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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 2225.PDF
December 30th, 1948 FLIGHT 777 M.A.S. Sydney in Dtvonbort Dockyard Australia's First Carrier Consolidation of Sea Power in the Pacific OF factors to be considered in the estimation of anation's strength, few are more significant thanentries under the heading " Naval Aviation." It is therefore reassuring to observe that the Commonwealth of Australia's decision to establish an Air Arm for the Royal Australian Navy has now been partly fulfilled by the transfer to that service of a light fleet carrier of the Majestic class. The acquisition of a second carrier, H.M.A.S. Melbourne, is expected during next year. At Devonport, on December 16th, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Viscount Hall, performed 4$ie official cere- Captain Dowllng (right) and Commander Becher of the Sydney mony of handing over H.M.S. Terrible to Australia ; the ship was accepted on behalf of the Commonwealth by the Rt. Hon. Mr. J. B. Beasley, High Commissioner for Australia. Mrs. Beasley then renamed the vessel H.M.A.S. Sydney, making it the third ship of the Royal Australian Navy to have borne this name. The Sydney is one of six light fleet carriers of the Majestic class (standard displacement 14,000 tons) which have been launched; a sister-ship is the Magnificent, which is on loan to the Royal Canadian Navy. Viscoun- tess Astor laid the first keel plate in H.M. Dockyard at Devonport in 1943, and when launched on September 30th, 1944, the ship was named Terrible by Mrs. Duncan Sandys, daughter of Mr. Winston Churchill. H.M.A.S. Sydney was the first large ship to be completed specific- ally for the Royal Australian Navy, and the first carrier to be built at a Royal Dockyard. It is officially stated that experience gained with earlier carriers in the closing stages of the Pacific war has re- sulted in many improvements in the design of the ship. The peacetime complement of approximately I.IOO officers and men will benefit from excellent ventilation, air conditioning and laundry equipment. Galley services art- fully up to date, and for the ratings there is a cafeteria- type messing system. The only mention of armament refers to "30 small guns." The ship's turbines were manufactured bv Parsons, Ltd.
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