HMAS Melbourne (R21) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) from 1955 until 1982, and was the third and final conventional aircraft carrier to serve in the RAN. Melbourne was the only Commonwealth naval vessel to sink two friendly warships in peacetime collisions (Melbourne–Voyager collision).
Melbourne was laid down for the Royal Navy as the lead ship of the Majestic class in April 1943, and was launched as HMS Majestic (R77) in February 1945. At the end of the Second World War, work on the ship was suspended until she was purchased by the RAN in 1947. At the time of purchase, it was decided to incorporate new aircraft carrier technologies into the design, making Melbourne the third ship to be constructed with an angled flight deck. Delays in construction and integrating the enhancements meant that the carrier was not commissioned until 1955.
Melbourne never fired a shot in anger during her service career, having only peripheral, non-combat roles in relation to the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation and the Vietnam War. She was, however, involved in two major collisions with allied vessels; though Melbourne was not found to be the primary cause of either incident. The first collision occurred on the evening of 10 February 1964, in which Melbourne rammed and sank the RAN destroyer , when the latter altered course across her bow. 82 of Voyagers personnel were killed, and two Royal Commissions were held to investigate the incident. The second collision occurred in the early morning of 3 June 1969, when Melbourne also rammed the United States Navy (USN) destroyer in similar circumstances. 74 American personnel died, and a joint USN–RAN Board of Inquiry was held. These incidents, along with several minor collisions, shipboard accidents and aircraft losses, led to the belief that Melbourne was jinxed.
Melbourne was paid off from RAN service in 1982. A proposal to convert her for use as a floating casino failed, and a 1984 sale was cancelled, before she was sold for scrap in 1985 and towed to China for breaking. The scrapping was delayed so Melbourne could be studied by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as part of a secret project to develop a Chinese aircraft carrier and used to train PLAN aviators in carrier flight operations.
Construction and acquisition Melbourne was constructed by Vickers-Armstrongs at their Naval Construction Yard in Barrow-in-Furness, North West England.Hobbs, HMAS Melbourne (II) – 25 Years On, p. 5 The ship was laid down as HMS Majestic on 15 April 1943, and was launched on 28 February 1945 by Lady Anderson, the wife of Sir John Anderson, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer. Following the end of World War II, the Admiralty ordered the suspension of many British shipbuilding projects, including the fitting out of Majestic and her five sister ships. Construction resumed in 1946, and major modifications to the design were incorporated.
A review by the Australian Government's Defence Committee held after recommended that the post-war forces of the RAN be structured around a Task Force incorporating multiple aircraft carriers.Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, p. 33 Initial plans were for three carriers, with two active and a third in reserve, although funding cuts led to the purchase of only two carriers in June 1947: Majestic and sister ship HMS Terrible, for the combined cost of AU£2.75 million, plus stores, fuel, and ammunition.Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, pp. 38, 45–7 As Terrible was the closer of the two ships to completion, she was finished without modification, and was commissioned into the RAN on 16 December 1948 as . Work progressed on Majestic at a slower rate, as she was upgraded with the latest technology and equipment. The Colossus-class carrier was loaned to the RAN from 13 November 1952 until 12 August 1955 to cover Majestics absence.Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, p. 94
The Majestic experienced delays in its construction due to labour difficulties, late delivery of equipment, additional requirements for Australian operations and the prioritisation of the construction of merchant ships.Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, p. 149Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 165 Incorporation of new systems and enhancements caused the cost of the RAN carrier acquisition program to increase to AU£8.3 million. Construction and fitting out did not finish until October 1955. As the carrier neared completion, a commissioning crew was formed in Australia and first used to return Vengeance to the United Kingdom.HMAS (ex-HMS) Vengeance, Sea Power Centre
The completed carrier was commissioned into the RAN as HMAS Majestic on 26 October 1955.Cassells, The Capital Ships, p. 84 Two days later, the ship was renamed Melbourne by Lady White, the wife of Sir Thomas White, the Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, and recommissioned.Hall, HMAS Melbourne, pp. 72–3
Design
As the lead ship of the Majestic-class of light aircraft carriers, Melbourne was conceived as a modified version of the Colossus-class carrier, incorporating improvements in flight deck design and habitability. Majestic- and Colossus-class carriers were almost identical in hull design and both were considered subclasses of the "1942 design" light aircraft carrier program.Hobbs, in Stevens and Reeve, The Navy and the Nation, p. 211 These carriers were intended as "disposable warships": to be disposed of at the end of World War II or within three years of entering service.Hobbs, in Stevens and Reeve,The Navy and the Nation, p. 217
Melbourne had a standard displacement of , which increased to at full load.Bastock, Australia's Ships of War, pp. 308–9 At launch, the carrier was long overall, but this was increased by during a refit in 1969. She had a beam of , and a draught of . Melbournes two propellers were driven by two Parsons single-reduction geared turbine sets providing 40,000 shp, which were powered by four Admiralty 3-drum boilers. The carrier could achieve a top speed of , and a range of at or at . The size of the ship's company averaged 1,350 officers and sailors, including 350 personnel from the embarked Fleet Air Arm squadrons.
