HMAS Melbourne

[herakles]

There have been three ships of this name and here follows a brief description of them.

1. HMAS Melbourne

She was a Town-class light cruiser, commissioned in 1913.

Displacement: 5,400 tons
Length: 456 feet 10 3/8 inches
Beam: 49 feet 10 inches
Draught: 19 feet 7 inches
Propulsion: Parsons turbines, Yarrow boilers, 4 screws
Speed: 23.2 knots
Complement: 485
Armament: 8 × 6 in (152 mm) 50 calibre guns
4 x 3-pounder guns
1 x 12-pounder gun
2 x .303-inch Maxim guns
8 x .303-inch Lewis guns
2 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes

She took part in the pursuit of the Emden off Cocus Island in 1914. During WW1, she served 2 years on the American station, the rest as part of the Grand Fleet in the North Sea. Sold for scrap in 1928, having spent the time between the end of the war and then laid up.

2. HMAS Melbourne

A Majestic class aircraft carrier, originally intended to be HMS Majestic. Bought by the Australian Government in 1955 and re-named Melbourne. Flag ship.

Displacement: 20,000 tons full load
Length: 214 metres
Beam: 24 metres
Draught: 7.5 metres
Propulsion: 4 x Admiralty 3-drum boilers, two-shaft Parson's geared steam turbines providing 40,000 shp, driving 1 x three blade screw and 1 x four blade screw.
Speed: 24 knots (44 km/h)
Range: 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km) at 14 knots (26 km/h) 6,200 nautical miles (11,500 km) at 23 knots (43 km/h)
Complement: 1,355 (includes 347 Carrier Air Group personnel) 1,070 (75 officers and 995 sailors) as Flagship
Armament: 25 x 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns
Aircraft carried: Originally: 8 x de Havilland Sea Venom fighters, 16 Gannet anti-submarine aircraft, 2 x Sycamore helicopters
Late Service: 8 x A-4 Skyhawk fighter bombers, 6 x S-2 Tracker anti-submarine aircraft, 6 x Sea King Mk.50 anti-submarine helicopters, 2 x Wessex HAS.31 utility helicopters

She is still widely remembered as a jinx ship, being involved in no less than three collisions, two of which caused much loss of life.

She assisted in relief work after cyclone Tracy destroyed Darwin in 1974. Other than that, she did all the usual things a ship does in peacetime including attending the Spithead Review for our Queen's jubilee. She was laid up in 1982. Sold to China, it is believed she was intensely studied and formed the basis of Chinese ship building plans.

The incidents

1. The Voyager incident

In February 1964, Melbourne and the Daring class Voyager conducted night exercises off Jervis Bay. Both ships were darkened accordingly. Voyager cut across the bow of Melbourne and was struck at the after end of her bridge and was cut in half. She sank almost immediately. 82 lives were lost including the captain's. Melbourne was not badly damaged. The captain of the Melbourne was later exonerated of any blame. Considerable compensation was paid to the families of the men of Voyager but none to those affected from Melbourne until 2004. Numerous awards were made for bravery at the time of the collision including the George Cross to CPO Rogers.

2. In 1968 she struck the side of a Japanese freighter, the 6,580 ton Mikagesan Maru, in Sydney harbour.

3. In June 1969, whilst on night exercise in the South China Sea, Melbourne collided with the Sumner class destroyer USS Frank E. Evans. As with Voyager, the Evans turned across Melbourne's bow and was cut in two. 74 lives were lost, all from the destroyer. Melbourne was not badly damaged. She was holed above the waterline, her flight deck distorted and catapult made unserviceable. The previous day there were two near collisions with other destroyers and warnings were sent out by Melbourne to the fleet to be more careful. Later the Captain of Melbourne (Captain J.P. Stevenson) was cleared of any involvement. He was also in command when Voyager was struck. The Flag Officer Commanding the Australian Fleet (Rear-Admiral G.J. B. Crabb) was also aboard the aircraft carrier at the time. It has been suggested that the full truth of this incident has never been made public in order to protect Australian/US relations.

3. HMAS Melbourne

An Adelaide class guided missile frigate commissioned in 1992.

Displacement: 4,100 tonnes full load
Length: 138 m
Beam: 14 m
Draught: 7.5 m
Propulsion: 2 × General Electric LM 2500 gas turbines providing 41,000 hp (490 kW)
Speed: 29 knots (54 km/h)
Range: 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km) at 20 knots (40 km/h)
Complement: 184 (not including aircrew)
Armament: MK41 VLS for Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile; Mk 13 launcher for Harpoon and SM-1 missiles; 1×76 mm OTO Melara; 1×20 mm Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS; 2 x triple 324 mm Mk 32 torpedo tubes
Aircraft carried: 2 x S-70B Seahawk

She has been on active service 4 times, in the Persian Gulf (96, 02,03) and at Timor (98).

