World Warships and Sydney's Bridge World Naval Ships Forums Archive

Naval History by Country :

ROYAL
NAVY

US
NAVY

GERMAN
NAVY

FRENCH
NAVY

*VIEW ALL OF OUR CURRENT ART SPECIAL OFFERS ON ONE PAGE HERE*
NAVAL ART	AVIATION ART	MILITARY ART	SPORT ART

ALWAYS GREAT OFFERS :

20% FURTHER PRICE REDUCTIONS ON HUNDREDS OF LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS

BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE ON THOUSANDS OF PAINTINGS AND PRINTS

FOR MORE OFFERS SIGN UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER

World Warships and Sydney's Bridge World Naval Ships Forums Archive

World Warships and Sydney's Bridge

Posts 1 to 50

One day in November 1978, myself and another Sydney journo were sailing a homely old yacht (my home then) out of North Bay near Manly and the Sydney Harbour Entrance. We were just making a first reach past Middle Head when quite abruptly we encountered [I]this[/I] (below) coming down the main Harbour towards us. Appreciate that this is about perception as much as reality, but the guided missile cruiser USS [I]Chicago [/I] looked like the [I]tallest[/I] damn warship I have ever seen. From the deck of a 38ft yacht, it looked like a grey [B]skyscraper[/B] coming right up on us, on what was to be her final voyage. These pics of [I]Chicago[/I], a rebuilt WW11-era Northhampton Class heavy cruiser, and perhaps the world's most powerful missile ship in her time, are not taken in Sydney Harbour, but will do to start this thread. I wanted to convey what a wonderful place Sydney is for serendipitous encounters with warships up close. Which is not to deny that there are not many great and busy naval ports around the world - I just can't think of another place (perhaps Hong Kong comes closest ) where workaday commuters riding ferries into Circular Quay, or people pottering around the Harbour in boats, will randomly bump into so many of them up close, with idle opportunities for gawping. At some point, most of the world's great ships seem to come in to Sydney (I'm from Melbourne now). So, I've put together this eclectic compilation of warship visitors to the Harbour - and have eschewed the Australian ships, which stand by as hosts, just like this very beautiful and imposing city. Many of the images have already been posted, but some will be new. Also, I've borrowed several from some of our other forum photo eminences - specifically Terry, Rik and Cylla (of HMS Victorious, HMS Albion, and HMS KGV, if I've got that right ) - as they so well fit the theme. I hope you blokes won't mind. This is far from comprehensive of such visits, just the images I could find, and at a decent size. Most ships will be RN and USN, but I think I've also got examples to come from India, NZ, Canada, Spain, Argentina, Italy, and Japan at least. It will take a couple more posts to complete. Hope you enjoy.
Attachments :

1. USS [I]Kitty Hawk [/I] was there in 2007. 2. HMS [I]Eagle[/I] had come 36 years earlier. 3. HMS [I]Victorious[/I], Terry's Pic, I think taken I think on a visit in November 1966. She was later considered as a possible replacement for HMAS [I]Melbourne[/I], which you can see her passing. Hmmm, I've accidently challenged the size limit and messed up my sequence. Damn, kc will be thinking I'm as thick as .Which I am - but only when I get really, really serious. 4. Another view of Victorious, a scan of mine from the Ross Gillett-Michael Melliar-Phelps Sydney Harbour book, presumably on the same visit. Hmmmm, more server problems, with images below 400kb . Don't know what to do. I'll try another couple of posts with fewer images - or give up until tomorrow.
Attachments :

1. The Argentinian armed training ship [I]Libertad[/I] came for the bi-centenary of Captain Cook's voyage in 1970. When the similar Chilean training ship [I]Esmeralda[/I] came some time later there were protests that she had been used as a torture ship during the Pinochet regime. 2. HMS [I]Tiger[/I] also came in 1970. 3. With dressed ship and escorts, HMS Glamorgan goes into the inner Harbour west of the Bridge. It is very unusual for 'foreign' vessels to go that far down the Harbour - but I guess the mother navy is a special case. 4. INS [I]Delhi[/I], formerly the New Zealander HMS [I]Achilles[/I], hero of the Battle of the River Plate. She came in 1968.
Attachments :

1. The world's first nuclear powered carrier USS [I]Enterprise[/I] came in 1964, two years after she comissioned. The 1,123ft long, 93,500 ton ship is scheduled to serve until 2014, at which point she will have given 52 years service. 2-5. Her sister ship USS [I]Kittyhawk[/I] came in 2007 and was welcomed by then-Prime Minister John Howard, who essentially told the 6,500 crew that we're all in the same boat, as far as the war terror is concerned.
Attachments :

