The Reserve Fleet, Sydney

[kookaburra]

I always found the Reserve Fleet in Athol Bight off Sydney's famous Taronga Park Zoo to be an interesting place for ship buffs. In the post war period with so many ships retired it tended to be the largest and most dense agglomeration of grey ships in the Harbour, and for a time outnumbered those docked around the Fleet base at Garden Island opposite.


The ships were known in Sydney by the old WW11 Tobruk ferry destroyers' nickname 'The Scrap Iron flotilla,' and for a while there were still some famous vessels rusting away among them.

Does anyone else have some old snapshots of them?

These days, with the pace of technology changing quickly, the impulse to hang on to retired warships as insurance against a national emergency no longer seems to be there. Some of the old frigates have been sunk for target practice, but the favored practice now seems to be to scuttle them at selected spots around the coast as dive wrecks. That's what happened, I seem to remember, with all three of the large and pretty impressive Charles F. Adams DDGs.

As usual, State Governments seem to jump a million miles at any suggestion of a vessel being preserved as a museum ship, so only the National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour has HMAS Vampire as a major floating exhibit, along with one of the old O-class submarines, a patrol boat and a range of small historic vessels (including of course the famous WW11 commando raid on Singapore Harbour vessel, the Krait).


Here's a couple of shots of the 'Scrap Iron Flotilla' in its glory days. I'm hoping someone may be able to post a few more.

It's 1961. We are looking over the bows of the 6-inch cruiser HMAS Hobart, whose modernisation was halted half-way for economic reasons, and the ship placed into reserve, never to serve again. From memory two million pounds had been spent upgrading her before that decision was taken, a fair amount of money in those days.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v460/Bronteboy/ReserveFleet.jpg


In fact of all these ships, only the carrier HMAS Sydney - three years in reserve here - would ever serve again, as a fast troop transport, the 'Vung Tau Ferry' of the Vietnam era. Between Sydney and Hobart here we can see five Bathhurst Class corvette/minsweepers, a River and a Bay Class frigate, and the black tripod mast of the Tribal Class destroyer HMAS Warramunga in the background.

Here is a less clear snapshot taken from the zoo: Send more please.
Edit: I was forgetting that Brisbane has the frigate HMAS Diamantina and Melbourne the little corvette HMAS Castlemaine as museum ships (the latter, however, having a first-rate historical museum aboard).

[spruso]

I often went to the zoo as a kid in the early 1950,s and always remember HMAS Shropshire sitting over in Athol Bight with the Reserve Fleet. My dad took me to see her, and later, HMAS Australia towed out of Sydney for the last time.

HMAS Shropshire was in the drydock at GI around 1954-5 probably getting ready to be towed away. I remember this distinctly as I was walking under her on the Navy Week open day and bamged my head rather hard. I was only 10 years old but it gave me an opportunity to practice some of my newly learned swear words! (There is a small photo in the Gillett book of Shropshire near the zoo but it was too small to copy successfully and post here)

I also had a lot of photos of HOBART which I took about 1960 but unfortunately they were lost long ago.

Hope someone posts a photo of Shropshire at that time. It will bring back some memories.

Cheers
Bruce

[spruso]

Here's the picture of HMAS Shropshire. Not the best quality. Taken in Athol Bight 1952 with the destroyer HMAS Quality alongside. Other ships unknown.

Color photo was taken in 1960 and from the left shows HMAS Koompartoo, HMAS Shoalhaven and three unidentified River Class frigates with others moored further out.
Cheers
Bruce

[kookaburra]

Here's the picture of HMAS Shropshire. Not the best quality. Taken in Athol Bight 1952 with the destroyer HMAS Quality alongside. Other ships unknown.

Color photo was taken in 1960 and from the left shows HMAS Koompartoo, HMAS Shoalhaven and three unidentified River Class frigates with others moored further out.
Cheers
Bruce


Thanks Bruce, I think that pic of Shropshire is absolutely great - can't ask too much of snapshots, but they have their own feeling and provide images of things in a way we don't usually see them.