[The Sailor]

It's funny Herk but no ship called Melbourne ever went into the books seemingly covered in glory.
The first Melbourne seemed to go right through the First World War without a mention. No one has ever heard of it.

The aircraft carrier is always in the news still though. Some guy who was a cook on board has unsuccessfully sued the Commonwealth Govt for years to get compensation for when it hit the Voyager.
He said he felt a bump or something and now can't sleep.

[herakles]

True Sailor. When you think of the glory attached to some of them - like Perth.

The Melbourne's were very ordinary. Though the second one did a great deal of exercising over the years, mostly with the Americans. But she'll never lose the title of jinx ship.

[herakles]

Here's a really nice video of Melbourne in action: http://www.metacafe.com/watch/392792/hmas_melbourne/

But note it's the carrier Melbourne.

And here's another: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CpTQp9sI5c

[tonclass]

Herk, checked your link but it takes you to the FAQ page ??? Can't find the MELBOURNE vid. (Perhaps I've flipped my 'THICK' switch, and missed it altogether ;-()
Please point me in the right direction if poss.
Rgds
Rik

[tonclass]

In the mean time, here's a COLOUR pic of MELBOURNE in all her glory.

(Ex - HMS MAJESTIC)

[herakles]

Herk, checked your link but it takes you to the FAQ page ??? Can't find the MELBOURNE vid. (Perhaps I've flipped my 'THICK' switch, and missed it altogether ;-()
Please point me in the right direction if poss.
Rgds
Rik

It was me! My excuse is that I posted it at 3am.

I've edited my post now giving you the right one (I hope!)

[Batstiger]

Here are a couple more pics of the damage to the carrier Melbourne that I came across recently.

Bob.

[CGRET]

Here is another video of her in flight deck operations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dD2rQRE0a4

Enjoy!

Regards
Charles

[kookaburra]

Thanks for posting that Charles, it was well worth seeing. The pilot discussions were interesting: given the USN pilots comments about landing heavy modern planes on such a small ship I was trying to ascertain how many landings were actually made during her career.

Can't find it - but [ see pic below] she celebrated 20,000 landings as early as April 1963 - by a Gannet.

After being sold and taken, circuitously, to China her Wikipedia article says Melbourne was not finally broken up until 2002 - 17 years after her sale. All those secret years under study after her 27-year RAN career!

[CGRET]

Kook,

I would agree with your comments! I have often wondered what the chinese got out of studying her.

Regards
Charles

[kookaburra]

Charles, it is interesting to ponder what technological benefit they could have got from such a dated ship: a reflection perhaps of how technologically isolated China still was in the early 1980s.

I remember reading once that the ubiquitous British-built light fleet carriers emerging from WW11 were based on part-merchantman design, in terms of their engines and compartmentalization from memory.

Another thing about them is that the the enclosed British steel flight decks - resistant as these proved to kamikaze hits at Okinawa - were terrible 'hotboxes' in the Pacific, and this proved a problem in RAN service.

On that point I also remember visiting the USS Intrepid museum in the Hudson once (wonderful museum) and one of the things that struck me was how open to big breezeways the hangar decks of the Essex Class were.

I also recall when Sydney was sold there was some initial concern that she may end up intact in China, or maybe it was North Korea - China I think. PLAN has of course since got that USSR carrier that ended up with Ukraine [name EDIT], and maybe one other - and I think I've seen pics of a mock-up of a Nimitz Class carrier there.

Regarding Melbourne, Wikipedia produces a telex sent to the Australian government when she arrived in China, which was actually June 13, 1985. Roughly translated, or with the language usage tidied up, it said:

Please be advised that HMAS Melbourne arrived at Port Huangpu, intact and safely afloat, proud and majestic. She has been innocent, never once bowed to the natural or human force, in spite of the heavy storm and the talked about jinx.

I've forgotten now just how open her on-sale to China for breaking up actually was. Its reported on Wiki that the Chinese were most interested in her catapult technology, and even openly asked for the manuals on that.

A link I posted recently has some details and pics of her last days with the RAN at the bottom of the page:

http://users.qld.chariot.net.au/~dialabull/R21%20History2.htm

Finally, a pic here of a Soviet Moma Class intelligence-gathering ship taking an interest in her in the South China Sea in the 1970s. It supposedly shadowed Melbourne for eight hours - but of course that sort of thing happened often enough during the Cold War I guess.