Kookaburra comes back: 1. I meant to post this image of the sun-lit and magnificently impressive bridge structure of USS [I]Kittyhawk[/I] in Sydney. 2. But I like the light-up 'Showboat" style name on the USS Connecticut when she came with the Great White Fleet in 1908 even better. Actually I'm not sure if this was taken in Sydney - I'm having size-limit problems with my best Sydney Great White Fleet images. Also I'm having to run the forum on parallel lines so I can keep track of those I've now successfully posted and haven't. Edit: Hell, where's the rest of my images ? I have about 30 to go at this snail's pace. But Kookaburra likes snails. Hmmmm.
Attachments :

1. USS [I]Constellation[/I] arrives in Sydney in 2001. 2. HMS [I]Arbiter[/I] here in 1945. I've progressively improved the page crease re-touching since I first posted it. Also from the Gillet Melliar-Phelps book. 3. Here's the wonderful image first posted by Cylla on HMS [I]King George V[/I] entering the new Captain Cook Graving Dock at Garden Island in late 1945 or early 1946, when the entire British Pacific Fleet was in Sydney - the four KGVs, many of the carriers - the old town must have been roaring. There is also an excellent image - but too small to post - of HMS [I]Belfast[/I] under the bridge when she was here in August 1945, having a brief re-fit and additions to her AA suite of weapons. 4. I think HMS [I]Anson[/I] was in fact the first big ship to go into the Captain Cook dock. I have also 'repaired' this image since it's previous postings, showing deep cracks all over the face of the photograph, when I first found in on a HMS Anson Association Website. Edit: The last three images are not there. Too hard. The attachment manager just goes to a blank page....Ill fix this up later.
Attachments :

shoul be ok without you having to do anything now.... I have fixed the system.

Thanks KC, I've now caught up with your edit note on the forum announcement concerning a technical problem ... so, I'll try some of these again: These are all within both byte limit and 1500 dimension (I wasn't paying enough attention to the dimensions question).
Attachments :

Well trying a couple just outside the dimension limits: [I]KGV[/I] in Captain Cook dock first posted by Cylla, and the HMS [I]Anson[/I] image on which I did photo crack 'repairs,' mentioned earlier, after picking it up from it from an [I]Anson[/I] Association member's page.
Attachments :

First is HMS [I]Formidable[/I], which in 1945 brought civilians previously held captive in Japanese-occupied areas, back to Australia. I think it's the stern of one of the KGV's in dry dock in the lower left of that picture. I had a brain fade and mis-labelled the NZ frigate in pic 6 - it's HMNZS [I]Canterbury[/I].
Attachments :

1. Gob Hats and Old Glory: In the chilly early morning light, 2050 ton Fletcher Class destroyer USS [I]Carpenter[/I] comes in to dock with her sister ship USS [I]Sproston[/I]. Next is troop support ship USS [I]Niagara Falls [/I]passing the Opera House; and last - just for novelty - a wartime shot of an XE craft running trials on the Harbour.
Attachments :

Jeff - I think you might have your wires crossed. In post #10 you list it as HMNZS Rotoiti when I think you will find it is F421 Canterbury.

[QUOTE=astraltrader;35140]Jeff - I think you might have your wires crossed. In post #10 you list it as HMNZS Rotoiti when I think you will find it is F421 Canterbury.[/QUOTE] Yes, I acknowledged a brain fade on that and identified [I]Canterbury [/I]in the text above that set of pics Terry. The whole process of getting this thread done went a bit pear-shaped with the technical hitch. Also acknowledged your HMS Illustrious post in the text - but I never did manage to get Rik's HMS [I]Albion[/I], and a number of other intended pics downloaded (uploaded?). Cheers, K.

