ON THE SCRAP HEAP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20385, 14 October 1929, Page 8

ON THE SCRAP HEAP.

AUSTRALIAN WAKSHIPS.

FIVE OBSOLETE VESSELS*

SPLENDID WAR RECORDS.

Five ships of the 'Australian Navy, how in reserve, are (o follow tho Sydney, and bo broken up at Cockatoo Island. fThey are tho destroyers Parramatta, iYarra, Warrego and Swan, and the former depot ship Penguin (previously the cruiser Encounter). Liko tho Sydney, each vessel has a fino record of Eervico during tho war, in half a dozon oceans. Every ship is now classed as obsolete, and it is understood that the decision to break them up was hastened by tho needs of departmental economy. As soon as war was declared, tho Warrego, Parramatta and Yarra were pent to Gorman New Guinea waters, and served there for several months. The Parramatta landed the first armed party at Herbert shohe and helped to cover the landing of tho Australian Military Expedition at Rabaul. All through 1915 tho three ships served In tho East Indies, ;where their work in dealing with German merchantmen was both useful and exciting. Early in 1916 they were relieved by ft Japanese flotilla, and after doing patrol service on the Australian coast they were ordered, together with the newly-commissioned ships, the Swan, Torrens and tho Huon, to the Mediterranean. " In the middle of 1917 the ships were convoying merchantmen in tho Mediterranean. On one cruise tho Parramatta was officially declared to have sunk a German submarino. Later they were enguged in anti submarine activities in the After hostilities closed, they served in tho Black Sea, and the crows wero given leavo in England beforo the ships returned to Australia in 1919. Tho Parramatta and Warrego wero placed out of commission in 1921. The Yarra and Swan did useful service for several years as training ships for naval reserves in other States. For tho present tho Huon and Torrens, tho remaining destroyers ot tho river class, will be retained, but will bo out of commission. Tho Encounter captured tho first prize —the Zambesi—for tho Australian Navy. Sho served on tho Singaporo and China j Stations, and did extensive patrolling, particularly off tho coast of Western Australia. For several years she was depot ship at Garden Island. The Parramatta and Yarra wero among the 'first ships built for tho Australian ; Navy. They wero launched in 1910 in j England. The Warrego, launched in tho : next year, was also British built, but was re-erected at Cockatoo, where the Swan was launched in December, 1915.