Here's one from Gillet's and Melliar-Phelps's Harbour book of HMAS Arunta in reserve: she of course was the ship that resulotely sank herself while being towed away to a breaker's yard in Japan. Poetic justice really - who said ships don't have souls!

In the second general Harbour image, top left, you can see HMAS Hobart in reserve, with HMAS Diamantina alongside and some boom vessels nearby. But your shot of Shropshire like that is the most valuable yet, because it is previously unseen. bests.

[airlana]

It was largely from reading this thread barely a week ago that I decided to register. With dad in the RAN for 28 years and living right on the foreshores of Sydney Harbour at Cremorne Point, I realise now how lucky I was to witness all the 'comings & goings' on the Harbour during those post war years. Seems like hardly a day went by without some activity - the almost daily movements of navy ships into & out of Garden Island, mothballed ships being towed across the harbour, submarines at Neutral Bay, flying boats at Rose Bay, the great passenger liners bringing thousands of immigrants to a new land, and of course the sheer spectacle of the carriers Sydney and Melbourne steaming up the harbour with the whole flight deck lined with hundreds of sailors in their 'whites', including several times with dad there somewhere.

I thought it might be useful to add here a few recollections of those years. Bear in mind I was only a youngster then [b.1945] and my apologises in advance if I haven't always used the correct terminology.

The first image below is a general view of Sydney Harbour from Google Earth, so it's of course current. The yellow area is enlarged in the second image and a number of landmarks shown so you can get your bearings.

The location of the Reserve/Mothball Fleet at Athol Bight is shown with the yellow X's.
'Kookaburra' has covered this so well there's not much to add. I do remember however the warning signs about taking photos. These were erected alongside the road going down to the zoo ferry wharf and also painted in big letters on the road surface. Something about under Commonwealth Law it was forbidden to take photos and fines and imprisonment etc.
Now after all these years I can confess. Around late 1950's early 1960's I was in the sea scouts at Mosman Bay - see map. Many a time after the Friday night meeting, we would take one of our training boats, row the damn thing all the way to the ships at Athol Bight in pitch darkness, with no lights, then tie up under the dolphins and climb onboard the ships. All good harmless fun and to set the record straight, no we never nicked a thing. I think our biggest fear was getting caught as there were several caretakers living on the ships, and we understood they had a phone line through to Garden Island.

The dolphins at Athol Bight were adjacent to Bradley's Head which of course is where the mast from the cruiser HMAS Sydney, of Emden fame, was erected as a memorial in 1934.

Although the Athol Bight site was by far the biggest and most prominent location, several mothball ships were also tied up during this period at the smaller dolphins in Shell Cove. Mostly corvettes, minesweepers and auxillary ships, nothing large. The third photo was taken in the 1950's.

Shell Cove was also often used for practice firing of Squids. The ships would be towed across from Garden Island, tied up with bows facing out. The forward firing Squids, floating dummies. would be fired over the ship and retrieved by small launches.

There were also dolphins adjacent to Kirribilli and although not used by the mothballed ships they nearly always had a ship tied up during events like the Royal Visit.

The Kirribilli dolphins were also used for the caisson from Captain Cook Dry Dock at Garden Island. The dock had two caissons and both were used if say two small ships were docked. Larger ships such as carriers required the whole dock, so one of the caissons would be towed across to the Kirribilli dolphins and tied up, often for lengthy periods. I've never been able to find out the size of these caissons but it was an impressive sight seeing these huge 'things' being slowly towed across the harbour. And as for a photo - well I'm beginning to think none exist. Can anyone help with sizes and/or photos?

I've also marked some other locations used by the Navy.
HMAS Platypus in Neutral Bay was for many years the base for submarines.
Chowder Bay for small ships.
Both Farm Cove and the area between Garden Island and Clark Island were used extensively for mooring ships to buoys. You'll often see on old maps, these referred to as "Man of War Anchorage". Just east of Clark Island was the explosive buoy area.

There were other naval areas not mentioned here. Further up the harbour, west of the Bridge and not forgetting HMAS Penguin in Middle Harbour.