Modifications during construction
Following the recommencement of construction, modifications were made to the ship, based on wartime experience and Britain's post-war carrier warfare technology and innovations.Hobbs, HMAS Melbourne (II) – 25 Years On, pp. 5–6 These included an angled flight deck, steam catapult and a mirror landing aid, making Melbourne the third aircraft carrier (following and ) to be constructed with these features, instead of having them added later.Hobbs, HMAS Melbourne (II) – 25 Years On, p. 6
The main modifications centred around the need to operate jet aircraft, which were larger and heavier than those propeller-driven aircraft that the carrier was originally designed for.Gillett, HMAS Melbourne – 25 Years, pp. 13–5 The flight deck was angled 5.5 degrees left of the carrier's centreline, to allow for the simultaneous launch and recovery of aircraft.Hall, HMAS Melbourne, p. 72 Despite an increase to approximately one acre (4,000 square metres, 4,800 square yards) in area, the deck was still significantly smaller than other Cold War era carriers; S-2 Trackers, with their wingspan, had less than a metre's clearance for their starboard wingtip when landing, and pilots from other navies often refused to attempt landing.Hall, HMAS Melbourne, pp. 16, 72, 83 Water rationing was required in the early years of the carrier's operation, as the ship's fresh water supply was insufficient to freely provide for the steam catapult, propulsion turbines and crew. The flight deck, hangar deck and aircraft lifts were strengthened, and reinforced arrestor cables were installed. Flight direction radar was included, making Melbourne the only military airfield in the Australasian region at the time capable of operating aircraft at night and in poor weather.
Refits
Early in her career, Melbourne underwent a series of short annual refits, commencing in September and ending in January or February of the next year.Gillett, HMAS Melbourne – 25 Years, pp. 26, 28, 30, 33, 37, 39, 44, 48, 53, 84 As time passed, the refits increased in duration or were replaced by major upgrades or overhauls.
Melbournes first major refit started in December 1967 and continued until February 1969, during which she was upgraded to operate S-2 Tracker and A-4 Skyhawk aircraft. The modifications cost A$8.5 million, and included an overhaul of the hull and machinery, strengthening of the flight deck, improvements to the catapult and arrestor cables, modification of the aviation fuel systems and flight control arrangements, and upgrades of the navigational aids and radar.Hall, HMAS Melbourne, p. 174Coulthard-Clark, Breaking free, p. 61 Air conditioning systems and a liquid oxygen generation plant were also installed. Melbourne re-entered service at the conclusion of the refits on 14 February, and performed sea trials in Jervis Bay from 17 February until 5 May. This was the largest project undertaken by Garden Island Dockyard to that date.
The next major refit was required in 1971 for the scheduled rebuilding of the catapult, which was only possible after components were sourced from and .Hall, HMAS Melbourne, p. 213 The flight deck was again reinforced and strengthened, and attempts were made to increase the effectiveness of the air conditioning system installed in 1969. Melbourne had been designed to operate in North Atlantic and Arctic climates, and the original ventilation systems were inappropriate for her primary operating climate, the tropics.Hall, HMAS Melbourne, p. 16 The 1969 and 1971 refits did improve conditions, although there was little scope for upgrade, and the system was still inadequate: temperatures inside the ship continued to reach over , and on one occasion a hold reached . The refit took seven months to complete, and cost A$2 million.
More large-scale refits occurred throughout the rest of the 1970s. Melbourne was back in dock from November 1972 until August 1973, with further work done to her catapult.Gillett, HMAS Melbourne – 25 Years, p. 77 The next major refit ran from April 1975 to June 1976, and was intended to increase the operational lifespan of the carrier to at least 1985.Cassells, The Capital Ships, p. 86ANAM, Flying Stations, p. 235 The refit was lengthened by industrial action at the dockyard. Melbourne underwent another refit from late 1978 until August 1979.Gillett, HMAS Melbourne – 25 Years, pp. 89, 91 A refit scheduled to begin in late 1981 was postponed in September until a decision regarding the new carrier was made, then cancelled in January 1982, after the announcement that the RAN would be acquiring HMS Invincible.ANAM, Flying Stations, p. 251Wright, Australian Carrier Decisions, p. 168
Armament Melbourne carried a defensive armament of anti-aircraft guns and an air group comprising both attack and anti-submarine aircraft. As the ship was never directly involved in a conflict, her weapons and embarked aircraft did not fire a shot in anger.Hall, HMAS Melbourne, p. 9
Weapons and systems Melbournes initial armament included 25 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns: six twin and thirteen single mountings.Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships since 1946, p. 22 The radar suite consisted of three Type 277Q height-finding sets, a Type 293Q surface search set, and a Type 978 navigational set.Bishop and Chant, Aircraft Carriers, p. 62 Between entering service and 1959, four of the single Bofors were removed.