When i picked this book up in my local second hand book store the shiver that went up my spine told me i needed to read it. This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work. Possibly the longest river transit was undertaken by the lch hmas tarakan. A sailor on board the royal australian navy destroyer hmas swan.
Hmas swan was a riverclass torpedoboat destroyer of the royal australian navy. Apart from performing shore bombardment during the second battle of durazzo, swan s wartime career was uneventful. Description a large range of ran ship plans are available in digital and printed format. Below is a list of thomas swans books in order of when they were originally published. Our community welcomes everyone from around the world to discuss world history, historical periods, and themes in history military history, archaeology, arts and culture, and history in books and movies. Hmas canberra ffg 02 wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Dva are interested to know how many stairs i went updown in the 3 years on board.
It was sunk in 1997 in order to create a wreck dive site and an artificial reef. Swan was sunk as a dive wreck off the coast of dunsborough, western australia at the end of 1997. Hmas swan iii archives page 3 of 4 naval historical. Most of her career was spent deployed throughout south east asia as part of the anzuk forces for training and humanitarian exercises. The story about her surviving crew is equally absorbing. New york had the highest population of swan families in 1840. It just takes a few minutes by boat to reach the spot. Hmas swan, described in successive navy lists as a sloop january 1937, minesweeper april 37april 38 inclusive and escort vessel july 38 to january 39 inclusive, of 1,060 tons, 2,000 shp, with 3 x 4. Three ships of the royal australian navy ran have been named hmas swan, for the swan. Dunsborough is about a three hour drive south of perth. Soldier settlers kangaroo island pioneers association. The swan book is set in the future, with aboriginals still living under the intervention in the north, in an environment fundamentally altered by climate change. Cape dive dunsborough swan wreck charter scuba dive. This was about 19% of all the recorded swan s in the usa.
Select from the list below to view ship data and historical facts of past ran vessels we apologise if a ship you are particularly interested in is not on this list. Hma ship list wwii submitted by stones on mon, 07052012 21. A new australian title added to the library collection that would be of interest to members of our local history and genealogical societies. This is a compilation of my first double dive at hmas swan. One of six built for the ran, swan was built at cockatoo island dockyard, and entered service in 1916. You can also dive the swan from a private boat by obtaining an access permit from the dunsborough visitor centre.
If, by mistake, we have underpriced an item we are not liable to sell you the item at that price provided we have not already informed you that the item has been dispatched. We display all prices for the items, delivery, and other services clearly on the website. She was the first of six former royal australian navy ships to be deliberately sunk for recreational diving. The battleship has served during the vietnam war and was under fire 4.
Hmas swan was built at the cockatoo island shipyard in sydney harbour and commissioned into the ran in august 1916. The base was commissioned as hmas albatross on 31 august 1948. She entered service in 1970, constructed in victoria, australia. Based on the oliver hazard perry class design, canberra was one of four adelaide class ships constructed in the united states of america, and one of six to serve in the ran. Reports of proceedings, hma ships and establishments the. Jan 15, 2020 hmas swan in australian waters during wwii.
A group of corvettes was trailing the larger sloop, hmas swan, along the edge of cockburn reef. During her career, the ship was deployed to south east asia on several occasions as part of anzuk forces. Sister ships were hma ships huon i, parramatta i, swan i, torrens i and warrego i. Cape dive has been the longest established dive store in dunsborough, for over 25 yrs we have been diving the the south west. As the name suggests they were normaly the first part of a ship that one stepped onto when coming aboard.
President of the geographe bay artificial reef society, john jennings, recently allowed us to scan and copy his substantial personal collection of material relating to the preparation of the scuttling, including photographs, newspaper clippings, meeting. The hmas perth was build by the usa and was bought by australia in 1963. The hmas swan is a former 1 m long and 21 m high destroyer escort. This series comprises the reports of proceeding rops created by the units of the royal australian navy ran from the second world war until the 1970s. Final preparations for the sinking of the former royal australian navy destroyer escort, hmas swan, were completed a few minutes before 11. The most swan families were found in the usa in 1880. Images and footage of the ship sinking have been used and adapted for various purposes, including in movies and as. These are the approximately 9,800 ran personnel who. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. A number of commercial operators offer dive tours to the swan dive wreck. It worked because now it is a major tourist attraction with about 15 000 dives every year. These are the approximately 9,800 ran personnel who, through dedication to the task over seven years transported safely and on time about 15,600 army and raaf personnel, along with many tons. As a young western australian sailor on the destroyer escort, hmas swan, i recall the.
