HMAS Albatross (1928) - Design and Construction

Design and Construction

In 1925, Governor-General Lord Stonehaven announced the construction of a seaplane carrier, to the surprise of both the RAN and RAAF. The decision to acquire a seaplane carrier was prompted by both the need to provide work during the high unemployment of the 1920s and the realisation that a conventional aircraft carrier was outside the ability of the RAN to finance or man. The Australian Commonwealth Naval Board requested that the British Admiralty supply a basic design for a seaplane carrier, with the conditions that the ship have a top speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), and cost under 400,000 pounds if built in a British shipyard.

The ship displaced 4,800 tons at standard load. She was 443 feet 7 inches (135.20 m) long overall, with a beam of 58 feet (18 m) at her moulded depth and 77.75 feet (23.70 m) over the gun sponsons, and an initial maximum draught of 16 feet 11.5 inches (5.169 m), although this had increased to 17.25 feet (5.26 m) by 1936. The propulsion machinery consisted of four Yarrow boilers supplying Parsons geared turbines. These generated 12,000 shaft horsepower, which was fed to two propeller shafts. Although Albatross was designed with a maximum speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), full power trials showed that the ship was capable of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph). At that speed, she had a range of 4,280 nautical miles (7,930 km; 4,930 mi), although she could cover 7,900 nautical miles (14,600 km; 9,100 mi) at the more economical 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). Albatross' armament consisted of four QF 4.7 inch Mk VIII naval guns, four QF 2 pounder pom-pom guns, four QF 3 pounder Hotchkiss saluting guns, four .303-inch Vickers machine guns, and twenty .303-inch Lewis machine guns (ten singles and five twin mounts). The ship's company consisted of 29 RAN officers, 375 RAN sailors, 8 RAAF officers, and 38 RAAF enlisted.

Development of the ship from the Admiralty sketch design was based around the Fairey IIID seaplane being operated for the RAN by the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 101 Flight. Albatross could carry up to nine aircraft—six active and three in reserve—in three internal hangars; their incorporation inside the ship's hull resulted in an unusually high freeboard in the forward half of the vessel, and forced the propulsion machinery, accommodation, and bridge to all be located in the aft half. Three recovery cranes were used to manipulate the aircraft. The Faireys were removed from service shortly before Albatross entered service, and were replaced by the Supermarine Seagull Mark III. The Mark IIIs were unsuited for operations aboard Albatross, particularly as the aircraft were not durable enough to withstand catapult launches. Specifications for a new aircraft design were drawn up to the RAN and RAAF, and Supermarine designed the Seagull Mark V (later to be called the Walrus) specifically for Albatross, although the design was later adopted by the Royal Navy. Albatross was removed from seagoing service in 1933, two months before the Mark Vs entered service, although the aircraft were operated from the vessel while she was at anchor. In addition, the new Seagulls were too tall to manoeuvre around inside the hangars, although this problem was worked around by placing the aircraft, with undercarriage retracted, on specially designed trolleys.

Albatross was laid down by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at Cockatoo Island, Sydney on 16 April 1926. She was launched by the wife of the Governor-General of Australia, Baron Stonehaven of Ury on 23 February 1928. Albatross was completed on 21 December 1928, and commissioned into the RAN on 23 January 1929. She cost 1,200,000 pounds to construct.