1.
HMS Sirius (1786)
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HMS Sirius was the flagship of the First Fleet, which set out from Portsmouth, England, in 1787 to establish the first European colony in New South Wales, Australia. In 1790, the ship was wrecked on the reef, south east of Kingston Pier, in Slaughter Bay, Sirius had been converted from the merchantman Berwick. There has been confusion over the history of Berwick. Berwick was likely built in 1780 by Christopher Watson and Co. of Rotherhithe, Berwick had a burthen of 511 83⁄94 tons and, after being burnt in a fire, was bought and rebuilt by the Royal Navy in November 1781, retaining her original name. The newly purchased vessel was fitted out and coppered at Deptford Dockyard between December 1781 and April 1782, for a sum of £6,152. 11s. 4d. When completed she carried 10 guns, four 6-pounder long guns and she was commissioned for service under her first commander, Lieutenant Bayntun Prideaux in January 1782, and went out to North America later that year. She spent the last part of the American War of Independence there, paid off in February 1785 she was initially laid up before being fitted for sea between September and December 1786 for service with the First Fleet. Sirius sailed under the command of Captain John Hunter and carried Captain Arthur Phillip and she also carried Major Robert Ross, commander of the Royal Marines who would be responsible for providing security for the colony. The surgeons on this ship were George Bouchier Worgan and Thomas Jamison, according to Sirius midshipman Daniel Southwell, she also carried Larcum Kendall K1 timekeeper used by Captain James Cook on his second and third voyages around the world. Sirius, with the ten vessels of the First Fleet, left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787 and arrived at Botany Bay on 20 January 1788. The 252-day voyage, which had gone via Rio de Janeiro and it soon became clear that Botany Bay was unsuitable for a penal settlement so Sirius helped move the colony farther north to Sydney Cove, Port Jackson on 26 January. While waiting to move, a gale arose preventing any sailing, during this period the French expeditionary fleet of Jean-François de Galaup. The British cordially received the French, siriuss captains, through their officers, offered assistance and asked if Lapérouse needed supplies. However the French leader and the British commanders never met personally, Lapérouse also took the opportunity to send his journals, some charts and some letters back to Europe with Sirius. After obtaining wood and fresh water, the French left on 10 March for New Caledonia, Santa Cruz, the Solomons, the Louisiades, the French fleet and all on board were never seen again. The documents carried by Sirius would be its only testament, Sirius left the colony at Port Jackson on 2 October 1788 when she was sent back to the Cape of Good Hope to get flour and other supplies. The complete voyage, which more than seven months to complete. Two years later, on 19 March 1790, Sirius was wrecked on a reef at Norfolk Island while landing stores, among those who witnessed the ships demise from shore was Thomas Jamison, the surgeon for the penal settlement
2.
First Fleet
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The First Fleet is the name given to the 11 ships that left England on 13 May 1787 to found the penal colony that became the first European settlement in Australia. The First Fleet was commanded by Commodore Arthur Phillip, who was given instructions authorising him to make regulations, the cost to Britain of outfitting and despatching the Fleet was £84,000. Ropes, crockery, agricultural equipment and a miscellany of other stores were needed, the party had to rely on its own provisions to survive until it could make use of local materials, assuming suitable supplies existed, and grow its own food and raise livestock. Scale models of all the ships are on display at the Museum of Sydney, the models were built by ship makers Lynne and Laurie Hadley, after researching the original plans, drawings and British archives. The replicas of the Supply, Charlotte, Scarborough, Friendship, Prince of Wales, Lady Penrhyn, Borrowdale, Alexander, Sirius, Fishburn, nine Sydney harbour ferries built in the mid-1980s are named after First Fleet vessels. The unused names are Lady Penrhyn and Prince of Wales, the people of the fleet included seamen, marines and their families, government officials, and a large number of convicts, including women and children. The majority were British, but there were also African, American, the six convict transports each had a detachment of marines on board. Most of the families of the marines travelled aboard the Prince of Wales, a number of people on the First Fleet kept diaries and journals of their experiences, including the surgeons. There are twelve known journals in existence as well as some letters, the exact number of people directly associated with the First Fleet will likely never be established, as all accounts of the event vary slightly. A total of 1,420 people have identified as embarking on the First Fleet in 1787. The total number of persons embarking on the First Fleet would, therefore, be approximately 1,530 with about 1,483 reaching Sydney Cove. The Scarborough, of 418 tons, had on board 205 male convicts,1 captain,2 lieutenants,2 sergeants,2 corporals,1 drummer, and 26 privates, with 1 assistant surgeon to the colony. The Charlotte, of 346 tons, had on board 89 male and 20 female convicts,1 captain,2 lieutenants,2 sergeants,3 corporals,1 drummer, and 35 privates, with the principal surgeon of the colony. The Lady Penrhyn, of 338 tons, had on board 101 female convicts,1 captain,2 lieutenants, and 3 privates, with a person acting as a surgeons mate. The Prince of Wales, of 334 tons, had on board 2 male and 50 female convicts,2 lieutenants,3 sergeants,2 corporals,1 drummer, and 24 privates, with the surveyor-general of the colony. The Friendship, … of 228 tons, had on board 76 male and 21 female convicts,1 captain,2 lieutenants,2 sergeants,3 corporals,1 drummer, and 36 privates, with 1 assistant surgeon to the colony. There were on board, beside these,28 women,8 male and 6 female children, belonging to the soldiers of the detachment, the Fishburn store-ship was of 378 tons, the Borrowdale of 272 tons, and the Golden Grove of 331 tons. Golden Grove carried the chaplain for the colony, with his wife, not only these store-ships, but the men of war and transports were laden with provisions, implements of agriculture, camp equipage, clothing for the convicts, baggage, etc
3.
IMO number
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The International Maritime Organization number is a unique reference for ships and for registered ship owners and management companies. IMO numbers were introduced under the SOLAS Convention to improve safety and security. For ships, the IMO number remains linked to the hull for its lifetime, regardless of a change in name, flag, or owner. The ship number consists of the three letters IMO followed by a unique number assigned to sea-going merchant ships under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. In 1987 the IMO adopted Resolution A, in the SOLAS Convention cargo ships means ships which are not passenger ships. Passenger ships should carry the marking on a horizontal surface visible from the air. When introduced, the IMO adopted the existing unique ship numbers applied to ships listed by Lloyds Register since 1963, IMO ship identification numbers are assigned by IHS Fairplay. For new vessels the IMO number is assigned to a hull during construction, the IMO ship identification number is made of the three letters IMO followed by the seven-digit number. This consists of a six-digit sequential unique number followed by a check digit, the integrity of an IMO number can be verified using its check digit. This is done by multiplying each of the first six digits by a factor of 2 to 7 corresponding to their position from right to left, the rightmost digit of this sum is the check digit. For example, for IMO9074729, + + + + + =139, in May 2005, IMO adopted a new SOLAS regulation XI-1/3-1 on the mandatory company and registered owner identification number scheme, with entry into force on 1 January 2009. Like the IMO ship number, the identification number is a seven-digit number with the prefix IMO
4.
Replenishment oiler
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A replenishment oiler is a naval auxiliary ship with fuel tanks and dry cargo holds, which can conduct underway replenishment on the high seas. Several countries have used replenishment oilers, the US Navy hull classification symbol for this type of ship was AOR. Replenishment oilers are slower and carry fewer dry stores than the US Navys fast combat support ships, the development of the oiler paralleled the change from coal- to oil-fired boilers in warships. Though arguments related to fuel security were made against such a change, one of the first generation of blue-water navy oiler support vessels was the British RFA Kharki, active 1911 in the run-up to the First World War. Such vessels heralded the transition from coal to oil as the fuel of warships and removed the need to rely on, modern examples of the fast combat support ship include the large British Fort-Class, displacing and 669 ft in length, and the Australian HMAS Sirius. For smaller navies, such as the Royal New Zealand Navy, such ships are designed to carry large amounts of fuel and dry stores for the support of naval operations far away from port. Replenishment oilers are also equipped with extensive medical and dental facilities than smaller ships can provide. Such ships are equipped with multiple refueling gantries to refuel and resupply ships at a time. The process of refueling and supplying ships at sea is called underway replenishment, furthermore, such ships often are designed with helicopter decks and hangars. This allows the operation of rotary-wing aircraft, which allows the resupply of ships by helicopter and this process is called vertical replenishment. They may also carry man-portable air-defense systems for air defense capability. Kaiser-class oiler (United States Navy and Chilean Navy ex-USNS Andrew J
5.
Royal Australian Navy
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The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the colonial navies were integrated into a national force. Originally intended for defence, the navy was granted the title of Royal Australian Navy in 1911. Britains Royal Navy continued to support the RAN and provided additional blue-water defence capability in the Pacific up to the years of World War II. Then, rapid expansion saw the acquisition of large surface vessels. In the decade following the war, the RAN acquired a number of aircraft carriers. Today, the RAN consists of 47 commissioned vessels,3 non-commissioned vessels, the current Chief of Navy is Vice Admiral Tim Barrett. The Commonwealth Naval Forces were established on 1 March 1901, two months after the federation of Australia, when the forces of the separate Australian colonies were amalgamated. As a result, the force structure was set at one battlecruiser. On 10 July 1911, King George V granted the service the title of Royal Australian Navy. The first of the RANs new vessels, the destroyer Yarra, was completed in September 1910, in this time the focus of Australias naval policy shifted from defence against invasion to trade protection, and several fleet units were sunk as targets or scrapped. By 1923, the size of the navy had fallen to eight vessels, following the outbreak of the Pacific War and the virtual destruction of British naval forces in south-east Asia, the RAN operated more independently, or as part of United States Navy formations. As the navy took on a greater role, it was expanded significantly and at its height the RAN was the fourth-largest navy in the world. A total of 34 vessels were lost during the war, including three cruisers and four destroyers, after the Second World War, the size of the RAN was again reduced, but it gained new capabilities with the acquisition of two aircraft carriers, Sydney and Melbourne. The RAN saw action in many Cold War–era conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region and operated alongside the Royal Navy and United States Navy off Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Since the end of the Cold War, the RAN has been part of Coalition forces in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean, operating in support of Operation Slipper and it was also deployed in support of Australian peacekeeping operations in East Timor and the Solomon Islands. The strategic command structure of the RAN was overhauled during the New Generation Navy changes, the RAN is commanded through Naval Headquarters in Canberra. The professional head is the Chief of Navy, who holds the rank of Vice Admiral, NHQ is responsible for implementing policy decisions handed down from the Department of Defence and for overseeing tactical and operational issues that are the purview of the subordinate commands
6.
Underway replenishment
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Replenishment at sea or Underway replenishment is a method of transferring fuel, munitions, and stores from one ship to another while under way. Prior to underway replenishment, coaling stations were the way to refuel ships far from home. The Royal Navy had a global logistics network of coaling stations. This capability allowed the Navy to project naval power around the world and this however had two disadvantages, the infrastructure was vulnerable to disruption or attack, and its use introduced a predictable pattern to naval operations that an enemy could exploit. Early attempts at refuelling and restocking at sea had been made as far back as 1870, however, the speed was far too slow to be generally practicable and calm weather was required to keep the neighbouring ships together. Lieutenant Robert Lowry was the first to suggest the use of large-scale underway replenishment techniques in an 1883 paper to the think tank Royal United Services Institute. He argued that a system would provide a minimum rate of 20 tons per hour while the ships maintain a speed of five knots. His proposal was for transfer to be effected through watertight coal carriers suspended from a cable between the two ships, although his concept was rejected by the Admiralty, the advantages of such a system were made apparent to strategists on both sides of the Atlantic. Over 20 submissions were made to the RN between 1888-90 alone, the main technical problem was ensuring a constant distance between the two ships throughout the process. According to a report from The Times, a French collier had been able to provision two warships with 200 tons of coal at a speed of six knots using a Temperley transporter in 1898, the United States Navy also became interested in the potential of underway replenishment. His device kept a cable suspended between the two ships taut, with a hook that could travel up and down the line with the use of a winch. The first test of the device involved the collier Marcellus and battleship Massachusetts, the RN embarked on more extensive trials in 1901, and reached a speed of 19 tons per hour. Miller also collaborated with the British Temperley Company, producing an enhanced version, RN trials with this new system in 1902 achieved an unprecedented average rate of forty-seven tons per hour and a peak rate of sixty tons per hour. The Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company also patented its Express equipment, the company offered the system to the Admiralty, claiming that it had achieved a rate of 150 tons per hour, but the offer was turned down. A Royal Navy engineer, Metcalf, put forward a system in 1903. Trials were held in 1903, which demonstrated an optimal operating speed of 10 knots with a rate of 54 tph. Although it was a system and met with a formal endorsement from the Admiralty there is little evidence that such equipment was ultimately put to any operational use by any Navy. In May 1905, the U. S. Navy tested an improved Miller-Lidgerwood rig using the Marcellus and these coaling tests achieved 35 tph while steaming at seven knots, which still fell short of expectations
7.
HMAS Westralia (O 195)
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HMAS Westralia was a modified Leaf class replenishment oiler which served with the Royal Australian Navy from 1989 to 2006. Formerly RFA Appleleaf, she served in with the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary from 1975 to 1989, the ship was initially leased to the RAN, then purchased outright in 1994. In 1998, a fire resulted in the deaths of four sailors. Westralia was decommissioned in 2006, and the ship was sold into service for use as a Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel. However, the ship was laid up in Indonesia until late 2009, arriving in January 2010, the vessel was scrapped. The vessel had a load displacement of 40,870 tons, a length of 171 metres, a beam of 26 metres. Propulsion machinery consists of two SEMT Pielstick 14 PC2-2 V400 diesel engines, supplying the single, controllable-pitch propeller with 14,000 brake horsepower, the ships company consisted of up to 96 personnel. The ship was configured to replenish two ships abeam, or one following astern, up to 25,000 tonnes of fuel were carried, including aviation fuel. The vessel was built by Cammell Laird as Hudson Cavalier, one of four STaT32 class oil tankers ordered by John Hudson Fuel. She was laid down at the Birkenhead shipyard on 5 November 1973, after construction had started on three of the four ships, John Hudson found it could not afford to pay for them. The ship was acquired under a bareboat charter. During the Falklands War in 1982, Appleleaf was one of the Leaf class ships that were involved in supplying the Task Force sent south to retake the islands, the vessel later received the battle honour Falkland Islands 1982 for her involvement in the conflict. In December 1983, while visiting New Zealand, a member of the company was charged with killing a woman. Between November 1986 and October 1988, Appleleaf was deployed to the Persian Gulf with the Armilla Patrol, on 5 July 1989, the ship completed her last replenishment at sea as part of the RFA. Her ten-year charter concluded on 24 September 1989, the RAN needed a second replenishment vessel to operate in the Indian Ocean as part of the Two-Ocean Policy, and plans were made to instead acquire a less capable vessel. Part of the A$30 million, five-year lease was covered by the decommissioning, Westralia arrived at Fremantle on 20 December 1989. In March 1990, Westralia sailed from Fremantle on her first overseas deployment, during this, the ship called into at least seven South-east Asian ports, participated in 55th anniversary celebrations for the Royal Malaysian Navy, and was part of several training exercises. In late June, Westralia docked at Singapore, where she underwent a four-month refit, the ship had returned to her home port of HMAS Stirling by late October
Australia
