Cockatoo Island (New South Wales) - Cockatoo Island Dockyard

Cockatoo Island Dockyard

Shipbuilding began on Cockatoo Island in 1870. In 1913, Cockatoo Island was transferred to the Commonwealth Government to become the Naval Dockyard of the Royal Australian Navy. Over a period of several years prior to the First World War five slipways were either upgraded or constructed in the island, with Numbers 1 and 2 still retained by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. The torpedo boat destroyer HMAS Warrego was the first naval ship launched at Cockatoo Island, after being built in the United Kingdom, disassembled, then sent to the Australian shipyard for reassembly. During World War I, the dockyard built, repaired and refitted many ships. At its peak during the war, some 4,000 men were employed on the island.

In 1933, Cockatoo Island was leased to the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company Ltd for 21 years. The lease was renewed in 1954 for a further 20 years and again in 1972 for 21 years.

During World War II, Cockatoo Island was the main ship repair facility in the south-west Pacific. Some 250 ships were converted or repaired on the island. The Cunard liners RMS Queen Mary and RMS Queen Elizabeth were converted into troopships by Cockatoo Island staff. In the eight months between August 1942 and March 1943, Cockatoo repaired four cruisers of the United States Navy: USS Chicago, USS Chester, USS Portland, and USS New Orleans. Many ships of the Royal Australian Navy were repaired. The cruiser HMAS Hobart suffered torpedo damage in the New Hebrides and limped into Sydney in August 1943 for major repairs and modernisation.

After the war, shipbuilding continued on the island. Orders were placed for two Battle class and four Daring class destroyers, the building to be shared by Cockatoo Island and Williamstown dockyards. In the 1950s, the government approved the construction of six River class anti-submarine frigates, again shared between the two dockyards. Cockatoo Island also modernised and refitted many naval vessels. In 1962, Cockatoo Island won the tender to construct MS Empress of Australia, which on completion in 1965 was the largest roll-on roll-off cargo passenger ship in the world. In 1963, the island won the contract to build the escort maintenance ship HMAS Stalwart. In 1979, Cockatoo began construction of HMAS Success, the largest naval vessel built in Australia. From 1971 to 1991, Cockatoo completed 14 major refits of Australia's Oberon class submarines and many mid-cycle and intermediate dockings.

Significant vessels built or worked over the life of the dockyard include:

• HMAS Warrego, a River-class destroyer launched on 4 April 1911. It was the first naval vessel launched from Cockatoo Island.
• HMAS Huon, a destroyer launched in 1914
• HMAS Brisbane, a light cruiser launched in 1915
• HMAS Adelaide, a light cruiser launched in 1918
• HMAS Albatross, a seaplane tender launched in 1928
• Steam Tug Wattle launched in 1933
• Customs patrol vessel Vigilant, later HMAS Vigilant, launched in 1938. It was the first aluminium ship built in Australia.
• Three Tribal-class destroyers (HMAS Arunta, 1940; HMAS Warramunga, 1942; HMAS Bataan, 1944)
• Several Bathurst-class corvettes during World War II
• Battle-class destroyer HMAS Tobruk was constructed for the Royal Australian Navy at Cockatoo Island Dockyard as ship number 185 and launched on 20 December 1947
• HMAS Vampire, a destroyer launched in 1952 and now at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour
• Empress of Australia, launched in 1964
• HMAS Success, the last ship launched from the dockyard in 1984.