This image originally posted by TonClass of a County Class destroyer going under the Bridge is most evocative, and for people with local knowledge it's also full of urban interest. It's late 1960s, and the second of what would eventually be a whole forest of skyscrapers - GoldFields House - is still under construction over on Circular Quay. In the foreground is the historic waterfront precinct The Rocks, but not yet tarted up into the trendy tourist trap that it is now. One of Australia's oldest surviving Georgian houses, Cadman's Cottage (1815-16) is there, but it was once a notiously bawdy district. At the turn of the 18th-19th Centuries, a severe city-wide outbreak of bubonic plague emanated from the narrow slum laneways there. In this photo, it's all still unrestored, but as it appeared in a number of 1950s and 1960 films. It's now a place for jazz and folk music in the old pubs, and outrageously over-priced resaurants. Even the heritage building signage in this photo is of interest to me. You can also see the art deco AWA radio tower, which , lit at night was one of the city's tallest and most noted landmarks (still exists), the globe on top of Grace Brothers Department Store (ditto), and, well - a young reporter in those days - the City Morgue was down in the old waterfront building with a Mansard tower, just above the motor vessel's white funnel. Ah, memories. One last attempt to post Rik's HMS [I]Albion[/I], which I've now got down to a 167kb count, but a slither - 17 pixels or whatever they are - over on one dimension. Yes, [I]Albion[/I] comes through. I visited that ship in Melbourne on the same voyage - 1958. Hmmm, the little island to the right of [I]Albion[/I] is historic Fort Denison, it's sandstone Martello Tower hit by wildfire from USS [I]Chicago[/I] (an earlier one to the first post) during the Japanese midget submarine raid in 1942. In the 1950s it was the setting for an interesting film starring Ernest Borgnine, [I]The Siege of Pinchgut [/I] the thrust of which was that escaped convicts took over the island, menaced the caretaker's pretty daughter, and threatened to turn old naval guns there on the city, or blow up the ammunition stores on Garden Island, from memory.
Attachments :

I posted an old picture of Canberra going under the Bridge in my post on Jack Lang!! Does that count? :confused:

Yes it does Herk, May I kindly borrow? Meantime, testing all systems and friendships to post a largish shot of this sublime image of HMS Anson entering Captain Cook Dock at Garden Island - the heaviest vessel at that time to do so. I think Lew Lind got this for his Naval Events Day by Day book from the Sydney Naval Precinct heritage records - the collection that used to be combed by Bruce (Spruso) before they became both more expensive and less accessible. Edit: Nope, well you can get a kind of enlarged, re-touched scan from that link, and here it is smaller ... along with some goodish-sized shots of HMS [I]Indomitable[/I] taken during the same BPF 1945-46 visit.
Attachments :

[quote=kookaburra;35166]Yes it does Herk, May I kindly borrow? [/quote] Hell, help yourself! Ohhhhhhh! a brownie point for posting a picture!

And a magificent picture it is, albeit small. The AWM does not offer larger unless we send them money. EDIT: see my next post. Herk's image coming up LARGE. Actually Herk, I had been eschewing images of Australian ships and the Bridge as they are so many, and giving prominence to our visitors - but since you doth protest, here it is, along with (pic 2) a larger image of HMAS Australia passing under the bridge at an earlier stage of construction. 3. HMS Powerful, the 12,000 ton flagship of the RN in Australia before the RAN came into existence. And... 4. This is an image of a Japanese MSD destroyer squadron [I]approaching[/I] Sydney Harbour in 1962. It was the first Japanese naval visit since the end of the war, and they were politely received, although I don't think the RSL (Returned Servicemen's League) was all that ecstatic about it. 5. This image, posted rather whimsically by Batstiger on the Australian section's 'recruiting' thread (I couldn't quite work that out, but no matter - we're always grateful for your kind thoughts towards us down here Bob, wherever they're placed ) is...I think, also of HMS Powerful. NOTE TO EVERYONE: I initially had a problem re-posting Bob's image (5 above) because I failed to notice the byte-size exceeds the new limit. BUT, I have discovered you can almost always reduce the byte-size of an image by saving it under a new name. I've no idea why that is, but it works and sometimes saves the day, as in this case. 6. This is USS Maryland, which came in 1925 with nine other battleships in a kind of reprise of the Great White Fleet visit of 1908. 7. And since we have now had a couple of Australian hosts, one of HMAS Australia (1) soon after her arrival in 1913.
Attachments :

A truly impressive number of pictures K. All we need now are a few from the Bi-Centenary! (Hint) :rolleyes:

Well, as promised in edited in message to my last post, here's Herk's image of HMAS Canberra passing under the Bridge in LARGE size - so none may chastise us. 2. Another, larger view of that XE craft on the Harbour (earlier post). I don't know if it's the two men seen on the craft, one resolutely wearing his full naval cap, but Lt M.H. Shean, RANVR, was awarded a bar to his DSO and Sub Lt K.M. Briggs RANVR the DSC for an exploit with this craft with which they cut the Hong Kong-Saigon underwater cables, after being towed to the scene by HM submarine [I]Spearhead.[/I] 3. HMS Formidable coming to berth at Circular Quay 1945 4. Troopship Queen Mary in the Habour 5. 1983 Royal Yacht Brittania stamp. 6. Royal Yacht Brittania on 1977 visit
Attachments :

Somehow I repeated the first image of the XE craft. Here's the second, at more decent size: I think Shean and Briggs performed a fine exploit (described below). And I think that the ship they are passing is minelayer HMAS Bungaree. EDIT: Wrong: the ship the XE Craft is passing is almost certainly the 12th submarine flotilla's (XE Craft) tender HMS Bonaventure, which was in Sydney.
Attachments :

HMS Caprice and the buy one get one free Sydney harbour bridge. I dont think it is ever that flat calm in Sydney Harbour and assume the photo has been "photoshopped"
Attachments :

Jeff - Is it just me but some of your pictures are coming out very strangely. For instance the last ones in posts #16 and #18 are a complete mis-mash of the picture - and there have been a couple of others earlier on??

[QUOTE=jbryce1437;35279]HMS Caprice and the buy one get one free Sydney harbour bridge. I dont think it is ever that flat calm in Sydney Harbour and assume the photo has been "photoshopped"[/QUOTE] Thanks for posting that photo of HMS Caprice, a nice curiosity to have for this collection. But yes, I think its a piece of trick photo printing (pre photo-shopping surely?). The photo is taken out in the main Harbour by Fort Denison just visible over the stern. The Harbour can be very still and milky on an early morning, but rare to be that lake-flat out there I'd say. EDIT: Look at the slight ripple effect of the vertical bridge stays in the reflecting image. Hmmm, I've reconsidered - I think it might be a real reflection. A few photos of my own of a milky morning, taken when I took one of my daughters up there in October re-settling for a magazine internship. One pic goes close up Fort Denison where your ship was berthed. I'll take this opportunity to unload three smaller pics of RN ships in the Harbour: Glamorgan, St Bride's Bay, and Belfast in August, 1945.
Attachments :

[QUOTE=astraltrader;35304]Jeff - Is it just me but some of your pictures are coming out very strangely. For instance the last ones in posts #16 and #18 are a complete mis-mash of the picture - and there have been a couple of others earlier on??[/QUOTE] Terry, the thumbnail pics all appear okay I think. The couple of pics that the server (randomly to me) posted back as a blue link below are each botched up, and don't download properly. Some glitch in the system still I think. A particular problem was my rather stubborn attempt to get a decent-sized post of that image of HMS [I]Anson[/I] entering the Captain Cook dock, because the KGVs were such wonderful-looking ships - and I think that one shot is rather special. Look, I know that there are hundreds of superb shots of the KGVs around, but this is one I thought the serious RN pic collectors might really like to have. [B]What I'll do[/B]: Save it on a memory stick and get a print made in the next few days. Then post it here, and e-mail it to you for your collection, and pass on as you wish.

Have you tried it upside down Rik? The Pennant No is slightly different though! Bob.
Attachments :

Thanks Jeff - I will PM my email address.

HM submarine [I]Odin[/I] makes a ceremonial entry passage down the Harbour on a wet day. She appears headed for the submarine base at Neutral Bay, off starboard ahead. Edit: just fixed my spelling of 'neutral.' disgraceful, and disgusted with myself.
Attachments :

Bob your Caprice photo is flipped, hence the pennant number back to front. This is the original pic before photoshopping
Attachments :

I realise that it is not a warship but this is such a beautiful photograph of SS Himalaya under the Sydney Bridge, I thought it might be seen to enhance the thread.
Attachments :

HMS Perseus in Sydney Harbour
Attachments :

Here's a rather unusual shot of Hms Deer Sound with the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background, I can't recall the name of the bay she is in. Regards Alan
Attachments :

Herks, I did promise some photo's of the new millenium bridge at Newcastle for you. The 1st shows the millenium bridge in the distance looking through the Tyne bridge, the weird shaped glass building on the right is the Sage theatre, the red building below the 'sage' is Hms Calliope, the RNR base on the Tyne. The last 2 photo's shown the millenium bridge lit up and the last shows it open.....sort of blinking. The last 2 were taken on my birthday. Regards Alan
Attachments :

[QUOTE=alanbenn;35605]Here's a rather unusual shot of Hms Deer Sound with the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background, I can't recall the name of the bay she is in. Regards Alan[/QUOTE] Alan, HMS [I]Deer Sound [/I]would be in Mosman Bay there. Discussing the foreshore architecture and localities shown in one of Rik's posts earlier, I mentioned the landmark art deco AWA building and huge radio lattice mast atop, brightly lit at night and once tallest landmark in the city. You can see it popping up over the horizon centre left of your photo, and from a pretty considerable distance. P.S. The HMS [I]Anson[/I] photo discussed/promised at reasonable size earlier. I haven't forgotten. Waiting for a child to come home and ensure I've saved it to memory stick properly for printing. Repeating HMS [I]Arbiter[/I] as it is absolutely one of the best pics for the Bridge theme. Also for interest thought I would post a photo of the beautiful Anzac Bridge at White Bay, just southwest of SHB (michael davies, flickr). And the Gladesville Bridge which is west again: great view of the inner Harbour and city. FYI, last I heard - and it was many years ago - there were half a million small boats registered in Sydney (pop 4.3m).
Attachments :

Yes, that's a fine Bridge photo! ANZAC Bridge with a statue of a Digger at one end and an NZer at the other.

