- Yes - In the Tech Tree.
- Yes - Event/BP.
- Yes - Premium.
- No - I would not like to see HMAS Paluma in game.
HMAS Paluma sitting at dock, showing off her modified armament of 2x 5-inch guns fore.
Description:
HMAS Paluma was part of a pair of ‘Flat Iron’ vessels ordered directly for the independent Australian State of Queensland. The pair of B1 type vessel ordered by Queensland, as well its the derivative, the larger F1 type ordered by the Victorian government, would be acquired as part of the defence boost sought out during the Second Russian Scare, in an attempt to protect local ports and facilities against a perceived threat of a Russian Invasion of both Australia and New Zealand.
These B1 type Flat Iron gunboats would be small yet heavily armed, however not as shallow draft as a monitor, as to allow effective travel between port cities within Queensland. As she was ordered by the independent Australian state of Queensland pre-federation, she would carry the prefix HMQS (His/Her Majesty’s Queensland ship), she was also referenced in reports with the HMCS (His/Her Majesty’s Colonial ship) prefix.
As is common with semi-independent British Colonial navies, the Queenslandic Navy would fall under British Admiralty command in times of War, however it was understood that these vessels would remain on station. In times of peace her operations were controlled by the South Australian Government.
This suggestion is for as she commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in 1911.
HMAS Paluma sitting at Williamstown, 1914.
History:
Royal Navy, Queensland Maritime Forces Service, and Commonwealth Naval Forces Service:
Laid down by W.G. Armstrong, Mitchell & Co at Newcastle, England, in June 1883, in the same yard as her sister, the Gayundah. She would launch and complete fitting out in time to commission in October 1884. Upon completion she would be lent to the Royal Navy, to act as a survey vessel on the Australia station, as they were the only force in the area that had permission to survey all the coastlines of the Australian states, as the individual states could only survey their own.
Just like her sister, she would sail to Australia in November 1884 via the Suez with a schooner-brig rig, (Square rig on the foremast, and fore and aft rigged on the mainmast.) as to save on coal for the voyage. Upon arrival she would go into refit to enable survey work. Her 8-inch gun which was fitted fore was removed, being replaced by a work room, and her 6-inch gun turret aft was removed and replaced by a deck house. Her secondary armament remained, allowing her Warship status, and thus no entry fees into ports. These works would complete on the 7th of May 1885 in Brisbane.
Her primary duties in her survey work were around northern Australia, primarily charting the Great Barrier Reef. This work would be uneventful, however she was washed ashore during the 1893 Brisbane floods while refitting, however due to a second flood the steamer Advance, managed to pull her off into the water without significant damage.
By March 1895 she had completed her term of survey duty with the Royal Navy was returned to the Queensland government, who only had control of the vessel for a few days before she was lent to the RN. She would pay off almost immediately to become a training vessel, however she would also be re-armed, she would have two BL 5-inch Mk.IV placed forward in fixed positions in 1899, one either side of the mounting for the 8-inch gun which was removed in 1884. Her aft BL 6-inch Mk.V turret was also remounted.
She would transfer into the Commonwealth Naval Forces Service (CNF) in 1901, with the Federation of the Australian states, however she would remain in the training role. During this time her aft 6-inch gun was replaced by a BL 4.7-inch Mk.III in the same turret, and in 1903 her sail rig was removed.
HMQS Paluma sitting washed ashore after the 1893 Brisbane floods.
Royal Australian Navy service.
With King George V allowing the CNF to use the royal title, in 1911, that force became the Royal Australian Navy. As such the HMCS Paluma would recommission as the HMAS Paluma, but again remained in training duty.
With the declaration of war in 1914, she would be reactivated as a warship, acting as guard ship to the port of Sydney, however by 1916 her hull and engines were severely worn out, and with newer vessels becoming available for patrol duty, she was listed for sale.
However she would not be purchased for scrap, instead being purchased by the Victorian Ports and Harbours Department and refitted as a tender. She would be renamed Rip, and serve in Port Phillip from 1917 to 1948, when she was laid up. In this role she would be replaced by the former Bathurst-class corvette Whyalla, who was also refitted into a tender and renamed to Rip (II).
Laid up from 1948 at Footscray for sale, she was sold for scrapping in 1950.
| General Characteristics: | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name: HMAS Paluma | |||||
| Country: Australia | |||||
| Type: Gunboat | |||||
| Class name: Armstrong type B1 | |||||
| Year of commission: 1892 | |||||
| Refit: 1911 | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Dimensions: | |||||
| Length: 120ft (37m) | |||||
| Beam: 26ft (7.9m) | |||||
| Draught: 9ft 6in (2.9m) | |||||
| Displacement: 360t | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Propulsion: | |||||
| Powerplant: 2x Compound steam engines, producing 400ihp overall (298kW) across two shafts | |||||
| Speed: 10.5kt | |||||
| Endurance: 608-695nmi, w/ 75t of coal | |||||
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |||||
| Armament & sensors: | |||||
| Compliment: 55 | |||||
| Primary armament: 2x1 BL 5-inch Mk.IV in fixed mounts forward | |||||
| Secondary armament: 1x1 QF 4.7-inch Mk.III | |||||
| Tertiary armament: 2x1 12pdr 12cwt, 2x .303 Maxims | |||||
| Radar: -nil | |||||
| Sonar: -nil |
HMAS Paluma and her sister HMAS Gayundah travelling together, ~1899
Sources:
Gillett, R. (1983). Australian and New Zealand Warships 1914-1945 (p.62)
Paluma – HMQS Gayundah
HMQS Paluma - Wikipedia
https://seapower.navy.gov.au/history/units/hmas-paluma-i
The great Queensland floods of 1893 and HMQ Ships Gayundah and Paluma - Naval Historical Society of Australia