POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Sectioned inverted vertical steam engine used on 1913 battle cruiser HMAS Australia

Sectioned inverted vertical steam engine used on 1913 battle cruiser HMAS Australia

Object No. B1869

This is an example of the final generation of small reciprocating marine steam engines. It was a robust workhorse, used on board the 1913 battle cruiser HMAS Australia, and needed little attention apart from oiling and cleaning. Using small auxiliary steam engines alongside the large turbines that drove the ship simplified engine-room layout and operation as the turbines and engines could all be served by a central boiler. These qualities also made it useful for education at Sydney Technical College after it was salvaged from HMAS Australia. The engine was made as part of a naval arms race between Britain and Germany that began in the 1890s. Britain had 'ruled the waves' for well over a century, allowing it to import food and raw materials and export manufactured goods almost unhindered, and it wanted to retain that lead despite Germany's rise as an industrial power. This arms race was one of the factors that led to the outbreak of war in 1914. As Australia had been dependent on the Royal Navy for more than a decade after Federation, taking control of its own naval fleet in October 1913 was a source of national pride. HMAS Australia, the fleet's largest ship, was the main focus of that pride. Some people saw it as a symbol of the nation's coming of age, although in 1915 the narrative changed focus to Gallipoli, to the stark reality of war rather than mere preparations for war. Many Australians were shocked when British officials determined that HMAS Australia would be scuttled under the terms of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, a disarmament agreement aimed at reducing the chances of another world war. Australia was not itself a signatory to the treaty alongside the UK, USA, Japan, France and Italy; despite the valour and sacrifice of its forces at Gallipoli and on the Western Front, it had not really come of age as a fully independent nation. Public interest in the fate of Australia's first battle cruiser led to the salvage of equipment and of brass and teak to be re-shaped as souvenirs (see the Australian War Memorial's object REL31272 and the Australian National Maritime Museum's photograph 00034328) for donation to municipalities and educational institutions or (in the case of brass ash trays) for sale. Without national pride in it as the flagship of the Royal Australian Navy, and concern at its scuttling, all materials and fittings would probably have been recycled as scrap, this engine included. Debbie Rudder 2019

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Summary

Object Statement

Steam engine, sectioned inverted vertical single cylinder, metal/paint, unknown maker, United Kingdom, 1910-1913, used on battle cruiser HMAS Australia, 1913-1924

Physical Description

Steam engine, sectioned inverted vertical single cylinder, metal/paint, unknown maker, UK, 1910-1913, used on battle cruiser HMAS Australia, 1913-1924 This is an inverted single-cylinder steam engine, sectioned to show its working parts. The valve is operated by an eccentric on the crankshaft. It is painted green, with some sectioned parts picked out in red or white. The non-original flywheel on one end of the crankshaft is unpainted.

PRODUCTION

Notes

The name of the maker is unknown. It would have been made in the UK between 1910 and 1913.

HISTORY

Notes

The engine was installed on HMAS Australia during construction at John Brown & Co. Ltd's Clydebank Works near Glasgow in Scotland. An Indefatigable class battle cruiser, Australia was the first flagship of the Royal Australian Navy. The ship was laid down in June 1910, launched in October 1911 and commissioned in June 1913. It served during the First World War, winning battle honours at Rabaul in 1914 and the North Sea from 1915 to 1918. After the war it served briefly as a gunnery training ship on Westernport Bay in Victoria. The engine's role is unknown. The ship's motive power was provided by large steam turbines, and small engines like this were used to power auxiliary equipment. British officials determined that the ship would be scuttled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty, a disarmament agreement aimed at reducing the chances of another world war. The treaty implicitly recognised that the rapid build-up of naval firepower had contributed to the pressure for war in 1914. The German fleet was interned at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys in 1918 and scuttled there by its own sailors in 1919 to prevent the ships becoming spoils of war. The Treaty of Versailles, signed a week later, severely restricted the ability of Germany to rebuild its navy. The Washington Treaty was signed in 1922 by the Allies who had fought Germany: the UK (representing the British Empire), USA, Japan, France and Italy. All agreed to destroy some of their own ships and restrict future naval expansion. Russia was not included in the treaty as war, revolution and post-war British action had left it with very few ships. Navy personnel removed some equipment from the mothballed HMAS Australia before a Melbourne-based group of businessmen won the tender to remove further equipment and material. Led by salvage operator George Wright and supervised by naval officers, a team of men carried out this work at Sydney's Garden Island naval base. Some of the brass was fashioned into souvenirs to help the salvage syndicate recoup their investment. The ship was scuttled off the coast near Sydney in April 1924. In August 1924 the Defence Department's Navy Office donated several items from the ship to this museum. Other salvaged equipment was donated to universities, technical colleges and municipalities. This engine was sectioned for use at Sydney Technical College's School of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, and the non-original flywheel was probably added at the same time. In 1970, when it was no longer useful for teaching purposes, it was donated to the museum.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Gift of Sydney Technical College, 1970

Acquisition Date

8 July 1970

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