HMVS ''Childers'' was a
torpedo boat
A torpedo boat is a relatively small and fast naval ship designed to carry torpedoes into battle. The first designs were steam-powered craft dedicated to ramming enemy ships with explosive spar torpedoes. Later evolutions launched variants of ...
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 ...
,
Commonwealth Naval Forces
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 ...
and 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 ...
.
Construction and acquisition
''Childers'', a first-class torpedo boat, was constructed for the
colony of Victoria
In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state'' ...
by
Thornycroft
Thornycroft was an English vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.
History
In 1896, naval engineer John Isaac Thornycroft formed the Thornycroft Steam Carriage and Van Company which built its firs ...
of
Chiswick, England at a cost of £10,500. She was laid down in 1883, and completed by the start of 1884.
Operational history
HMVS ''Childers'' sailed from Portsmouth on 3 February 1884. Later that month, she was in Malta on her delivery voyage to Victoria with
HMVS ''Albert'' and
HMVS ''Victoria'' when news of
General Gordon's death at Khartoum arrived.
[Frame, ''No Pleasure Cruise'', p. 67] The colony of Victoria immediately offered the three ships for service in the Sudan.
[ The offer was accepted, and ''Childers'' was sent ahead, arriving on 19 March at Suakin. By that time, the conflict had moved too far inland for warships to be of any assistance,][ and the vessels departed three days later. They arrived in Melbourne on 26 June after travelling via Aden, Colombo, the Dutch East Indies and Torres Strait.
''Childers'' joined the Commonwealth Naval Forces following federation in 1901, and the Royal Australian Navy when it was formed in 1911. 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 ...
she served in Victorian waters and as a tender to HMAS ''Cerberus''.
Decommissioning and fate
''Childers'' was sold to J.J. Savage & Co. of South Yarra
South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cities of City of Melbourne, Melbourne and City of Sto ...
on 5 April 1918 for £20. ''Childers'' was eventually hulked on Swan Island in Port Phillip
Port Phillip ( Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is com ...
.
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 ...
Citations
References
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Childers
Torpedo boats of the Victorian Naval Forces
Torpedo boats of the Royal Australian Navy
1884 ships
Ships built in Chiswick
Ships built by John I. Thornycroft & Company