State Dockyard
 | |
| Industry | Ship building |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Government Dockyard |
| Founded | 1942 |
| Founder | Government of New South Wales |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Fate | Closed |
| Headquarters | , Australia |
| Owner | Government of New South Wales |
The State Dockyard was a ship building and maintenance facility operated by the Government of New South Wales in Carrington, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia between 1942 and 1987.
History
[edit]In 1942, the State Dockyard opened on the site of the Government Dockyard at Dyke Point in Newcastle that had closed in 1933. Officially the New South Wales Government Engineering & Shipbuilding Undertaking, it was universally referred to as the State Dockyard. The dockyard facility was located at Carrington on Newcastle Harbour, on 11 ha (27 acres) of land in addition to the ship repairs site on 3 ha (7 acres).[1][2]
The dockyard launched its first vessel in July 1943. By the end of World War II, it had launched two ships for the Royal Australian Navy and 22 vessels for the United States and had repaired six hundred ships.[1]
With the cessation of large scale shipbuilding, in the 1970s it diversified into other engineering disciplines. In November 1986 a team of apprentices from the Hunter Valley Training Company completed a three-year overhaul of steam locomotive 3801 at the dockyard.[3] The dockyard closed on 3 March 1987.[1]
A 15,000 ton floating dock was located at Carrington in 1943 to repair damaged ships during World War II. The floating dock was scrapped in 1977 and replaced with a new one built in Japan called Muloobinba, which was eventually sold overseas in 2012.
Ships built
[edit]
- HMAS Strahan (1943)[4]
- HMAS Condamine (1944)[5]
- Dorrigo (1946)
- Dubbo (1947)
- Delungra (1947)
- Denman (1949)
- Kabbarli (1951) for Stateships[6]
- Townsville (1952)
- Woomera (1952)
- Wangarra (1953)
- Warringa/Windarra (1953)
- Kooleen (1956)[7]
- Koojarra (1956) for Stateships[6]
- Iranda (1957)
- Princess of Tasmania (1959)[8]
- Bass Trader (1961, yard # 64)[9]
- Holyman (1961) for Holyman[10]
- Cape Don (1962) Lighthouse supply vessel
- Dredge John Main (1962) For NSW Public Works
- Cape Moreton (1963) Lighthouse supply vessel
- Moresby (1963) For Burns Philp to and from New Guinea
- HMAS Moresby (1963)[11]
- Cape Pillar (1964) Lighthouse supply vessel
- Kooringa (1964)
- BP Endeavour (1967) for BP[12]
- BP Enterprise (1968) for BP [13]
- Australian Trader (1969)[14]
- Lady Cutler (1968)[15]
- Lady Woodward (1970)[15]
- Lady McKell (1970)[15]
- Darwin Trader (1970)
- Dredge Geopodes (1971) For a Dutch dredging company
- Dredge WD Resolution (1971) For Westminster dredging company
- Lysaght Endeavour (1973) for Australian National Line[16]
- Lysaght Enterprise (1973) for Australian National Line[16]
- Express (1974) For Howard Smith
- John Hunter (1975) For Caltex[17]
- Bass Trader (1976, yard # 94)[18]
- Flinders Range (1976) for Australian National Line[19]
- Selwyn Range (1977, yard # 96)
- Lady Street (1979)[20]
- Lady Herron (1979)
- Freshwater (1982, yard # 105)[21]
- Queenscliff (1983, yard # 106, final vessel built)
Surviving ships
[edit]As of September 2025, the surviving State Dockyard built ships still in service are the Manly ferries Freshwater and Queenscliff, which are operated by Transdev Sydney Ferries. Former Sydney Harbour ferries Lady Cutler and Lady McKell operate as cruise boats on Port Phillip.[22][23]
Surviving non-operating or stored ships built by State Dockyard, are Cape Don, a lighthouse tender built in 1962 for the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service which is now a museum ship at Balls Head Bay, Waverton.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "State Dockyard Newcastle". State Records. Government of New South Wales. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014.
- ^ "Timeline". Newcastle Port Corporation. 2003. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008.
- ^ "Re-Commissioning 3801" Railway Digest January 1987 page 30
- ^ Gillett, Ross (1983). Australian & New Zealand Warships 1914-1945. Lane Cove: Doubleday. p. 168. ISBN 0 86824 095 8.
- ^ Gillett, Ross (1986). Australia's Navy Past, Present & Future. Brookvale: Child & Henry. p. 52. ISBN 0 86777 178 X.
- ^ a b Role of Ships on Australia's West Coast Australian Transport January 1966 pages 5-9
- ^ MV Kooleen Ferries of Sydney
- ^ Plowman, Peter (2004). Ferry to Tasmania: A Short History. Dural: Rosenberg Publishing. pp. 100–101. ISBN 1 877058 27 0.
- ^ Vehicle Ferry Almost Ready Canberra Times 1 April 1961 page 16
- ^ Holyman Container Ship for Bass Strait Run in Service by Mid-61 Truck & Bus Transportation February 1961 page 5
- ^ Gillett, Ross (1977). Warships of Australia. Sydney: Rigby. p. 268. ISBN 0 7270 0472 7.
- ^ Bulks Freight & Container Transportation May 1967 page 13
- ^ BP Enterprise Australian Transport January 1968 page 35
- ^ Sharpe, Richard (1991). Jane's Fighting Ships. Coulsdon: Janes Information Services. p. 31. ISBN 0 7106 0960 4.
- ^ a b c Andrews, Graeme (1975). The Ferries of Sydney. Terry Hills: AH & AW Reed. pp. 58–59. ISBN 0 589 07172 6.
- ^ a b ANL vehicle deck ships for steel traffic Freight & Container Transportation November 1972 page 12
- ^ $15m tanker launched Freight & Container Transportation November 1974 page 15
- ^ New Bass Trader Australian Transport February 1976 page 22
- ^ ANL bulk ship launched Freight & Container Transportation September 1976 page 38
- ^ Lady Street names her namesake Sydney Morning Herald 9 May 1979
- ^ Contract let for Manly Ferry Electric Traction November 1979 page 183
- ^ "Melbourne Showboat and Boat Cruise for Parties and Wedding". Lady Cutler. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ^ "History". victoriastar.com.au. Archived from the original on 29 February 2016. Retrieved 7 April 2015.