Sadly so much has been lost over the years. Some like myself have the memories. Fortunately, some had the foresight or otherwise all those years ago, to take a few photos. To them whoever they are, we are all grateful.

Perhaps my ramblings will jog a few memories. Perhaps someone will remember that old photo lying around. I do hope so.

regards Ashley

[kookaburra]

Wlecome airlana. Thanks for posting those reminiscenes , and for your other posts. Memories like that are always pleasant to read, and Spruso chimed in with some good ones too - and some Reservice Fleet photos. I never knew it was illegal to photograph the ships there.


I wonder if you recall anything of the Sea Venom collision over Sydney Harbour in 1961, which put one in the drink there, while the other limped back to Nowra. I searched and could only find the scantest of reports on it.

Yes, Sydney was (is) the place for ship buffs, and although from Melbourne I was fortunate to live there on the Harbour for quite a few years (and literally on the Harbour for a couple of years, on a yacht at Spit Bridge marina), and additionally visit many times.

In Melbourne in the old days we had to go out to Williamstown for a distant glimpse of the warships under repair or construction, and otherwise wait for visitors - it was (and is) traditional for Navy ships to come in to Station Pier at Melbourne Cup time. One good thing in my young days, however, was that visiting destroyers could come right up the Yarra to North and South wharfs, and I visited many rafted up together there - US and Australian. They can do that no longer due to all the new low bridges across the Yarra, although the Anzac frigates can still get under the Bolte Bridge (just) and sometimes dock impressively at Victoria Harbour right cheek-by-jowl with all the new high rise apartments at Docklands.

Anyway, of course there are countless good ship photos in Sydney, but here are a couple more old ones I found (forget where now) with that amateur 'snapshot' quality which I also enjoy when linked with nostalgia posts.

[airlana]

Thanks kookaburrafor the extra input, you've jogged my memory further.

One thing I forgot to mention before was the RAAF Air/Sea Rescue boats based in Neutral Bay opposite the submarine wharf. They too have long gone.

Not only do I remember the Sea Venom crash, but actually saw it happen. It's on my list of 'posts' to do so stand by.

Then there was the night collision between a submarine and a ferry. Another story to tell.

The old marina, well actually a boatshed, at The Spit was on the Mosman side on the western approach to the bridge. In those days it was owned by the Savage family.

Interesting photos you have shown. I can't identify the ships in the first [will try some enlarging on the scanner and see if that helps] but in the distance at top left you can just make out the ships at Athol Bight.

The second photo is HMAS Quadrant, I think in Farm Cove and the photo taken from the Man of War steps or possibly from the old tram depot which is now the site of the Opera House.

Been to Melbourne many times but never around the port area or Williamstown. Dad had a couple of stints down there, Flinders I think.

It's been many years since I left Sydney and with several moves including 6 years in Thailand and the last 20 odd here in Brisbane, things tend to get lost. I will have a rat around the cupboards and boxes and hopefully find some 'treasures'

regards Ash

[herakles]

Yes, Sydney was (is) the place for ship buffs, and although from Melbourne I was fortunate to live there on the Harbour for quite a few years (and literally on the Harbour for a couple of years, on a yacht at Spit Bridge marina), and additionally visit many times.

Ah! Melbourne Harbour. I always preferred the Bay however. :rolleyes:

[airlana]

a few more pics

The first three are from Warship vol.12/2003 magazine. Unfortunately two of them are centre spreads. Why oh why do publishers do this, and always with the best photos?

Lastly a colour photo of a RAAF Crash Boat. These 63ft vessels originally served in the RAN in the rescue of downed aircrew. Several were transferred to RAAF in 1949 and for many years were a regular sight on Sydney Harbour.

Ash

[mik43]

Lovely pic of the crash boat Airlana. have you got ny more like that you can post?
Mik

[spruso]

Good photos these. Amazing to see what's come out of the woodwork since this thread started. These two photos look like around the late 1950's when I was taking my photos with an antiquated "Box - Brownie". Your right with the Quadrant. Looks like near man'o war steps.

In the other photo I can ID HMAS Swan F74 and HMAS Voyager D04, and Hobart in the distance in Athol Bight.