The ship was named after the swan river in perth, western australia. Cassells book for those in peril kangaroo press 1995 donald bain sigg. Hmas parramatta and hmas swan the hmas parramatta and hmas swan were two ships of the six australian river class torpedo boat destroyers tbd that were built between 1909 and 1915. Tread plates were usually located on the quarterdeck of ships where gangways were rigged. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. She was paid of to reserve in 1950 and converted to a training vessel in 1956. Some plans consist of multiple pages and prices for the plans. A seaman officer and navigation subspecialist he served as navigating officer in hma ships orion, swan, adelaide and perth. In 1840 there were 124 swan families living in new york. The early part of the ships career was spent on blockade duty in the far east, before she was transferred to the mediterranean for antisubmarine duty.
He gave his six year old son, tyson, the chance to enter history by setting off the ten explosions. Each ship was slightly to port of the one ahead, trailing their sweeps to port. Hmas swan was one of six river class torpedo boat destroyers built for the royal australian navy between 1909 and 1916. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from wikipedia or other free sources online. The vung tau ferry hmas sydney and escort ships nott, rodney. In february 1942, hmas swan was an escort vessel for a convoy of four troopships headed for timor. The surrender of the japanese forces in new ireland was signed on board the swan 1945. We are just 250km south of perth were you will find us to be your gateway to diving the hmas swan. Hmas yarra i was one of six river class torpedo boat destroyers built for the royal australian navy during the period 190916. The hmas swan is a stunning wreck dive near dunsborough in western australia. As a young western australian sailor on the destroyer escort, hmas swan, i recall the poignant moment we stopped in the sunda strait for a memorial service over the resting place of hmas perth. I called tracee of cape dive on the monday to ensure i could book a exhmas swan dive for the following friday. Jun 07, 2017 hmas yarra and hmas parramatta trials.
Hmas swan suffered her first attack by japanese bombers while she was evacuating civilians from amboina in the moluccas in january 1942. She is the latest river class destroyer escort and, with hmas swan, incorporates many improvements on her four other sister ships, hma ships derwent, parramatta, stuart and yarra. The purpose of this book is to recognise the major contribution of those many members of the royal australian navy whose dedicated service in the vietnam war was for so long ignored. Hmas arunta joined to be the escort with swan for anshun and s jacob to milne bay while castlemaine escorted sea witch and taroona to port moresby. The third hmas swan was a river class frigate, commissioned in 1970. Hmas swan sloop 193738 naval historical society of.
Admiralty type leaders of the royal australian navy, australian battle class destroyers, daring class destroyers 1949 of the royal australian navy, n class destroyers of the royal australian navy, parker class leaders of the royal. Whether swan snagged a coral obstruction, or fouled a mine, her oropesa float dipped suddenly and the sweep snapped. Stunning photographs illustrate our new natural history of the swan, this muchloved creature of beauty and grace. Three minutes and fiftythree seconds after young tyson pushed the button, hmas swan went to the bottom. The ship was modernised as part of a half life refit. Jul 29, 2010 of all the australians who fought in the second world war, none saw more action nor endured so much of its hardship and horror as the crew of the cruiser hmas perth.
Reports of proceedings rops are the official record of activities of the royal australian navys commands, vessels, shore establishments. Hmas anzac class frigate 1995 naval historical society. Australian navy hmas sydney books on war australia. Swan dive wreck attraction tour dunsborough western. Professional photographer malcolm schuyl has studied the swan for decades observing, researching and photographing it throughout its lifecycle. The winner of the raffle for the right to send the swan to her new home was a mr famlonga, a local from dunsborough. The gateway to dive the hmas perth is the town of albany in western australia. The new ships, based on the british type 12, were to be built in sydney and melbourne.
Swan was the third royal australian navy ship to carry that name swan and her sister ship, torrens, were the final two river class des constructed. The official site of the kangaroo island pioneers association promoting kangaroo islands history today kangaroo island pioneers association. She was paid off for disposal in 1962 and sold ofr scrap in 1964. During the first world war they formed the australian destroyer flotilla. The 14th december marks 20 years since the scuttling of the hmas swan in geographe bay, off point piquet. A history of swans island, maine herman wesley small on. On 8 july 1933 the ship that would become sydney ii was laid down as hms phaeton in the shipyard of swan, hunter and wigham richardson, at wallsendontyne in england. Constructed in melbourne following the loss of hmas voyager, swan entered service in 1970, and remained in commission until 1996. Ordered for the royal navy as hms phaeton, the cruiser was purchased by the australian government and. It was launched on 16 december 1967 and commissioned on 20 january 1970. The former hmas swan is the first purposely prepared dive wreck of its kind in the southern hemisphere. Hmas sydney, named after the australian city of sydney, was one of three modified leanderclass light cruisers operated by the royal australian navy ran. The 14th december marks the 19th anniversary of the first scuttling of a former rn warship as an artificial reef.
Commodore warwick gately am ran rtd entered the ran college in 1971. We have a valuable research library of books, papers, photos and historical items relating to kangaroo island. The parramatta was the first ship ever built for the australian navy and the swan was the first warship ever laid down in australia. The life and loss of hmas perth and her crew cruiser. Swan is a versatile ship, capable of responding rapidly to operation requirements. Thomas swan made his debut as a novelist in 1990 with the novel the da vinci deception. Im also looking for any info on the deck plans, location of stairs etc. Swan was the third royal australian navy ship to carry that name. Wreck dive off the coast off dunsborough, western australia. Hmas torrens was launched on 28 september 1968 by dame zara holt, dbe, and commissioned on 19 january 1971. Hmas swan ii archives naval historical society of australia.
On 11 november 1941, the cruiser hmas sydney sailed from the australian port. Hmas swan iii archives naval historical society of australia. In the same month swan, accompanied by hmas torrens, sailed for british north borneo where they joined huon at the port of sandakan. This class of ship developed into a class which became known as simply destroyers. A well written book about not just the life and loss of the hmas perth and her crew but the. Hmas canberra ffg 02 was an adelaide class guided missile frigate of the royal australian navy ran. A sailor on board the royal australian navy destroyer hmas swan shaking the paw of. In 1994 he commanded the destroyer hmas torrens and later served as commander sea training and was the inaugural j3j5 in headquarters australian theatre. Hmas swan u74f74a427, named for the swan river, was a grimsbyclass sloop of the royal australian navy ran that served during world war ii.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading swan. Dec 06, 2016 the 14th december marks the 19th anniversary of the first scuttling of a former rn warship as an artificial reef. Awm78 class 327 hmas supply awm78 class 328 hmas swan ii and iii. Hmas arunta i 30 of the royal australian navy australian. Mar 22, 2016 a group of corvettes was trailing the larger sloop, hmas swan, along the edge of cockburn reef. The following year she was purchased, in build, by the australian government and renamed sydney, in memory of her namesake and the capital city of new south wales. The uboat war in world war two kriegsmarine, 19391945 and world war one kaiserliche marine, 19141918 and the allied efforts to counter the threat. On 2 september 1942 swan with hmas castlemaine departed townsville escorting sea witch, taroona, anshun and s jacob bound for port moresby and milne bay. She was the third ship of the ran to be named for the swan river in western australia. It follows the life of a mute young woman called oblivia, the victim of gangrape by petrolsniffing youths, from the displaced community where she lives in a hulk, in a swamp filled with rusting boats, and. Royal australian navy history magazine fluffy cat fluffy kittens. Hmas swan is similar to the rans latest destroyer escort hmas torrens. Swan was the third royal australian navy ship to carry that name swan and her sister ship, torrens, were the final two river class. Michael mcfadyens scuba diving hmas swan in august 1950, the australian government announced a decision to purchase six antisubmarine frigates.
During world war i they formed the australian destroyer flotilla. Her sister ships were hma ships huon i, parramatta i, torrens i, warrego i and yarra i hmas swan was laid down at cockatoo island dockyard, sydney, nsw on 22. The ship was sunk as a target by hmas farncomb in june 1999. Ex hmas swan was scuttled on the morning of 14 december 1997 in front of over 10,000 spectators. The swan family name was found in the usa, the uk, canada, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. Hmas swan dive wreck is about a 15 minute boat ride out to sea from meelup beach. Constructed in melbourne following the loss of hmas voyager, swan entered service in 1970. The hmas parramatta and hmas swan were two ships of the six australian river class torpedo boat destroyers tbd that were built between 1909 and 1915. Founded in 2006, historum is a history forum dedicated to history discussions and historical events.
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