HMAS Australia (D84)
Service
- 24 April 1928 — 31 August 19542,193 days of the war
- Name
- HMAS Australia
- Pennant / hull number
- D84
- Namesake
- Commonwealth of Australia
- Builder
- John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland
- Ordered
- 1924
- Laid down
- 26 August 1925
- Launched
- 17 March 1927
- Commissioned
- 24 April 1928
- Decommissioned
- 31 August 1954
- Fate
- Sold for scrapping, 1955 (1955)
- Status
- Scrapped
Specifications
- Displacement, standard
- 10,000 long tons (10,160 t)
- Length
- 192.02 m (630 ft) OA
- Beam
- 20.73 m (68 ft)
- Draught
- 6.4 m (21 ft)
- Speed
- 31 knots (57.4 km/h, 35.7 mph)
- Range
- 2,270 nmi (4,204 km)
- Complement
- 815
- Main gun
- 203 mm (8 in)
HMAS Australia was a County-class heavy cruiser, operated by the Royal Australian Navy. She carried the pennant number D84. She was named for Commonwealth of Australia. Her keel was laid at John Brown and Company at Clydebank, Scotland on 26 August 1925. Launched on 17 March 1927, she entered service on 24 April 1928.
She was one of 13 ships of her class. The class followed the Hawkins-class cruiser and was succeeded by the York-class cruiser.
Displacement was 10,000 long tons. She measured 192.0 m (630 ft) long with a beam of 20.7 m (68 ft). Her designed speed was 31 knots, and she carried a complement of 815. Her main battery was of 203 mm (8.0 in) calibre.
She carried one aircraft.
She was in commission for 2,193 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 31 August 1954.
She was broken up for scrap in 1955.
Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.
Armament and machinery
Armament and machinery
- Propulsion
- 8 × Yarrow superheated boilers
- Curtis high-pressure and Parsons low-pressure geared turbines
- 80,000 shaft horsepower
- 4 × 3-bladed propellers
- Armament
- At launch:
- 8 × 8 inch guns (4 twin turrets)
- 4 × 4-inch (102 mm) anti-aircraft guns
- 4 × 2-pounder (40 mm) pom-poms
- 16 × .303-inch machine guns
- 2 × quadruple 21 inch torpedo tube sets
- 4 × 3-pounder (47 mm) saluting guns
- In 1945:
- 6 × 8-inch guns (3 twin turrets)
- 8 × 4-inch guns (4 twin mounts)
- 8 × 40 mm Bofors guns
- 16 × .303-inch machine guns
- 4 × 3-pounder saluting guns
- Armour
- Magazines and machinery spaces: 1.5 to 3 in
- Turrets: 2 in
- Conning tower: 3 in
- Anti-torpedo bulges
- Belt armour: up to 4.5 in (installed 1938–39)
- Aircraft
- 1 × Supermarine Seagull III (1928–1936)
- 1 × Supermarine Walrus (1936–1944)
Sister ships
Sources
- Facts harvested from HMAS Australia (D84) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
- Photograph: HMAS_Australia_Oct_1937_SLV.jpg : Allan C. Green 1878 - 1954 derivative work: Crisco 1492 — This file was derived from: HMAS Australia Oct 1937 SLV.jpg : — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons