HMAS

Tasmania

Tasmania was one of 55 S Class destroyers built for the British Admiralty under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program of World War I. She commissioned into the Royal Navy (RN) as HMS Tasmania in January 1919. She was not long in commission, however, when she and her sister ships Stalwart, Success, Swordsman, and Tattoo, along with the flotilla leader Anzac, were gifted to the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) as replacements for the RAN’s obsolete River Class destroyers.

Tasmania following her transfer to the Royal Australian Navy.

Loading HMAS Tasmania's 21-inch torpedoes.

She recommissioned into the RAN as HMAS Tasmania at Devonport, England on 27 January 1920 under the command of Lieutenant Commander HO Joyce, RN. She sailed for Australia on 20 February in company with Success, Swordsman and Tattoo, and arrived in Sydney on 29 April via Gibraltar, Malta, Port Said, Suez, Aden, Bombay, Colombo, Singapore, Surabaya and Thursday Island.

HMAS Tasmania in dry dock at Cockatoo Island 1924.

Post-war cuts to defence spending saw a number of RAN vessels decommissioned and Tasmania was one of those affected. She decommissioned at Sydney on 6 October 1921 and was placed in reserve. She recommissioned in September 1922 and, except for a visit to New Guinea in June-July 1924, served the remainder of her seagoing career in eastern and southern Australian waters. She decommissioned again on 9 January 1928 and was placed in reserve. Tasmania was eventually sold for breaking up on 4 June 1937.

HMAS Tasmania's whaler boat crew in Port Arthur, 1924.