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A Wonderful Old Album of Ships World Naval Ships Forums Archive

A Wonderful Old Album of Ships

Posts 1 to 23

The story here is that I was searching for a lost photo (of cruiser HMAS Australia 11 in Captain Cook Graving Dock) and discovered this ... An old WW1-era works album from Sydney's Cockatoo Island Dockyard maintained by an Joseph (Bill) Shearman, a supervisor or engineer there I think, and posted on flickr by his grandson Don Shearman. [B]Please Stick With This[/B]: Apart from ships at this Australian works, there is a miscellany of unidentified foreign warship pictures from elsewhere, and I am sure any help with identifcations would be much appreciated. There is even a mystery about a mis-identified battleship in Sydney Harbour with an extra touch of curiosity about it, so it's like a mini mystery ships quiz. Most important, the photos appear at large size, and some have been restored. I was quite excited about finding this album. [B]First pic mystery[/B] This battleship (or battlecruiser) in Sydney Harbour has been misidentified by either Mr Shearman or his grandson as HMAS [I]Australia[/I] (1). What ship is it ? The triple AA guns on the bridge wings should solve the mystery quite quickly, I think. [B]Second oddity about this photo: [/B] Is it me, my fanciful imagination or a trick of light - or do the group of men standing to the right appear to be to examing a portrait of a lady in a full length bussel gown, with a tree behind? [B]Second photo[/B] is also mis-identified as an R.A.N. warship in Sydney Harbour. Just guessing quickly, I think it is HMS [I]Renown[/I] bringing the Prince of Wales to Sydney in 1920 - and that may also be the identification answer for the first pic also. [B]The next seven photos [/B] are all simply captioned German Fleet 1914 - but the ship identities and location are all a complete mystery to me. Please come in, Mystery Ship Quiz experts. [B]Photos 10-14 [/B] are HMAS Australia (1) entering the Fitzroy Dock at Cockatoo Island in 1914, I think. Then a view of the Suez Canal for general interest. Pics not showing as thumbnails cover ...(EDIT: I'm going to go to a second post for the others, as that non-thumbnail pic apears to have downloaded faultily. Perhaps the size of these files is a problem).
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Pressing on, the first in this group are Troopship Berrima and the embarkation of the Australian Expeditionary Force for the capture of German New Guinea in 1914. Fifth photo is of graves from the expeditionary force in Rabaul - Mr Shearman's family also appears to have had connections with Burns Philp, the great shipping/trading company that operated there. Next is torpedo boat destroyer HMAS Huon or Torrens on the slip, and - purely guessing- I think the next may be the captured German ship [I]Komet[/I] ; then submarine J4. Finally a few that I have scanned previously myself from Captain Roger Parker's book [I]Cockatoo Island: a History[/I], and Ross Gillett's book on Sydney Harbour, some of which I suspect may have originated from the same source. Includes AE1 and AE2 in Fitzroy Dock, HMAS [I]Adelaide[/I] under construction, and HMAS [I]Brisbane[/I] being launched.
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Interesting pictures. Have you ever tried enhancing them yourself? Bob.
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No, I don't have the skills for that Bob. That's a great job you've done - and very quickly. BTW, Bob would you PM your home address again pls. I want to follow up with some more on those ILWs, with more ships pics. I think I lost the address in a mailbox clear out. Ah, and do you think that first ships is the [I]Renown[/I] ?. Also, shows how good I am, in those German photos I couldn't work out whether the low-lying ship with a tug alongside was a monitor - or perhaps a scene from the scuttling of the High Seas Fleet after the surrender.

Excellent find "kookaburra"! The ship in the first two photos is indeed HMS Renown. Both show her prior to the fitting of a 30ft rangefinder on her conning tower hood so, they could very well have been taken in 1920. I have no idea what the men on the right are looking at but, a copy of the second photo was graciously sent to me by our own "astraltrader" and I have since taken the time to enhance it in 'Adobe Photoshop'. I have brightened the first photo as well. There appears to be a number of French warships in the other photos. Thanks for sharing, Monty
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just finishing this up. Some more photos from Mr Joseph (Bill) Shearman's Cockatoo Island Dockyard works albums. Another quite good one of HMAS Australia (1); and not so good of HMAS Sydney (1) in the drydock. That last one, from another source, is frigate HMS Galatea in the dry dock, c1870 from memory. EDIT: Thanks for enhancing that first photo BCRenown. Those men on the right do indeed appear to be examining a painting of a lady such as I described. Second thought, in both pictures: funny, a ceremonial visit, and the lovely ship hasn't got her guns neatly in alignment, shipshape and Bristol fashion.
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Superb set of photos. Photo 3 & 6 : French battleship [I]Henri IV[/I] Photo 7/8 : Center, battleship [I]Jauréguiberry[/I], right is a Charlemagne-class battleship, most likely [I]Saint-Louis[/I] WW1 wartime photo as flags are at sea station while ships are at anchor. All three were in the Dardanelles area in 1915. Best regards J. Lassaque

For some unknown reason the rowing boat picture won't enlarge. Also neither of these are showing as thumbnails. Is it me? Most strange I can get them all on internet explorer, it must be AOL. Bob.
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They are fine pictures indeed. I saw them first last summer. I would love to know the identity of the 9th ship in post #2. Does anyone have any idea??