Keep them coming!

Cheers
Bruce

Thanks kookaburrafor the extra input, you've jogged my memory further.

One thing I forgot to mention before was the RAAF Air/Sea Rescue boats based in Neutral Bay opposite the submarine wharf. They too have long gone.

Not only do I remember the Sea Venom crash, but actually saw it happen. It's on my list of 'posts' to do so stand by.

Then there was the night collision between a submarine and a ferry. Another story to tell.

The old marina, well actually a boatshed, at The Spit was on the Mosman side on the western approach to the bridge. In those days it was owned by the Savage family.

Interesting photos you have shown. I can't identify the ships in the first [will try some enlarging on the scanner and see if that helps] but in the distance at top left you can just make out the ships at Athol Bight.

The second photo is HMAS Quadrant, I think in Farm Cove and the photo taken from the Man of War steps or possibly from the old tram depot which is now the site of the Opera House.

Been to Melbourne many times but never around the port area or Williamstown. Dad had a couple of stints down there, Flinders I think.

It's been many years since I left Sydney and with several moves including 6 years in Thailand and the last 20 odd here in Brisbane, things tend to get lost. I will have a rat around the cupboards and boxes and hopefully find some 'treasures'

regards Ash

[airlana]

Seems like hardly a day went by without some activity - the almost daily movements of navy ships into & out of Garden Island, mothballed ships being towed across the harbour, submarines at Neutral Bay, flying boats at Rose Bay, the great passenger liners bringing thousands of immigrants to a new land, and of course the sheer spectacle of the carriers Sydney and Melbourne steaming up the harbour with the whole flight deck lined with hundreds of sailors in their 'whites', including several times with dad there somewhere.

Ashley

Maybe some have not had the opportunity to see the "sheer spectacle" of an aircraft carrier entering port with the crew on deck. To see them steaming up Sydney Harbour with destroyer escorts on a bright sunny morning was truly something.

Anyway, here's a photo of HMAS Melbourne with crew on deck, complete with Skyhawks and Trackers, so it probably dates from 1970's. Unfortunately in this photo the crew are not in there "whites"............... and I know there is a correct term for this, but can't for the life of me remember what it is. Please, could someone enlighten me.

Apologise for the vertical centre line in the photo. It's from a double page spread, too big for my scanner, so I had to join the two halves. I'll have a go at touching it up later.

Ash

[kookaburra]

Colour pic of the Reserve Fleet, July 1962.


Ships present from left foreground are Koompartoo, HMAS Shoalhaven and three other WW11-era River or Bay Class frigates. In the background are destroyers Arunta, Tobruk and Warramunga, and three boom defence vessels. From Ross Gillett's 1977 'Warships of Australia' but it will show to better advantage here I think.

Ashley, I meant to say, I loved your early story of Sea Scouts days escapades, getting out onto these ships at night. That's the way boys should behave! Edit: Dammit, I belatedly see Bruce had already posted this. Ah well, I liked the sea scouts story - and Bruce's rare 'Shropshire' in reserve photo.

[Bear]

Kookaburra, I too wish state gvts would preserve our naval heritage. Of late it would have been good have a Tribal, a Whitby and a Charles F. Adams to look back on.
HMAS Whyalla, one of the Bathursts, is preserved in her city namesake and another Bathurst, HMAS Castlemain is still in the water at Williamstown. She was used as a training ship for engine room staff at HMAS Cerberus for many years. Both of these ships are open to the public.
Keep up the good work. This is a most enjoable site I have blundered into.

[Krieg1981]

Are there any more pics of HMAS Hobart? Either in or out of reserve? Such a beautiful ship!

[kookaburra]

Are there any more pics of HMAS Hobart? Either in or out of reserve? Such a beautiful ship!

Krieg, I'll be doing a large take-out on all Australian cruisers in the next week or two, which will include a good selection of HMAS Hobart photos. It's a bit of a major exercise in accumulation and I'm not ready to go with it. K.

[astraltrader]

Hi Kreig - I have quite a few pictures of Hobart, here are a few to go on with. After Kookaburra has posted his selection if I then have any that have not been covered I will add to them.

