HMAS Australia was one of three Indefatigable-class battlecruisers built for the defence of the British Empire. At the start of World War I, Australia was tasked with finding and destroying the German East Asia Squadron. Repeated diversions to support the capture of German colonies in New Guinea and Samoa, as well as an overcautious Admiralty, prevented the battlecruiser from engaging the German squadron. Post-war budget cuts saw Australia’s role downgraded to a training ship before she was placed in reserve in 1921. She was scuttled off Sydney Heads in 1924.
About HMAS Australia (1911) in brief
HMAS Australia was one of three Indefatigable-class battlecruisers built for the defence of the British Empire. Ordered by the Australian government in 1909, she was launched in 1911, and commissioned as flagship of the fledgling Royal Australian Navy in 1913. At the start of World War I, Australia was tasked with finding and destroying the German East Asia Squadron. Repeated diversions to support the capture of German colonies in New Guinea and Samoa, as well as an overcautious Admiralty, prevented the battlecruiser from engaging the German squadron. Australia only ever fired in anger twice: at a German merchant vessel in January 1915, and at a suspected submarine contact in December 1917. Post-war budget cuts saw Australia’s role downgraded to a training ship before she was placed in reserve in 1921. The disarmament provisions of the Washington Naval Treaty required the destruction of Australia as part of theBritish Empire’s commitment, and she was scuttled off Sydney Heads in 1924. She had an overall length of 590 feet, a beam of 80 feet, and a maximum draught of 30 feet 4 inches. The ship displaced 18,500 long tons at load and 22,130 long tons at deep load. The ship was powered by two Parsons’ sets of direct-drive steam turbines, each driving two propeller shafts, using steam provided by 31 coal-burning Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Australia carried eight BL 12-inch Mark X guns in four BVIII* twin turrets; the largest guns fitted to any Australian warship.
Her secondary armament consisted of sixteen 4-inch Mark VII guns in the superstructure. She was protected by a waterline 4–6-inch armoured belt that extended between and covered the endettes between 1 and 5 inches with the thickest portions protecting the steering gear in the stern. The main battery faces were 7 inches thick, supported by barbettes of the same thickness, and the turrets were fitted with a 9-foot range of range at the rear of the rear turret. The guns were mounted fore and aft on the centreline, identified as ‘A’ and ‘X’ respectively. The other two were wing turrets mounted amidships and staggered diagonally: ‘P’ was forward and to port of the centre funnel, while ‘Q’ was situated starboard and aft. During trials in 1913, Australia’s turbines provided 55,000 shp, allowing her to reach 26. 89 knots. Australia carried enough coal and fuel oil to give her a range of 6,690 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 10 knots. She had a crew of 818 officers and ratings in 1913; she had aCrew of 8 18 officers and Ratings in 1913 and her crew of 818 officers and ratings in 1914. She mounted 18 guns mounted in 18-inch barbettes on each side of the superst structure, positioned in 18 forward and 18 aft.
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