HMAS Parramatta (D55)
HMAS Parramatta in 1918
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| History | |
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 Australia
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| Namesake: | Parramatta River |
| Builder: | Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited |
| Laid down: | 17 March 1909 |
| Launched: | 9 February 1910 |
| Commissioned: | 10 September 1910 |
| Decommissioned: | 20 April 1928 |
| Honours and awards: |
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| Fate: | Sold for scrap, some components later converted into memorials |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | River-class torpedo-boat destroyer |
| Displacement: | 750 tons |
| Length: | 246 ft (75 m) overall |
| Beam: | 24 ft 3.75 in (7.4105 m) |
| Draught: | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) |
| Propulsion: | 3 × Yarrow boilers, Parsons turbines, 10,000 hp (7,500 kW), 3 shafts |
| Speed: | 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) |
| Range: | 2,690 nautical miles (4,980 km; 3,100 mi) at 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) |
| Complement: | 66–73 |
| Armament: |
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HMAS Parramatta, named after the Parramatta River, was a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). Ordered in 1909 for the Commonwealth Naval Forces (the predecessor of the RAN), Parramatta was the first ship launched for the Australian navy. Temporarily commissioned into the Royal Navy for the delivery voyage to Australia, the destroyer came under Australian naval control in 1910, and on 1 March 1911 was recommissioned into the RAN, shortly before the latter's creation.
From 1914 to 1917, Parramatta was involved in wartime patrols in the Pacific and South East Asian regions, before she and her sister ships were transferred to the Mediterranean for anti-submarine operations. She returned to Australia in 1919, and was placed in reserve. Apart from a brief period of full commission during the visit of the Prince of Wales, Parramatta remained in reserve commission until 1928. She was fully decommissioned in 1928, stripped of parts, and sold for use as prisoner accommodation on the Hawkesbury River. After changing hands several times, the hull ran aground during gale conditions in 1933, and was left to rust. In 1973, the bow and stern sections were salvaged, and converted into memorials.
Parramatta had a displacement of 750 tons, a length overall of 246 feet (75 m), and a beam of 24 feet 3.75 inches (7.4105 m). The destroyer was powered by three Yarrow oil-burning boilers connected to Parsons turbines, which delivered 10,000 shaft horsepower to three propeller shafts.Parramatta's cruising speed was 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph), giving the ship a range of 2,690 nautical miles (4,980 km; 3,100 mi). Her maximum speed as designed was 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph), but during sea trials, she was able to achieve 27.3 knots (50.6 km/h; 31.4 mph). The ship's company consisted of between 66 and 73 personnel, including five officers.
Parramatta, along with sister ships Yarra and Warrego, were ordered on 6 February 1909; the first ships to be ordered for the Commonwealth Naval Forces, the post-Federation amalgamation of the Australian colonial navies. The ship was laid down by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, at their shipyard in Govan, Scotland on 17 March 1909. She was launched on 9 February 1910 by Margot Asquith, wife of British Prime Minister H. H. Asquith; the first new ship launched for the Australian navy. Construction was completed in August 1910, and the ship was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Parramatta for the voyage out to Australia.Parramatta and sister ship Yarra sailed from Portsmouth on 19 September. Once the ships arrived in Broome, they were transferred to the control of the Commonwealth Naval Forces.
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