Post by Sediba on May 22, 2016 23:22:27 GMT 10
Gunboat HMQS Gayundah
Launched 1884 Newcastle-on-Tyne.
In the 1870s the British military presence in Australia had declined and the individual colonies had begun planning for their own defence. Amidst concerns about Russian influence in the Pacific, in 1884 the Queensland Maritime Defence Force was established. The same year, the colony placed an order for its first vessels: a torpedo boat, HMQS Mosquito, and two gunboats, Gayundah and HMQS Paluma.
Both Gayundah and Paluma belonged to a class of vessels that were built to a type B1 flat-iron gunboat design.
The ship displaced 360 tons, and she was 120 feet (37 m) long, had a 26-foot (7.9 m) beam and a draught of 9.5 feet (2.9 m). Gayundah was propelled by horizontal direct action compound steam engines, which drove two screws that were capable of producing 400 ihp (298 kW), giving her a range of 700 to 800 mi (1,100 to 1,300 km) at a cruising speed of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph).
She also had sails to back up her engines. As built, her armament consisted of one BL 8-inch (203.2 mm) gun, one BL 6-inch (152.4 mm) gun, two 1.5-inch Nordenfelt guns and two machine guns. She had a complement of 55 men all ranks; her name was the Aboriginal word for "lightning".
HMQS Gayundah was launched at Newcastle upon Tyne on 13 May 1884 and commissioned in the United Kingdom during October after completing trials. Construction cost 35,000 pounds sterling. She sailed for Australia in November 1884, travelling via the Suez Canal, under the command of Captain Henry Townley Wright. The ships arrived in Brisbane on 28 March 1885.
Was the scene of Australia's only naval mutiny.
During the first years of the gunboat's operation, Wright, who was also the head of the Queensland Maritime Defence Force, found that his expenses exceeded his salary, and turned to appropriating government stores and alcohol for his own use.
This, along with his conduct and attitude towards running the colony's navy prompted the Queensland government to seek his removal in late 1887, although plans to immediately dismiss him were cancelled and it was determined that Wright was kept on until his appointment concluded at the end of 1888, with the proviso that he had not authority to acquire stores for Gayundah. In September 1888, Wright sought a leave of absence until the end of the year and the payment of his remaining salary as a lump sum: the former was agreed to, but Wright's pay would continue to occur monthly, and he was ordered to turn Gayundah over to his second in command, Lieutenant Francis Pringle Taylor.
In response, Wright threatened to report what he saw as an insult to his position to the Admiralty, and had the gunboat loaded with coal and stores, ready to depart for Sydney. On 24 October, the Under Colonial Secretary instructed Taylor to take command of the ship. Wright interpreted Taylor's actions as a mutiny, had him arrested, wrote several letters of protest to his superiors and others, ordered Gayundah's aft 6-inch gun to be aimed at the Queensland Parliament, and threatened to take the gunboat to sea if further challenges to his authority were made.
The colonial government dismissed him from his roles within the Maritime Defence Force, and a party of Queensland police boarded the ship with the intention of removing Wright by force if necessary. After failing to order them off his ship, Wright composed another letter of protest, released Taylor, and allowed himself to be escorted ashore by the police.
Hosted the first meeting of the fathers that founded the Federation of Australia.
Sir Henry Parkes met with all the state Premiers on board the Gayundah. A draft constitution was drawn up on a wooden table on board. That table is now in the Redcliffe Museum.
Hosted the first ever ship-to-shore radio communication with the Australian Continent.
.
Served in the first World War.
.
Patrolled Australian waters for 76 years.
.
Was present at the Bee-Gees first ever performance. (Filmer's Palace Hotel on Woody Point. QLD. Aust.
.
Now rests at Woody Point, Qld, Australia.
Launched 1884 Newcastle-on-Tyne.
In the 1870s the British military presence in Australia had declined and the individual colonies had begun planning for their own defence. Amidst concerns about Russian influence in the Pacific, in 1884 the Queensland Maritime Defence Force was established. The same year, the colony placed an order for its first vessels: a torpedo boat, HMQS Mosquito, and two gunboats, Gayundah and HMQS Paluma.
Both Gayundah and Paluma belonged to a class of vessels that were built to a type B1 flat-iron gunboat design.
The ship displaced 360 tons, and she was 120 feet (37 m) long, had a 26-foot (7.9 m) beam and a draught of 9.5 feet (2.9 m). Gayundah was propelled by horizontal direct action compound steam engines, which drove two screws that were capable of producing 400 ihp (298 kW), giving her a range of 700 to 800 mi (1,100 to 1,300 km) at a cruising speed of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph).
She also had sails to back up her engines. As built, her armament consisted of one BL 8-inch (203.2 mm) gun, one BL 6-inch (152.4 mm) gun, two 1.5-inch Nordenfelt guns and two machine guns. She had a complement of 55 men all ranks; her name was the Aboriginal word for "lightning".
HMQS Gayundah was launched at Newcastle upon Tyne on 13 May 1884 and commissioned in the United Kingdom during October after completing trials. Construction cost 35,000 pounds sterling. She sailed for Australia in November 1884, travelling via the Suez Canal, under the command of Captain Henry Townley Wright. The ships arrived in Brisbane on 28 March 1885.
Was the scene of Australia's only naval mutiny.
During the first years of the gunboat's operation, Wright, who was also the head of the Queensland Maritime Defence Force, found that his expenses exceeded his salary, and turned to appropriating government stores and alcohol for his own use.
This, along with his conduct and attitude towards running the colony's navy prompted the Queensland government to seek his removal in late 1887, although plans to immediately dismiss him were cancelled and it was determined that Wright was kept on until his appointment concluded at the end of 1888, with the proviso that he had not authority to acquire stores for Gayundah. In September 1888, Wright sought a leave of absence until the end of the year and the payment of his remaining salary as a lump sum: the former was agreed to, but Wright's pay would continue to occur monthly, and he was ordered to turn Gayundah over to his second in command, Lieutenant Francis Pringle Taylor.
In response, Wright threatened to report what he saw as an insult to his position to the Admiralty, and had the gunboat loaded with coal and stores, ready to depart for Sydney. On 24 October, the Under Colonial Secretary instructed Taylor to take command of the ship. Wright interpreted Taylor's actions as a mutiny, had him arrested, wrote several letters of protest to his superiors and others, ordered Gayundah's aft 6-inch gun to be aimed at the Queensland Parliament, and threatened to take the gunboat to sea if further challenges to his authority were made.
The colonial government dismissed him from his roles within the Maritime Defence Force, and a party of Queensland police boarded the ship with the intention of removing Wright by force if necessary. After failing to order them off his ship, Wright composed another letter of protest, released Taylor, and allowed himself to be escorted ashore by the police.
Hosted the first meeting of the fathers that founded the Federation of Australia.
Sir Henry Parkes met with all the state Premiers on board the Gayundah. A draft constitution was drawn up on a wooden table on board. That table is now in the Redcliffe Museum.
Hosted the first ever ship-to-shore radio communication with the Australian Continent.
.
Served in the first World War.
.
Patrolled Australian waters for 76 years.
.
Was present at the Bee-Gees first ever performance. (Filmer's Palace Hotel on Woody Point. QLD. Aust.
.
Now rests at Woody Point, Qld, Australia.