[Krieg1981]

Thanks, guys! Yet another gorgeous ship with absolutely no picture representation in the internet! I look forward to the RAN cruiser thread.....especially pics of them in reserve or being scrapped(I'm morbid that way!). :eek:

[kookaburra]

Rather a good pic of HMAS Kara Kara, 525 ton former Sydney vehicular ferry and WW11 auxiliary boom defence vessel in Darwin at the Reserve Fleet landings in Sydney, 1960. She was sunk as a Fleet Air Arm target in 1969. I found the close view here of the network of piers and concrete service walkways at the Reserve Fleet complex in Athol Bight interesting.She also looks better maintained than she did in service imo.


Kara Kara's story has been told the the RAN Ship Of The Day thread, at p5, Post #19, here:

http://www.worldnavalships.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3756&page=5

[kookaburra]

A couple more to add to our fairly rare collection of pics up close to the ships of the postwar reserve fleet at Athol Bight.

First, three of the celebrated 'K'-named boom defence vessels (Bar Class) that manned the worlds longest boom off Darwin during the war, experiencing the air raids that went with that. They are Karangi, Kangaroo and Koala - all ships whose careers are dealt with in the RAN Ship Of The Day thread, as was Kara Kara of the last post here.


2nd. Stern view of three Bathurst Class corvettes laying out near HMAS Sydney, one of which closest to the piers seems to have had a hut built on its stern. Probably a watch-keepers hut I'm purely guessing.

[kookaburra]

A new series series of snapshot-type pics tracing ships on the Reserve Fleet dolphins at Athol Bight through the postwar years.

Pic 1: July 1953: Very similar but NOT the same one we've had previously from Bruce, a slightly different angle from Taronga Park Zoo of HMAS Shropshire with destroyer Quality alongside, three LSTs right, Bathurst Class corvettes, and masttop only of destroyer Arunta I think above Shrops [memory from another pic].

Pic 2, 1956: HMAS Hobart with two River Class frigates and a GPV alongside.

Pic 3. 1964: Tribal Class destroyer Arunta with Motor Refrigerator Lighter 252 and tug, maybe Sprightly or Reserve alongside. .

Pic 4: 1969: Historic tug [I]Wattle [restored now in Melbourne] and Q Class HMAS Quiberon.

Pic 5: 1970: Tug Wattle (obscure); Quiberon; frigate Barcoo; HMAS Tobruk, tug stern.


Pic 6: 1984: Last days of HMAS Melbourne; two Daring Class destroyers alongside, Ton Class minesweeper foreground, two lighters.


Pic 7 1986: BDV-Oceanographic HMAS Kimbla, with HMAS Vendetta, Attack Class PB astern.

Pic 8, 1986: HMAS Yarra 111.

[ludsie]

Great pictures guys
I cant believe that we sold the Melbourne to the Chinese who then used her as a training ship for many years

Recurring theme with them

[Bundall]

I worked on ships in the Reserve Fleet on two occasions and it was a strange, bordering on surreal environment, that prevailed there.
During the initial period I was billeted on Platypus, then tied up to the Watsons Bay wharf that was longer than it is now and had a dory at my disposal to commute to Bradleys Head where the Fleet was moored.
This was in 1957.
There was rampant theft from the ships and I well remember a number of Chiefs and P.O.s being ushered over the Platypus brow at noon with a SNLR in their hip pocket after being found guilty of theft. In those days they were sent ashore in disgrace, in No. 8s without cap or any badges and stripped of all dignity and pensions etc.
So much lead bar ballast was rumoured to have been taken from one corvette that when unmoored for towing to Garden Island for dry docking it nearly capsized as a result of too much ballast being taken from one side.
The interior of the workboat attached to the Reserve Fleet was often freshly
painted on Monday mornings to obliterate the marks left by the lead bar ballast cargoes of the weekend evenings.
A corvette was used for accommodation of about 20 sailors and was situated in the middle of the Fleet. This afforded privacy for the swimming acitivities that frequently did not conform to the wearing of any swimming gear.
On Friday evenings just after dark, a workboat would be despatched to Kuttabul steps near where the Opera House is now, to collect 6 or so nurses from Concord Repatriation Hospital, who would spend the weekend on board, partying and swimming.
Alcohol,including cold wooden 5 gallon kegs of beer , was supplied by the friendly owner of the now destroyed Clifton Gardens Hotel.
The sailors ran a fortnightly account there for this purpose.
The workboat run across the harbour to Kuttabul steps after dark on Friday nights was done with out lights so as to avoid the unwanted attention of the Garden Island signal station but encounters with the NSW Water Police were easily resolved with an open invitation to attend the weekend long party on board.
At the time in the Navy this was judged to be "rugged duty"