The Dutch light cruiser Hr Ms Tromp in Sydney during 1942 after repairs to damage suffered in the Battle of Bandung Strait, Feb, 19th 42.
Attachments :

[QUOTE=Kevin Denlay;35770]The Dutch light cruiser Hr Ms Tromp in Sydney during 1942 after repairs to damage suffered in the Battle of Bandung Strait, Feb, 19th 42.[/QUOTE] Good unusual photo Kevin - and your pic shows the old Fort Macquarie converted to a tram depot on Bennelong Point - the site now of the Sydney Opera House.

To complement Alans Previous post of pictures of the Tynes bridges,Here's a selection of small warships passing through the Millenium bridge and framed against the backdrop of the Tyne Bridge. Regards Dave
Attachments :

Excellent photo's Dave, not that often now we get ships this far up the Tyne. Sadly, I'm still a little unwell and didn't manage to get to South Shields to see Hms Ark Royal. I am determined at some stage to pop down to the quayside and get a few photo's of the Patrol boats when they are on station at Hms Calliope. Regards Alan

Hope you feeling better soon mate, Here's a few more golden oldies i think i have posted these before but can't remember. RNR Ton Class at Calliope HIGHBURTON and WISTON aka NORTHUMBRIA Regards Dave
Attachments :

[QUOTE=rumrat;35813]To complement Alans Previous post of pictures of the Tynes bridges,Here's a selection of small warships passing through the Millenium bridge and framed against the backdrop of the Tyne Bridge. Regards Dave[/QUOTE] Very nice pics of the Millenium Bridge but it had me utterly puzzled ( about what could pass across it) - until I looked around some sites and realized it rises and falls. Clever bridge. Nice looking too.

It is an attractive bridge. I may be wrong but I understand that it swings sideways.

Herks, the bridge when open tilts forwards..hence it looks like it's blinking. The top moves down and the bottom raises up..... In both mine and Daves posts photo 4 shows it in the open position, Daves photo 7 is also when it's open. Regards Alan

Much obliged for that information. So how do ships pass through?

Well Herks, sadly not many do nowadays, only small vessels such as the patrol craft etc, there's nothing further up the Tyne now that would require a large ship. All the old yards in Dunston, Blaydon etc that were used for scrapping ships have long since gone. We are more a tourist attraction on the quayside now..Sage theatre holds several large events, The old flour mill is now the Baltic art gallery. Of course not forgetting the 'Angel of the North' It was only public outcry that stopped Hms Calliope from being sold to developers quite recently. Regards Alan
Attachments :

Thanks again! When I first visited the area, I was staggered at all those huge dockyards lying idle. The site of all those cranes ... ... As for the Angel of the North - I have mixed feelings!

HMAS Sydney, at home.
Attachments :

This is the best I could manage on my promise (earlier post) to have a print made from my small image scan of HMS Anson entering Captain Cook Dock in Sydney, December 1945, and see if I could post it at a decent size. The resolution from the scanned image is not very sharp. A print shop in the local pharmacy gave me back cropped, blue-tinted images (2+3), while a more professional print shop did somewhat better (pic 1+4). Still, a wonderful ship photo, I think. Last pic is USS Missouri in Sydney for the Bi-centenary in 1988.
Attachments :

Anson high and dry in Sydney drydock, although date accompanying this image states 'August 1945'.
Attachments :

HMS KILLISPORT in Sydney 1960
Attachments :

More Posts

Everything we obtain for this site is shown on the site, we do not have any more photos, crew lists or further information on any of the ships.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE. ALL IMAGES DISPLAYED ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT LAW, AND ARE OWNED BY CRANSTON FINE ARTS OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. NO REPRODUCTION OR COPYING ALLOWED ON OTHER WEBSITES, BOOKS OR ARTICLES WITHOUT PRIOR AGREEMENT.

Contact Details
Shipping Info
Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy
Privacy Policy

Sign Up To Our Newsletter!

Stay up to date with all our latest offers, deals and events as well as new releases and exclusive subscriber content!

This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE

Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com

Return to Home Page