their own naval forces for defence. The colonial navies were supported by the ships of the Royal Navy’s Australian Station which was established in 1859...
) in 1909; two were built in the United Kingdom, while a third was partially built, disassembled, then transported to Australia for reassembly. Another three ships were later ordered. All six ships were operated during World War I, but were disposed of during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Three were sunk as target ship
Target ship
A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing.-Rationale:Sinking redundant warships is an effective way of testing new weapons and warships in as realistic a manner as possible. Whilst practice torpedoes are fired...
s, while the other three were used as accommodations ships, but later ran aground or sank.
Design and construction
Three ships, , and , were ordered on 6 February 1909; the first ships to be ordered for the Commonwealth Naval Forces, the post-FederationFederation of Australia
The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed one nation...
amalgamation of the Australian colonial navies
Colonial navies of Australia
Before Federation in 1901 five of the six separate colonies maintained their own naval forces for defence. The colonial navies were supported by the ships of the Royal Navy’s Australian Station which was established in 1859...
. Another three ships, , , and , were ordered later. All six ships of the class were named after Australian rivers (one from each state), starting a tradition in the Royal Australian Navy of naming ships after the rivers of Australia.
Based on the British Acheron class
Acheron class destroyer
The Acheron class was a class of twenty-three destroyers of the British Royal Navy, all built under the 1910-11 Programme and completed between 1911 and 1912, which served during World War I. A further six ships were built to the same design for the Royal Australian Navy as River-class destroyers...
, these destroyers had a displacement of 750 tons. The first three had a length overall of 246 feet (75 m), while the second three were longer at 250 in 9 in (76.43 m). They were powered by three Yarrow oil-burning boilers connected to Parsons turbines, which delivered 10000 shp to three propeller shafts. Cruising speed was 11.5 knots (6.3 m/s), giving the ship a range of 2690 nautical miles (4,981.9 km), and maximum speed was 26 knots (14.2 m/s). Each ship's company consisted of between 66 and 73 personnel, including five officers.
The destroyers' main armament consisted of a single BL 4-inch Mark VIII naval gun
BL 4 inch naval gun Mk VIII
The BL 4-inch gun Mark VIII was a British medium-velocity wire-wound naval gun introduced in 1908 as an anti-torpedo boat gun in smaller ships whose decks could not support the strain of the heavier and more powerful Mk VII gun.-Mk VIII History:...
, supplemented by three QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun
QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun
The QF 12 pounder 12 cwt gun was a common calibre naval gun introduced in 1894 and used until the middle of the 20th century. It was produced by Armstrong Whitworth, Elswick and used on Royal Navy warships, and exported to allied countries...
s. They were also fitted with three .303-inch
.303 British
.303 British, or 7.7x56mmR, is a .311 inch calibre rifle and machine gun cartridge first developed in Britain as a blackpowder round put into service in December 1888 for the Lee-Metford rifle, later adapted to use smokeless powders...
machine guns and three single 18-inch torpedo
British 18 inch torpedo
There have been a number of 18 inch torpedoes in service with the United Kingdom. These have been used on ships of the Royal Navy and aircraft of both the Fleet Air Arm and Royal Air Force...
tubes.
Parramatta and Yarra were built in the United Kingdom, and were the first new ships launched for the Australian navy. After completion, the two vessels were temporarily commissioned into the Royal Navy for the delivery voyage to Australia, althouh they reverted to the control of the Commonwealth Naval Forces on arrival in Broome. Warrego, however, was built up to launch condition, then disassembled, transported to Australia by ship, and rebuilt at Cockatoo Island Dockyard: the reasoning behind this was to raise the standard of the Australian shipbuilding industry by giving Cockatoo Island hands-on experience in warship construction. The second batch of three warships were all built at Cockatoo Island.
Operational history
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Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
. On arrival, they were to undergo anti-submarine training, but were immediately deployed as escorts for a convoy. After completing the convoy run, the Australian warships completed the training, and were assigned to patrols of the Adriatic. The six destroyers returned to Australian waters in March 1919.
Decommissioning and fate
Hawkesbury River
The Hawkesbury River, also known as Deerubbun, is one of the major rivers of the coastal region of New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its tributaries virtually encircle the metropolitan region of Sydney.-Geography:-Course:...
. The two hulks were then sold into private hands; after plans to use them as fishers' accommodation, they were used to transport metal to islands along the river. In 1934, Swan and Parramatta were being towed along the river to the ship breakers
Ship breaking
Ship breaking or ship demolition is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for scrap recycling. Most ships have a lifespan of a few decades before there is so much wear that refitting and repair becomes uneconomical. Ship breaking allows materials from the ship, especially...
when heavy weather caused the hulks to break free of their towing vessel; Swan sank, and Parramatta ran aground. The two ships were abandoned, although in 1973, the bow and stern of Parramatta were salvaged for use as memorials.
Warrego was used as accommodation at Cockatoo Island. She sank at her berth, and was later demolished. Yarra, Torrens, and Huon were all scuttled outside Sydney Heads after being used as target ship
Target ship
A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing.-Rationale:Sinking redundant warships is an effective way of testing new weapons and warships in as realistic a manner as possible. Whilst practice torpedoes are fired...
s.
Ships of the class
| Name | Ship Builder | |Launched | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First group | |||
| Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, Govan, Glasgow | 9 February 1910 | ||
| William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton | 9 April 1910 | ||
| Laid down at Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, Govan and constructed at Cockatoo Dockyard Cockatoo Island, New South Wales Cockatoo Island is the largest island in Sydney Harbour in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located at the junction of the Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers, Cockatoo Island is a former imperial prison, industrial school, reformatory and gaol. It was also the site of one of Australia's biggest... , Sydney from parts |
4 April 1911 | ||
| Second group | |||
| Cockatoo Dockyard, Sydney | 19 December 1914 | ||
| Cockatoo Dockyard, Sydney | 11 December 1915 | ||
| Cockatoo Dockyard, Sydney | 28 August 1915 | ||