HMAS Melbourne (1912)
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HMAS Melbourne
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia
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| Namesake: | City of Melbourne |
| Builder: | Cammell Laird & Co Ltd |
| Laid down: | 4 April 1911 |
| Launched: | 30 May 1912 |
| Commissioned: | 18 January 1913 |
| Decommissioned: | 23 April 1928 |
| Motto: | "Viries Acquiret Eundo" |
| Honours and awards: |
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| Fate: | Sold for scrap in 1929 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Town class cruiser |
| Displacement: | 5,400 tons |
| Length: |
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| Beam: | 49 ft 10 in (15.19 m) |
| Draught: |
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| Propulsion: | Parsons turbines, Yarrow boilers, 25,000 shp, 4 screws |
| Speed: | 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph) |
| Complement: | 13 officers, 454 sailors |
| Armament: |
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HMAS Melbourne was a Town class light cruiser operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The ship was laid down by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead in England in 1911, launched in 1912 and commissioned in 1913. At the start of World War I, Melbourne was involved in attempts to locate the German East Asia Squadron, and participated in the capture of German colonies in the Pacific, before being assigned to the North America and West Indies Stations. In 1916, the cruiser joined the Grand Fleet in the North Sea, where she remained for the remainder of the war. Melbourne spent late 1919 and early 1920 in reserve, then was flagship of the Royal Australian Navy from 1920 until 1928, except for a second period in reserve during 1924 and 1925. HMAS Melbourne paid off in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1928, and was scrapped in 1929.
Melbourne was a Town class light cruiser. The ship had a standard displacement of 5,400 tons, was 456 feet 10 3⁄8 inches (139.252 m) long overall and 430 feet (130 m) long between perpendiculars, had a beam of 49 feet 10 inches (15.19 m), a maximum draught of 19 feet 7 inches (5.97 m), and a mean draught of 15.75 feet (4.80 m). The propulsion machinery consisted of Yarrow boilers feeding Parsons steam turbines, which supplied 25,000 shaft horsepower to the ship's four propellers. Although only designed to reach 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), Melbourne was capable of sailing at 25.7 knots (47.6 km/h; 29.6 mph). The ship's company consisted of 485: 31 officers, and 484 sailors.
The cruiser's main armament consisted of eight BL 6-inch (152.4 mm) Mk XI* 50 calibre guns. This was supplemented by a single QF 3-inch anti-aircraft gun, two .303-inch Maxim guns, and two 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (with seven torpedoes carried). A single Ordnance QF 12-pounder 8 cwt field gun, four QF 3-pounder Hotchkiss saluting guns were also carried. Armour plating consisted of side belts 3-inch (76 mm) thick amidships, tapering to 1.5-inch (38 mm) thick at the bow and stern, along with protective decking over the engineering and magazine spaces, and an armoured conning tower.
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