The photo of "Australia" in dock post-war is marvellous. I particularly like the man at upper left in the fore-mast rigging! I would not have been in his shoes for all the money in the world! Simon

[QUOTE=astraltrader;32928]They are fine pictures indeed. I saw them first last summer. I would love to know the identity of the 9th ship in post #2. Does anyone have any idea??[/QUOTE] Either HMAS Swan, Parramatta, or Yarra. I'm pretty sure Huon and Warrego wouldn't have been commissioned on the date the photo was taken, 19 Nov 1914. Looks like she may have just returned from the New Guinea area as that looks like protective padding on the bridge. Sorry can't help much more than that. Cheers Bruce

[QUOTE=Harley;32938]The photo of "Australia" in dock post-war is marvellous. I particularly like the man at upper left in the fore-mast rigging! I would not have been in his shoes for all the money in the world! Simon[/QUOTE] Good spotting Simon. I hadn't noticed him.

Some more identifications from the group of 'german ships' which categorically they are not, apart from the French ships already identified, I can identify the following. I have re-posted the images below as easier to describe. Firstly two views of the monitor HMS Humber, she can be differentiated from her sisters Severn and Mersey as only she retained the original twin 6in turret forward, when fitted with a single 6in gun aft. Severn and Mersey had the fore turret removed and replaced with single 6in forward and aft. In the backgound of the first picture is an Eclipse class protected cruiser. The third photo is of the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Swiftsure, she had steam pipes abaft the funnels, her sister Triumph had them before the funnels, also a false bow wave can just be made out, this was painted on Swiftsure after Triumph had been lost. I'm not certain of the large 4-funnel liner in the background, could this be the Britannic or Olympic? All of these ships served off the Dardanelles so very likely the photos were taken at Imbros, which was the main fleet base. Hope this is helpful Dave
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Expertly done Dave, especially on 'Swiftsure'. Pre-dreadnought types ('Swiftsure' and 'Triumph' came after 'Dreadnought' if I remember correctly) are definitely not my forte. Was 'Humber' a sister of 'Gorgon'? Monty

[QUOTE=spruso;32948]Either HMAS Swan, Parramatta, or Yarra. I'm pretty sure Huon and Warrego wouldn't have been commissioned on the date the photo was taken, 19 Nov 1914. Looks like she may have just returned from the New Guinea area as that looks like protective padding on the bridge. Sorry can't help much more than that. Cheers Bruce[/QUOTE] Whoops! made a blue there. WARREGO was commissioned before WW1 as well. In Kooka's fine post on Oz Destroyers the same photo appears captioned as HMAS Warrego. So there you go - identified at last Cheers Bruce

RE: 4 stack liner: It certainly does appear to be either Britannic or Olympic. I believe there were slight differences between the two, but I am not informed enough to venture a guess here. Were they both in that theater of operations? (RE Dardanelles?) Britannic was, and of course is still there. But I do not know about Olympic.

[QUOTE=BCRenown;33408]Expertly done Dave, especially on 'Swiftsure'. Pre-dreadnought types ('Swiftsure' and 'Triumph' came after 'Dreadnought' if I remember correctly) are definitely not my forte. Was 'Humber' a sister of 'Gorgon'? Monty[/QUOTE] Monty, the Humber, Severn & Mersey were river monitors ordered by Brazil from Vickers and completed in early 1914, but by then Brazil couldn't afford them (likewise the dreadnought Rio de Janiero/Agincourt) and they were laid up at the builders, the RN purchased them on the outbreak of WW1. After extensive service off the Belgian coast in 1914 Severn & Mersey's fore turrets were removed as the guns were worn out and replaced by single 6in fore and aft, these two went to East Africa to sink the Konigsburg and operate off the coast and in the rivers until 1918. Humber kept her turret as the guns weren't so worn and received a third 6in aft, she served in the Med and off Galipoli. Gorgon and Glatton were much larger, orginally ordered by Norway as coast defence defence ships, they were purchased while building and modified to serve as monitors. They didn't complete until 1918 and Glatton blew up and sank at Dover in Sept 1918 only 11 days after commissioning. The original 9.45in guns on these ships were re-lined down to 9.2in to use RN ammuntion, with an elevation of 40d and streamlined shells these guns could range to 39000yds! Above info from Ian Buxton's excellent and highly recommended book 'Big Gun Monitors'. Dave
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Thanks for the info Dave. I had no idea Gorgon and Glatton were designed with 9.45" guns and, for some strange reason, I thought there were more than two ships in the class. Great pics, great info. Well done, Monty

Really great photographs, and oh boy what a find.... just shows there must be a mine of information still hidden away in old drawers, attics and such like. Very well done! Ian

[QUOTE=Norsky;33425]RE: 4 stack liner: It certainly does appear to be either Britannic or Olympic. I believe there were slight differences between the two, but I am not informed enough to venture a guess here. Were they both in that theater of operations? (RE Dardanelles?) Britannic was, and of course is still there. But I do not know about Olympic.[/QUOTE] Hello there, I have just been browsing through the WWI pictures and saw you asking the id of the 4 funneller. As no-one appears to have answered your query I will tell you that it is the RMS Mauretania (1907 -35) of the Cunard company. Hope that this is helpful to you. Regards Alan Gamblin

Thank you. One I had not considered. RMS Mauretania. Appreciate the response.

Hi. Post # 2, the third line, the third photo. It is the freighter of German company "Hansa" - "Stolzenfels". I only do not know - 3-rd or 4-th. 3-rd. Is confiscated by the Australian government in Sydney of 8/1/1914. Further served as "DONGARRA" 4-th. It is mobilized in 1939 Kriegsmarine. Served as Sperrbrecher 12. 3/20/1941 it is sunk by torpedo of the British airplane. Best regards Alex
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As a new boy on the block I must be careful what I say, but I would agree that the the 4-funnelled liner is Mauritania. I am particularly interested in the Swiftaure as I am currently writing a book about the two sisters and would like to know if a copy of the image is commercially available and OK to use in a bokk. Any thoughts!

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