[Bundall]

During the initial period that I spent in the Reserve Fleet, as the only Radio and Radar Mechanic rating there, I was frequently approached to land much electronic gear, especially testing gear, on shore.
I was getting so many strange phone calls on board at night, that it was annoying especially as they knew my name, rating and rank. Much money was involved.
The Federal Police maintained a surveillance operation on the ships from the Taronga Park (Zoo) wharf to try to stop the thefts.
With regard to the phone calls I never knew if it was a crook on the other end or the Federal Police but being 19 and only interested in wine and women, I never yielded to temptation.
It is interesting to note that at that time, there were 2 or 3 WW2 River class frigates there in sailing condition and they only needed food, crew, ammunitation and perishables to sail out of the Harbour at 24 hours notice.
No such scheme seems to be in place now.
It was my job to regularly run all radio and radar equipment on these ships.

It was an erie experience to go aboard a completely powerless ship and go below in total darkness to operate the mainswitchboard to connect shore side power to enable all radio and radar equipment to function. It was especially daunting as I never knew who might be lurking around on board.

[alexrad]

Here are a couple of snap shots I took in Nov. 1984.
Melbourne, Vendetta, Snipe, Ibis, etc.

[astraltrader]

Here are a couple of snap shots I took in Nov. 1984.
Melbourne, Vendetta, Snipe, Ibis, etc.

Great photos Alex - I am sure that Jeff [Kookaburra] would love to feature them in his RAN Centenary Photostream if you do not mind??

[alexrad]

Great photos Alex - I am sure that Jeff [Kookaburra] would love to feature them in his RAN Centenary Photostream if you do not mind??

No worries :)

[mstary1]

Brilliant pics everyone. Does anyone have shots of Vampire before she came to GI to be saved. I was at GI when she was dry docked and I remember the awful smell of millions of seagull droppings covering her. :D

[kookaburra]

No worries :)

Thank you very much Terry for requesting this, and Alex for that permission. I would indeed like to place these two excellent original images, and appreciate the thought behind this very much. Bests wishes both. Jeff.

[FredC]

Thanks to all that have posted in this thread. I had quite a few photos of these ships as they always fascinated me, but divorce and time has seen the demise of most of them.
A few more from the Mothball Fleet (as I knew it):
1. HMAS Warrego with Warramunga behind & further the tops of the funnels of the 3 boom defence vessels
2. Yet another of HMAS Karra Karra. For a most unphotogenic ship, she has been the target of a lot of lenses!
3. HMAS Swan - sister of Warrego
4. Floating dock which was moored there for quite some time. It was originally at Cockatoo Island & as kids we would (illegally) use it as a fishing platform. On a sunny day you could see the sharks cruising below through rusted holes in the bottom.
Sorry about the quality, but when you scan the old box brownie photos, you realise the lens was not the sharpest. If anyone can improve them please do so.
Cheers,
Fred

[Stokers Son]

Thank you for posting the photos. As a boy going to Manly this was always a great site all the ex naval ships.
Regards
John

[Stokers Son]

Hello Ash,
here is your retouched photo of Melbourne on which my brother served
Regards
John

[airlana]

Hello Ash,
here is your retouched photo of Melbourne on which my brother served
Regards
John

Hi John, thanks and you've done a great job.

Dad was on Melbourne much earlier than your brother, 1961/62 and was his last ship after 27 years in RAN

regards Ash