[John O'Callaghan]

Hello All.
The Melbourne (Aircraft Carrier) may have an Unfortunate reputation But I would like to reveal a small portion of glory.
I was serving in Melbourne on the night she collided with Voyager .At the time of the collision I was in the forward cafe watching a movie.There was a hell of a bang,tables collapsed and it was some considerable time before we had any idea of what had happened.
A Petty Officer, who happened to be walking through the cafe, pressganged a number of us,mostly very confused ODs and took us right forward and got us working closing up the ship from what was left of bow on 4 deck.At 4A we could look right at the water,at the waterline. where the bow used to be.
The PO in question had no more idea than any of us as to what had happened,but he showed initiative,did his job unsung and to this day I still don't know who the hell he was.
In all the unfortunate findings of enquiries and Royal Commissions and name calling arising. I wish someone had at least recognised the efforts of this man.Who demonstrated the finest qualities the Navy expects of it's members.

[kookaburra]

From ABC News today:

45 year old Navy collision injury claim settled


Australia's longest-running personal injury battle has come to an end, with a settlement in a claim arising from the collision between two Australian Navy ships 45 year ago.

Eighty-two people died when the destroyer HMAS Voyager was sliced in half by the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne in 1964.

The vessels were involved in manoeuvres in Jervis Bay at the time.

Kathleen Britton, the widow of Peter Britton, who died of a stroke in 2003, has accepted $120,000 from the Commonwealth to settle her husband's post traumatic stress claim.

Mr Britton was playing cards on HMAS Melbourne when the collision occurred.

Ms Britton said as a result of the collision her husband "suffered depression, self blame, anger and alcohol problems".

"He had needless obsessive counting rituals because of his psychiatric disorder," she said.

Mr Britton's mother said after the collision her son "changed from a happy-go-lucky person to a secluded and isolated man with feelings of sadness".

Ms Britton says she is relieved to reach the end of her case.

"My husband died during the litigation process and I cannot understand why the Government failed to show any compassion towards me or my husband," she said.

About 112 claims on behalf of HMAS Voyager crew and more than 120 claims by Melbourne crew have now been completed.

The collision of the two ships shocked Australia and led to two Royal Commissions.

The first Commission was critical of Captain Robertson from HMAS Melbourne and the second Commission found Captain Duncan Stevens of HMAS Voyager was unfit to command at the time.

mELBPURNE-yOYAGER sETTLEMENT

[davep]

suppose its good news in a way, but it seems the same the world over that the governments wait till most of those that have a claim die before they settle anything.

[spruso]

The delaying of the Voyager survivors compensation claims over the last 45 years must rank as one of the most disgraceful exercises ever carried out by Australian politicians and the bureaucracy.

The money successive governments wasted on legal battles trying to deny these survivors compensation must be millions of dollars more than was ever sought by the victims in compensation.

Those responsible for the delays should hang their heads in shame.

Bruce:mad::mad::mad::mad:

[PHOENIX09]

An interesting shot of Melbourne`s props. I`ve not seen something like this before.
Was/is it standard practice to have 2 different screws fitted, I would assume to correct the thrust caracteristics due to the weight of the island?
Doesn`t appear to be a screw change judging from the lack of clutter in the photo.

[Pusser509]

This was the same configuration HMCS Bonaventure had. I believe it was to reduce vibration.

[John Odom]

Most interesting. I would like to know more of the thinking behind that.

[dialabull]

Look closely at the props - not only is the starboard one 4 blader, but the shape of the blades is slightly different to the port - its all about balanced thrust. Both shafts had 44,000 hp available each.

And "yes" it's all about compensating for the island - mind you no matter what was done the vibration was always evident in Melbourne. Like a million dollars for every time I scrubbed those propellors instead of the 50cents a minute we were payed back then!! :-))

Phil

[Bluenose]

I served as an Observer on VS-816 squardron during the late 70s and early 90s. The way it was explained to us was that when Melbourne was being finished off - just after the war - the beginings of acoustic detection and analysis were being developed. Melbourne was equiped with all the latest developments in carrier design - the angled flight deck (she was in fact only the third ship to be completed with an angled flight deck), steam catapult and mirror landing aid - so it was natural to apply all the then current thoughts to her design. The thinking about the screws was that having one 3 bladed and one 4 bladed screw would confuse the acoustic signature and make it harder to detect and/or analyse. In actual fact it made Melbourne's acoustic signature unmistakable. We could even tell whether she was turning to port or starboard just from the sonogram trace.

I have never been convinced about the assymetric thrust explanation or the island weight idea, since other similar carriers did not have this feature. For example, the Colossus class ships, from which the Majestics were derived had two 3 blade screws. Also, don't forget that the port/starboard weight distribution issue for ships with angled flight decks is less of a problem than for the older straight deck ships, which all had similar screws on both sides.

[SAS Somerset]

Is this ship now scrapped or still laid up in China?

[BlackBat242]

After being sold and taken, circuitously, to China her Wikipedia article says Melbourne was not finally broken up until 2002 - 17 years after her sale. All those secret years under study after her 27-year RAN career!

Actually, the full quote is The ship was not scrapped immediately; instead she was studied by Chinese naval architects and engineers as part of the nation's top-secret carrier development program.[6] Reports circulated that Melbourne's flight deck was either removed from the carrier or reproduced, and used for the equally secret training of People's Liberation Army Navy pilots in carrier flight operations.[6] The carrier was not dismantled for many years; according to some rumours she was not completely broken up until 2002.[144]


PLAN has of course since got that USSR carrier that ended up with Ukraine [name EDIT], and maybe one other - and I think I've seen pics of a mock-up of a Nimitz Class carrier there.

To be precise, they have 3.

Kiev: In 1996 she was sold to a Chinese company, and has been part of Binhai Aircraft Park, a military theme park in Tianjin since 1 May 2004. In August 2011, the ex-Kiev welcomed guests in its new role as a luxury hotel after a multimillion dollar refit. Reports indicate that a complete set of blueprints was part of the sale.

Minsk: In 1995 she was sold to a South Korean businessman, and later resold to Shenzhen Minsk Aircraft Carrier Industry Company Limited, a Chinese company. Until 2006, when the company went bankrupt, Minsk was part of a military theme park in Yantian district, Shatoujiao (沙头角) sub-district, Shenzhen called Minsk World. The aircraft carrier was put up for auction on 22 March 2006. No bids at the starting price of 128 million RMB were received, so the carrier was withdrawn from sale. On 31 May 2006, the Soviet aircraft carrier was finally auctioned off in Shenzhen for 128 million RMB to CITIC Shenzhen, the current operator. The ship is still open with the name CITIC Minsk World.

These two were earlier sisters of Admiral Gorshov (ex-Baku), which is currently being virtually rebuilt for the Indian Navy as Vikramaditya.


The 3rd ex-Russian carrier in China is the former Varyag (incomplete sister to the Russian Kuznetsov).
Construction stopped by 1992, with the ship structurally complete but without electronics. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, ownership was transferred to Ukraine; the ship was laid up, unmaintained, then stripped. In early 1998, she lacked engines, a rudder, and much of her operating systems, and was put up for auction.

It was purchased at auction for US$20 million by Chong Lot Travel Agency, a company widely believed to be a front for Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Chong Lot stated that the ship would become a floating entertainment center and casino in the Chinese SAR of Macau. This was proven incorrect as the ship was docked in Dalian and painted PLAN grey. Defense news and intelligence sources indicated that the ship had been refitted and would be put through sea trials in mid-2011.

On June 8, 2011 the chief of China's General Staff of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) confirmed that China's first aircraft carrier was under construction. On August 10, 2011 the ship began her first sea trials.

Jane's Fighting Ships states that Varyag may have been named Shi Lang and assigned pennant number 83. Jane's notes that both the name and pennant number are unconfirmed. Shi Lang was a Ming-Qing Dynasty admiral who defeated Koxinga's descendants' navy and conquered Taiwan in 1681.

Reports indicate that a complete set of blueprints was part of this sale as well.



There is a theme-park mock-up of a Nimitz-class CVN in China, as well as a building built as a full-scale mock-up of the shape, flight deck, and island of Shi Lang at the Wuhan Naval Research facilities near Huangjia Lake in the southwestern suburbs of Wuhan.

The full story (with pics of the entire process, including sea trials) can be found here: http://www.jeffhead.com/redseadragon/varyagtransform.htm
Photos of the training building are towards the bottom of that site.

[Don Boyer]

I find the conversion of old carriers to "theme" parks (what's the theme -- world domination?) and luxury hotels by the Chinese to be fascinating, to quote Spock. Considering my former accomodations aboard the USS Bon Homme Richard, to say nothing of the on-board dining facilities, that must have been one expensive set of conversions! :rolleyes:

[Alan D]

The propeller shaft were of different lengths and the 3 and 4 blade proellers balanaced each other out.

[ludsie]

China certainly is interested in projecting power with aircraft carriers

Lets hope that the Brits don't sell them one of the invincible class

[Aussie Bhoy]

Don't think they'd want it, they've already got a much bigger Russian one