HMAS ''Stalwart'' (A 215/D 215) was an Australian-designed and constructed Escort Maintenance ship of the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...
(RAN). Commissioned on 9 February 1968 and decommissioned on 9 March 1990, ''Stalwart'' served as a
destroyer tender
A destroyer tender or destroyer depot ship is a type of depot ship: an auxiliary ship designed to provide maintenance support to a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships. The use of this class has faded from its peak in the first half of ...
, the RAN
flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
, and a training vessel during her career. She was sold in 1993 for conversion into a short-range cruise ship, under the names MV ''Her Majesty M'', then MV ''Tara II''. The vessel did not enter civilian service before she was broken up for scrap in 2003.
Design and construction
The ship was designed by Navy Office in
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
to provide afloat support for the RAN, primarily by providing maintenance and minor repairs to the navy's
destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort
larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s and
frigate
A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat.
The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...
s. 75 percent of the ship's company were geared towards the maintenance role. ''Stalwart'' could perform these tasks at sea, and could operate out of minor ports or forward bases around and away from Australia. Up to four ships could be assisted simultaneously, with ''Stalwart'' providing power, water, communications, and personnel facilities for the ships' companies of those alongside.
''Stalwart'' was designed with a
displacement
Displacement may refer to:
Physical sciences
Mathematics and Physics
*Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
of 15,000 tons, although her actual displacement was 15,500 tons.''HMAS Stalwart (II)'', Royal Australian NavyCassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 133 This was the largest displacement of any ship operated by the RAN to that point, except for the two s and the
battlecruiser
The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...
. ''Stalwart'' was
long overall
__NOTOC__
Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, an ...
, long
between perpendiculars
Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the stern ...
, had a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of , and a draught of . Propulsion was provided by two 6-cylinder Scott-Sulzer diesels, which provided to the ship's two propellers, and allowing ''Stalwart'' to sail at over .
The size of the ship's company varies between sources: Cassells states a complement of 396, while the RAN website gives 25 officers and 392 sailors.Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 134 ''Stalwart''s armament consisted of two
40 mm Bofors Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors:
*Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s
...
Sea Cat missile
Seacat was a British short-range surface-to-air missile system intended to replace the ubiquitous Bofors 40 mm gun aboard warships of all sizes. It was the world's first operational shipboard point-defence missile system, and was designed so tha ...
launchers. A single helicopter was carried for utility purposes; initially, this was a
Westland Wessex
The Westland Wessex is a British-built turbine-powered development of the Sikorsky H-34 (in US service known as Choctaw). It was developed and produced under licence by Westland Aircraft (later Westland Helicopters). One of the main changes ...
, although it was later replaced by a
Westland Sea King
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engin ...
. The ship's helipad was capable of receiving any helicopter flown by the RAN.
''Stalwart'' was laid down by the
Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company
The Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Company was a ship building and maintenance company which operated the Cockatoo Island Dockyard on Cockatoo Island in Sydney, Australia between 1933 and 1992.
History
The Cockatoo Docks & Engineering Company c ...
Limited in Sydney on 23 June 1964. She was launched by Lady Maie Casey, wife of the
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
on 1 October 1966. ''Stalwart'' was commissioned into the RAN on 1 February 1968, a day after she was completed. The ship's name came from the destroyer . She carried several nicknames, including "Building 215" (referring to the fact that, when not deployed, she was always secured to the same buoy just off at Sydney), "The Mighty 'Wart", and " Battlestar".
Operational history
On 14 November 1974, ''Stalwart'' was present at
Port Moresby
(; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...
for
Papua New Guinean
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
independence celebrations. On 27 December 1974, after Cyclone Tracy destroyed Darwin, ''Stalwart'' sailed from Sydney as part of the
disaster relief
Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...
effort
Operation Navy Help Darwin
Operation Navy Help Darwin was a disaster relief operation initiated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) following the destruction of Darwin, Northern Territory by Cyclone Tracy during the night of 24–25 December 1974. 13 ships, 11 aircraft, an ...
. The vessel arrived on 2 January 1975, and was the only vessel to dock alongside in Darwin Harbour (the other 12 ships deployed were anchored in or outside the harbour). ''Stalwart'' remained until 30 January, during which she provided workshop and maintenance facilities, was used to provide electricity to the city, and her ship's company performed an average of 1,000 man-hours of cleanup and reconstruction work per day. She was one of the last two RAN ships to leave, and arrived back in Sydney on 6 February.
The ship started 1976 by participating in training exercises off south-east Australia and in
Bass Strait
Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterwa ...
Australia Day
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port Ja ...
, Hobart for the
Royal Hobart Regatta
The Royal Hobart Regatta is a series of aquatic competitions and displays held annually in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia and is Tasmania's oldest sporting event. The regatta began in 1838.
The event runs for three days and incorporates a publi ...
, then Melbourne and Sydney before March. In May, the role of
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of the RAN was transferred from to ''Stalwart''. During September and October, the ship participated in
Exercise Kangaroo
Exercise Kangaroo was a joint warfare exercise that was held by the Australian Defence Force in the 1970s and 1980s.
The first iteration of Exercise Kangaroo took place in 1974. The military units involved included the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbo ...