HMVS ''Albert'' was a
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-ste ...
of the
Victorian Naval Forces
Before Federation in 1901 five of the six separate colonies maintained their own naval forces for defence. The colonial navies were supported by the ships of the Royal Navy's Australian Station which was established in 1859. The separate colonie ...
which was requisitioned for service with 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 ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
Operational history
![HMVS Albert Starboard Elevation and Plan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/49/HMVS_Albert_Starboard_Elevation_and_Plan.jpg)
HMVS ''Albert'' was built by Armstrong, Mitchell and Co. of Elswick, United Kingdom. Completed in early 1884, she made the voyage to Victoria in company with
HMVS ''Victoria'' and
HMVS ''Childers'', arriving on 25 June.
Her time in service with the colonial navy was brief and uneventful, receiving an update for her main gun in 1890 before being paid off to reserve in 1893. In 1897 she was sold to the Victorian Public Works Department. During World War I, Albert was requisitioned with the intention of converting her to a tug, however this was cancelled before work began and she was disposed of in 1917.
Similar ships
''Albert'' was an earlier and slightly smaller near-sister ship of
''Gayundah'' and
''Paluma'' which were also built in 1884 and served with the colony of
Queensland
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, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
. This class was built to a type B1
flat-iron gunboat
Flat-iron gunboats (more formally known as Rendel gunboats) were a number of classes of coastal gunboats generally characterised by small size, low freeboard, the absence of masts,Some Rendel-type gunboats were fitted with masts (the British ''Med ...
design from builders Armstrong Mitchell and Co.
See also
*
List of Victorian Naval Forces ships
List of Ships of the Victorian Naval Forces, 1855–1901:
A
B
C
E
F
G
L
N
V
References
*''Warships of Australia,'' Ross Gillett, Illustrations Colin Graham, Rigby Limited, 1977, {{ISBN, 0-7270-0472-7
Victorian Naval F ...
*
Colonial navies of Australia - Victoria
*
List of Royal Australian Navy ships
Since its foundation in 1913, the Royal Australian Navy has operated a large number of vessels, including various types of warships, support and supply warships.
Current ships
As of March 2022, the strength of the Royal Australian Navy cons ...
Bibliography
*''Warships of Australia,'' Ross Gillett, Illustrations Colin Graham, Rigby Limited, 1977,
{{DEFAULTSORT:Albert
Gunboats of the Victorian Naval Forces
1884 ships
Auxiliary ships of the Royal Australian Navy
Victorian-era gunboats
Ships built by Armstrong Whitworth