HMAS Albatross (1928)

Design and construction

In 1925, Governor-General Lord Stonehaven announced the construction of a seaplane carrier, to the surprise of both the RAN and RAAF. The decision to acquire a seaplane carrier was prompted by both the need to provide work during the high unemployment of the 1920s and the realisation that a conventional aircraft carrier was outside the ability of the RAN to finance or man. The Australian Commonwealth Naval Board requested that the British Admiralty supply a basic design for a seaplane carrier, with the conditions that the ship have a top speed of 20 kn, and cost under 400,000 pounds if built in a British shipyard.

The ship displaced 4,800 tons at standard load. She was 443 ft long overall, with a beam of 58 ft at her moulded depth and 77.75 ft over the gun sponsons, and an initial maximum draught of 16 ft, although this had increased to 17.25 ft by 1936.

Development of the ship from the Admiralty sketch design was based around the Fairey IIID seaplane being operated for the RAN by the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 101 Flight. Albatross could carry up to nine aircraft—six active and three in reserve—in three internal hangars; their incorporation inside the ship's hull resulted in an unusually high freeboard in the forward half of the vessel, and forced the propulsion machinery, accommodation, and bridge to all be located in the aft half. Albatross was removed from seagoing service in 1933, two months before the Mark Vs entered service, although the aircraft were operated from the vessel while she was at anchor. In addition, the new Seagulls were too tall to manoeuvre around inside the hangars, although this problem was worked around by placing the aircraft, with undercarriage retracted, on specially designed trolleys.

Albatross was laid down by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at the Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney on 16 April 1926. She was launched by the wife of the Governor-General of Australia, Baron Stonehaven of Ury on 23 February 1928. Albatross was completed on 21 December 1928, and commissioned into the RAN on 23 January 1929. She cost 1,200,000 pounds to construct.

Operational history

Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Albatross began her first cruise a week after commissioning, visiting Tasmania and Victoria.

In November 1931, the ship's engines were damaged by sabotage. This occurred again in September 1932. The acts of sabotage were attributed to widespread unrest among the sailors at the time; the RAN claimed at the time that Communist influence was the cause, although Tom Frame and Kevin Baker ascribe it to Depression-era pay cuts and retrentions, which were more likely to be forced onto sailors than officers.

From December 1931, Albatross was refitted, recommissioning as a gunnery training ship early in 1932, and on 19 March 1932, took part in the ceremonial opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

On 26 April 1933, Albatross was decommissioned into reserve and anchored in Sydney Harbour, although seaplanes continued to operate from the ship. In 1938, with the Australian government experiencing difficulties in funding the purchase of the light cruiser , the Admiralty agreed to accept Albatross as part payment for Hobart (266,500 pounds was credited against the cruiser's purchase price). The seaplane carrier was recommissioned on 19 April for the voyage to England, and departed on 11 July, with the ship's company transferring to Hobart on arrival.

Royal Navy

There was originally little need for a seaplane carrier in the Royal Navy, as several aircraft carriers were operational, and most warships from cruiser size up carried their own seaplanes. However, the loss of the aircraft carriers and early in World War II created scope for the ship's use. Albatross was assigned to Freetown in western Africa, where she and her aircraft were used for convoy escort, anti-submarine warfare, and air-sea rescue in the Atlantic.

In May 1942, Albatross was transferred to the Indian Ocean to bolster trade protection there with the Eastern Fleet based at Kilindini, and in September provided air support for landings at Mayotte, during the Madagascan campaign. After this, trade protection duties were resumed and continued until July 1943 (apart from refits at Durban and Bombay). Albatross then returned to Britain, where, in September, she was paid off.

From October 1943 until early 1944, Albatross underwent major conversion, to a Landing Ship – Engineering (LSE), to support the Normandy landings. She was initially deployed in the Thames estuary as part of the deceptions to divert enemy attention away from Normandy, but on 8 June 1944, she was moved to Gooseberry 5, off Sword Beach at Ouistreham to provide repair facilities and supply anti-aircraft and bombardment support. Her allocation immediately followed the assault and coincided with the "great storm" that disrupted Allied plans. Her repair duties at Sword saved 79 craft from total loss and returned 132 more to service off the beachhead. In July, Albatross returned to Portsmouth for replenishment and to rest her crew and, on return to Normandy, she was reallocated to Juno Beach.

On 11 August, while off Courseulles-sur-Mer, Albatross was hit by a torpedo which inflicted major structural damage and killed 66 of the ship's company.

Post-war

Albatross was sold to a British company on 19 August 1946 for commercial use. Before this went through, the ship was purchased on 14 November 1948 by the British-Greek Yannoulatos Group, and was renamed Hellenic Prince to recognise the birth of Prince Charles on that day, and his Greek heritage. The vessel was converted into a passenger liner at Barry in Wales.

In 1949, she was chartered by the International Refugee Organization as a refugee transport to relocate displaced persons from Europe to Australia. On 5 December 1949, Hellenic Prince arrived in Sydney Harbour with 1,000 passengers.

In 1953, Hellenic Prince was used as a troopship during the Mau Mau uprising. The ship's career finally ended when she was scrapped at Hong Kong on 12 August 1954.

Citations

References

Books

Articles

Websites

References

1. ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', p. 16
2. Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 11
3. 12000. shp. 20. kn, full-power trials showed that the ship was capable of {{convert. 22. 4280. nmi. 7900. nmi at the more economical {{convert. 10. QF 2-pounder pom-pom guns]], four [[QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss]] [[saluting gun]]s, four [[.303 British. .303-inch]] [[Vickers machine gun]]s, and twenty .303-inch [[Lewis gun
4. ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', pp. 18–19
5. ANAM, ''Flying Stations'', p. 19
6. On 11 April 1929, the ship was sent from Sydney to off [[Wyndham, Western Australia]] to search for Sir [[Charles Kingsford Smith]] and the ''[[Southern Cross (aircraft)
7. Frame & Baker, ''Mutiny!'', p. 125
8. Royal Australian Navy, ''HMAS Albatross (I)''
9. Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 13