HMAS Canberra –Jervis Bay

If you have been to the shores of Jervis Bay recently you could not have missed the dominating spectacle of the HMAS Canberra steaming about the bay. It’s an unusual and impressive ship, and is following a long history of navy involvement with Jervis Bay. Roll - air-land-sea amphibious deployment humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) Tonnes - 27,831 Length - 230.8 metres (overall) Beam - 32 metres Draft - 7.18 metres (full load) Flight deck - 202.3 metres (length) 32 metres (width) 4,750 square metres (area) 27.5 metres (height) Speed – 20 knots Crew 358 (293 RAN, 62 Army, 3 RAAF)

This fabulous photo was taken and sent to us by local man Paul Newman.

Sloop HMAS Yarra

The naval sloop HMAS Yarra would have been a familiar shape on the horizon for the residents and visitors to Jervis Bay in the late 1930's.



HMAS Yarra was a Grimsby-class sloop of the Royal Australian Navy which came to the bay on many occasions to conduct training exercises leading up to the second world war, sometimes alone,  other times as part of larger operations involving the Australian fleet.

Lost Anchor - Buffeted during a gale.
1936 August. - Anchored off HMAS Creswell she was caught in a strong northerly gale which reached speeds of 50 mph.  She rocked so violently a timber whaleboat tethered beside the ship was splintered to pieces within minutes.  A heavy swell whipped up by the gale came across the bay tossing the Yarra  so violently she lost one of her anchors when the chain snapped.  With this, the captain ordered full steam and the sloop sailed across the bay seeking shelter in the lee of Point Perpendicular. 

HMAS Canberra, also in the bay had her boat boom carried away in the violent storm, other boats were in danger of being smashed by the cruiser. Two divers were dispatched from HMAS Canberra to recover the Yarra's anchor, the operation was carried out in very difficult conditions.

Ken Stephens a young seaman on the Yarra fell overboard. 
         Stephens: -  "I went to put my foot on the Jacobs ladder", he said.  And found it was not there."

An open boat was immediately lowered and his shipmates had a difficult and dangerous time effecting the rescue. Stephens collapsed when he reached the deck and received medical attention.

1938 - The Yarra had a further association with Jervis Bay when H.B. Farncomb, a graduate from the Jervis Bay Naval College was appointed the captain of the Yarra.

War service.
1942 - War was raging across the Pacific.  HMAS Yarra was involved in rescuing 1800 troops from the liner Empress of Asia after she was dive-bombed by the Japanese and set on fire, Captain
W. H. Harrington by commendable seamanship took his ship alongside the blazing liner allowing the troops to come aboard. Meanwhile, the Yarra's gunfire helped save other ships in the convoy.

1942 - May,  HMAS Yarra was sunk during action with the loss of 138 including the Captain and all officers, they were killed in the action or died subsequently on the rafts. The action was described as one of the most gallant in Australian naval history.

Navy Minister Mr Makin described the gallantry of the HMAS Yarra's crew in fighting a far superior enemy until she was sunk.

  'At dawn on March 4 while escorting 2 merchant vessels and a minesweeper from Java to Australia the Yarra and her charges were attacked 350 miles south of Java
by three Japanese heavy cruisers and 4 destroyers. Against such odds, the battle lasted less than 30 minutes and the Yarra and her convoy were sunk.
The Yarra after trying to save the convoy by ordering a covering smoke screen fought to the end and went down with colour flying. Only 13 of her compliment
were saved after spending 105 hours in the water.

Take the time to watch this short well made documentary about the courage of the captain and his crew against overwhelming odds.

http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-yarra-ii

Ships in the bay. HMAS Adelaide.(L01)

Today, HMAS Adelaide, a Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ship, was at anchor near Greenpatch. Her distinctive shape certainly stood out in the morning sun.

An image from inside Adelaide's sister ship
HMAS Canberra.



Continue onto more images of HMAS Adelaide
Continue on to more images of HMAS Canberra from onboard.

Ships in the bay

I took these images this morning of HMAS Adelaide passing on the inside of Point Perpendicular. She made an impressive site and dominated the landscape.

While HMAS Adelaide was conducting exercises in Jervis Bay, her sister ship HMAS Canberra was on the other side of the world near Guam conducting helicopter training exercises.

The amazing image below was sent to us today.. It was taken from the ship and shows the Helicopter "Warlock" in the middle of a successful "Hellfire missile shoot."

Continue on to more images of HMAS Canberra from onboard.

Ships in Jervis bay.

Late yesterday afternoon I went around to Hole in the Wall and took a few pictures of the Atoll 2,   a beautiful, 2 masted sailing boat,  tucked in close to the shore seeking shelter from the southerly winds. The conditions were not ideal for taking photographs,  dark and overcast, raining and misty, but the bay looked absolutely beautiful all the same.

Moored near the Atoll 2 was the DMS navy support ship,  Seahorse Horizon. Built in 1984, the ship was initially operated by the National Safety Council of Australia as MV Blue Nabilla. She was purchased by the RAN in 1990 for use as a surveillance, training, and diving support vessel and renamed, HMAS Protector, she was used as a  Royal Australian Navy (RAN) trials and submarine rescue ship.  During her military career, Protector supported the trials of the Collins-class submarines, and was involved in a search for the shipwreck of the World War II cruiser HMAS Sydney.  The ship was decommissioned in 1998 and, while still owned by the Commonwealth, she is provided to Defence Maritime Services to allow them to support Navy activities under contract.  Renamed Seahorse Horizon, the ship is operated by Defence Maritime Services out of HMAS Creswell as a training and Fleet support vessel. REF: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_Protector_(ASR_241)

Seahorse Horizon behind Hole in the Wall.

The Huskisson side of the bay was shrouded in thick mist almost obscuring the land , out of the mist appeared two largs ghost like shapes, hard to discern, but as they moved closer you could make out the distinctive shapes of two large navy ships.

The ship in the foreground is the second of two Canberra-class landing helicopter dock (LHD) ships, HMAS Adelaide .    The ship in the background is the Adelaide-class guided-missle Frigate HMAS Darwin. Both ships, slowly and carefully moved about the bay in the misty conditions,  the Adelaide finally coming to a halt in front of HMAS Creswell before dropping it’s anchor,   the Adelaide almost dissapeared into the gloom  near  Honemoon Bay.

Very early this morning I took this photograph of HMAS Adelaide under lights near Hole in the Wall.

HMAS. Canberra

We were sent these amazing images onboard HMAS Canberra taken shortly before she sailed for duties in Shrilanka, India and beyond.
The helicopter featured is a Sikorsky Seahawk. The Seahawk can handle anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), naval special warfare (NSW) insertion, search and rescue (SAR), combat search and rescue (CSAR), vertical replenishment (VERTREP), and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC).

I recently designed and fitted an emblem to the side of the helicopter at HMAS Albatross.
Each helicopter crew has their own insignia, this one fly's under the insignia "Warlock."

Drawn and finished - Rob Slater 2019

1.5 Billion dollar - Landing Helicopter Docs – “LHD”

LO2 - Amphibious Assault Ship.
At 27,000- tonne  the LHD is the largest ship ever built for the Australian Navy.
She spent the weekend in Jervis Bay like so many other ships from the past, seeking safe anchorage out of the 5+ meter seas that were rolling outside the bay.
Its an unusual looking ship and has been christened HMAS Canberra, capable of transporting 1000 troops and 150 vehicles, including the new M1A1 tank.
It was built in Spain and transported to Australia on a barge.
She is the first of two being built for the RAN.

HMAS Creswell

 

June 12th 1930 the Navy abandons HMAS Creswell
As the depression worsened it was decided the College was to costly to maintain and the operation was moved to HMAS Cererus.

The first settlement at the Naval College site…The Workers and motorised buggy.

”Westward Ho”
After the Navy left the site's buildings were leased out as houses, hotels and holiday accommodation. The cadet's accommodation blocks became "Jervis Bay Guest House" and "Westward Ho", the wardroom became "College House Hotel", the hospital "Naval Lodge Hospital" and the Captain's Residence "Canberra House".

Guests seen here using the facilities at Creswell for holidays.

1945 Australia became involved in World War Two, Jervis Bay plays a vital role in the war effort.
World War Two saw extensive use of Jervis Bay by the Navy, Air Force and the Army. This included a RAAF rehabilitation unit that was established on the eastern side of the Quarterdeck. From 1944-46 the facility treated injured airmen and ex-prisoners of war.
In the early 1950s overcrowding and the less favourable location of HMAS Cerberus prompted a Navy decision to return the College to Jervis Bay.
In its absence many of the site's original problems had been fixed, including connection to the electricity grid, and increased infrastructure in the area due to a growth in tourism. Some local residents resisted the Navy's return.

Re-opened
The College was re-opened in 1958 and commissioned HMAS Creswell, in honour of William Rooke Creswell, whose lobbying had helped to create the RAN.

Vice Admiral Sir W R Creswell (1852 – 1933)
was a very important leader in the establishment of Australia’s own Navy as a separate entity to the Royal Navy.  After a distinguished career with the Royal Navy, Creswell retired in 1875 and came to live in Australia. In 1885 he was encouraged to join the Colonial Navy in South Australia as second in command of the Cruiser HMCS Protector before later moving to the Queensland Naval forces and then to Melbourne.








REF:
http://monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/people/military/display/95516-vice-admiral-sir-william-rooke-creswell
http://www.environment.gov.au
https://www.navy.gov.au/establishments/hmas-creswell