Williamstown Naval Dockyard

[kookaburra]

Williamstown Naval Dockyard has played a key role in Australian naval affairs since the latter half of the 19th Century. While neither so large nor spectacularly-sited as either the Garden Island or Cockatoo Island dockyards in Sydney, the completion of the Alfred Graving Dock in February 1874 made it southern Australia's main naval facility.

Shipbuilding, rather than repair and re-fitting began there in 1913. Some of the better known ships built there from WW11 onwards were eight of the 60 Bathurst Class corvettes, the modified River Class frigate HMAS Culgoa, Battle Clas destroyer HMAS Anzac 11, Daring Class HMAS Vendetta 11, Type 12 Destroyer Escorts Yarra111 and Swan 111, and all 10 of the Anzac Class frigates (eight RAN, two RNZN).

Now privately operated, the highly politicalised decision to build the Hobart Class Air Warfare Destroyers at ASC in South Australia rather than Williamstown came as a great shock to Victoria, Australia's main manufacturing State - a blow since modified by the contract to complete the two largest warships ever to be built for the RAN, the 30,000 ton-plus Canberra Class Helicopter Landing Docks at the Victorian yard.

Also, its history has always been colorful. Perhaps its the same in most places, but please believe me when I say the Melbourne waterfront is not, and has never been a place for the faint-hearted.

Anyway, in the little ships RAN Ship Of The Day thread we've been seeing a lot of pictures from the same tiny pier where the WW11 auxiliary minesweepers were berthed, and I thought I would give some wider views of the place in the year since..

There's a Naval Historical Society of Australia article on the history of the dockyard here:

http://www.navyhistory.org.au/the-so...se-of-the-ran/

We also did a thread on that famous 1865 incident, the unexpected visit of the Confederate raider CSS Shenandoah, which laid up at Williamstown and illicitly recruited extra crew on the docks, here:

http://www.worldnavalships.com/forum...ght=shenandoah.


Okay, some fresh pics:

1. HMAS Anzac 11 soon after her launch on August 20, 1948, with a landing craft beside her,and unidentifiable ship in the foreground.

2. This is a GREAT pic of the ex-WW11 auxiliary and antarctic research ship HMAS Wyatt Earp, and supplementary to those already posted of her on Ship Of The Day, Posts 94 and 131. She is laying alongside the frigate HMAS Gascoyne, with sister ship Culgoa across the wharf from them.

3. Similar angle, but later and lighter overview of the dockyards in the late 1940s to one that I posted on the 'All RAN Frigates porofiles thread, Post #TK. It's 1947: the frigate under-going conversion for survey work in the AGD here is HMAS Shoalhaven ; at the pier nearby are sister ships Diamantina and Barwon; Burdekin and Macquarie at the next pier, and an RN Fort Class auxiliary across the wharf from them.

4. 1970s. The Bathhurst Class corvette HMAS Castlemaine, semi-stripped, has been brought back to Williamstown, where she was built, from her training-tender role at Flinders Naval Depot, for eventual restoration as a museum ship.


5,6,7: I remember this incident making the papers when I was a schoolkid, and feeling very disappointed. Brand new HMAS Vendetta has just backed out of the dock for trials, a malfunction and she rams the dockyard caisson - a 10ft gash in the bow, damaged caisson, three months of repairs ahead. At least she used up all her bad luck at the start.

8,9, 10 : Six, I think, 250-1250 ton full load Motor Water Lighters were under construction as a small ships order 1979-82. A Type 12 frigate in dock behind in pic 8.

11. 1869:The Duke of Edinburgh lays the foundation stone for the bluestone Alfred Graving Dock - he had arrived on the RN's first ironclad, HMS Warrior.

12. Postcard of 1884 colonial gunboat - Paluma or Gayundah - in the dock: I've forgotten for the moment which one never had the 8-inch gun mounted in her forward citadel, as absent here. Paluma from memory. Edit it in later.


13, 14. Dockyard today - there are a number of modern, larger pics of Williamstown operations in the 'Port Of Melbourne thread here:

http://www.worldnavalships.com/forum...ead.php?t=3416

[ivorthediver]

Great pictures Kookaburra, well done and thanks

[wagga]

The shot of the Vendetta stuck in the caisson bought back some memories
I was on the quickmatch at the time and had to abandon ship for the first and only time, a mite disconcerting to be jammed about four in a hatch with a destroyer ready to drop down on top of you. Those were the days
wagga watson ex radio operator

[ivorthediver]

Originally Posted by wagga

The shot of the Vendetta stuck in the caisson bought back some memories
I was on the quickmatch at the time and had to abandon ship for the first and only time, a mite disconcerting to be jammed about four in a hatch with a destroyer ready to drop down on top of you. Those were the days
wagga watson ex radio operator

Sounds like laundry time to me wagga

[kookaburra]

Originally Posted by wagga

The shot of the Vendetta stuck in the caisson bought back some memories
I was on the quickmatch at the time and had to abandon ship for the first and only time, a mite disconcerting to be jammed about four in a hatch with a destroyer ready to drop down on top of you. Those were the days
wagga watson ex radio operator

A belated welcome to the forum Wagga. Thanks for that exciting story - a youngster then, I can just remember it from the papers.

Here's a pic of Vendetta again under construction at Williamstown. I'm a native of Melbourne, but the photos always seem dark out there for some reason.

In contrast, ever since I've been on the forum I've noticed the very different light in Sydney, say compared to either the Melbourne or U.K. photos, and sometimes darken them up a bit artificially. But that lightness is the true Sydney light, like Greece. Love it - although I also love Melbourne for a whole host of different reasons.

[kookaburra]

Some further pics of WND activity, the last of course in its latter Tenix days building the Anzac Class frigates:NHS/Graeme Andrews compilation pics.

[Maritime Michael Ian]

Great pics Kookaburra... when I visited Williamstown with a couple of friends for dinner one night in May 2007 I noticed that there were many changes around the area.... didn't recognise the place after so many years.

Ian

[kookaburra]

Originally Posted by Maritime Michael Ian

Great pics Kookaburra... when I visited Williamstown with a couple of friends for dinner one night in May 2007 I noticed that there were many changes around the area.... didn't recognise the place after so many years.

Ian

Ah Ian, you've re-appeared and maybe I can catch your attention here. I've been hanging on to a couple of pics of your old Chandris Line charge Australis for about 6 months hoping to catch you online. If you go to Terry's Miscellaneous Ships thread in Photo Galleries I'll post them there now.

Yes, Williamstown has changed out of sight. I always enjoy going over there: a fish meal, a walk around the docks and HMAS Castlemaine, a little museum ship I love. Ok, posting those two pics - one of which had caught my attention when it was a full page cover of our local glossy free letterbox mag, illustrating an article on immigration.

[Maritime Michael Ian]

Kookaburra,

Recording my thanks here as well on the other page.... ta muchly

Ian

[wagga]

Originally Posted by kookaburra

A belated welcome to the forum Wagga. Thanks for that exciting story - a youngster then, I can just remember it from the papers.

Here's a pic of Vendetta again under construction at Williamstown. I'm a native of Melbourne, but the photos always seem dark out there for some reason.

In contrast, ever since I've been on the forum I've noticed the very different light in Sydney, say compared to either the Melbourne or U.K. photos, and sometimes darken them up a bit artificially. But that lightness is the true Sydney light, like Greece. Love it - although I also love Melbourne for a whole host of different reasons.

a belated thankyou for your belated welcome Kooka, I got distracted for a year or so, but have just met 2 old friends off quickmatch from 50 years ago and I realise now that I should be paying more attention to sites such as this, because these types of friends are irreplaceble

[ponymoore]

I have some fond memories of Docktown. I was on Parramatta in refit when Gough Whitlam got the flick in 75 and the mood in the dockyard was not a pleasent one as Willy Town was and still is a Labour heartland. The skipper cleared lower deck and basically told us that we may not get paid this fortnight and we were to keep our political feelings and comments to ourselves. All over the dockyard was posters of Mal Frazer with a Hitler Moustache. Generally speaking however Jack got on well with the dockies and you could always get your rabbits done for a carton of duty free smokes.

[kookaburra]

Originally Posted by ponymoore

I have some fond memories of Docktown. I was on Parramatta in refit when Gough Whitlam got the flick in 75 and the mood in the dockyard was not a pleasent one as Willy Town was and still is a Labour heartland. The skipper cleared lower deck and basically told us that we may not get paid this fortnight and we were to keep our political feelings and comments to ourselves. All over the dockyard was posters of Mal Frazer with a Hitler Moustache. Generally speaking however Jack got on well with the dockies and you could always get your rabbits done for a carton of duty free smokes.

That's an interesting yarn from the Dismissal week ponymoore, thanks. I went for a wander around Williamstown a few weeks ago, and just out of morbid curiosity took this photo of the old 1856 morgue there in the Docktown - Melbourne's first.

Local quarried bliestone, it was first built up behind Gem Pier sort of in the middle of Williamstown until there were objections [they allowed tides wash away the wastes] and in 1879 it got moved down to behind the Ann Street Pier, at the head of an old slipway there. It's on the Williamstown ghost tours, of course.

Older photographs show it once had a carthouse on the left, and shedding on the right, where the wire fencing is, and where the doors from the morgue could open for washdown to the slipway.

[aussienscale]

As a kid in the mid to late 70's I used to sneak into the dockyard on low tide and fish for mullet and anything else I could catch, the security guards in them days would just let me fish, no problems !! they were the old days, I also used to play around in the Newport rail yards and the Workshops where many of the Victorian Steam tains were built for the war effort and beyond. Such a different time !!!!! Makes me sad to think of what we have to worry about these days !!!!!! very sad ???

[KEVINI]

I was also on the Quickmatch when the Vendetta gate crashed the dock, it was an interesting time and could have been catastrophic. Thank god the caisson held until the dock was flooded.

[ivorthediver]

Indeed very sad ......days now past...... and replaced with fear it seems

[fearless_rs]

I remember Williamstown RAN dockyard in 1978 when MOHAWK and RHYL did an assisted maintenence period.
Only the RSL was open on a Sunday!!!
CASTLEMAINE had recentlly been given a berth and what a mess she was in.
I was given a look round. by a gentleman who had served in QUIBERON.
In the DY, HMAS COOK was fitting out and a River Class (YARRA?) was in drydock.

[Alan D]

I have a vivid memory of a Stoker named Jackson P***** who used to terrorise the Naval Dockyard Police in the old 'race at WND in the early 1960's. Not a memory for general publication though.