HMAS Stuart (D00)

HMAS ''Stuart'' (formerly HMS ''Stuart'') was a British ''Scott''-class flotilla leader. The ship was built by Hawthorn Leslie and Company for the Royal Navy during World War I, and entered service at the end of 1918. The majority of the destroyer's British service was performed in the Mediterranean, and in 1933 she was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy. Although placed in reserve in 1938, ''Stuart'' was reactivated at the start of World War II to lead the Australian destroyer force, nicknamed the "Scrap Iron Flotilla" by German propagandists.

The flotilla operated in the Mediterranean, with ''Stuart'' participating in the Western Desert Campaign and the battles of Calabria and Cape Matapan, defeating the Italian submarine ''Gondar'', evacuating Allied troops from Greece and Crete, and serving with the Tobruk Ferry Service. The destroyer returned to Australia for repairs and refit in late 1941, and spent most of 1942 and 1943 in Australian waters. ''Stuart'' was modified into a stores and troop transport in early 1944, and operated in this role around Australia and New Guinea until early 1946. ''Stuart'' was placed in reserve in 1946, and was sold for ship breaking in early 1947.

Design and construction

''Stuart'' was one of nine Admiralty-type (or ''Scott''-class) flotilla leaders constructed during World War I for the Royal Navy.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 107 The ship had a displacement of 1,530 tons standard and 2,053 tons at full load. She was long overall and long between perpendiculars, with a beam of , and a draught of at full load.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 106 The propulsion machinery consisted of four Yarrow boilers feeding two Brown-Curtis turbines, which delivered to the two propeller shafts. Although designed with a maximum speed of , ''Stuart'' could reach on the measured mile during trials. Maximum range was at . The ship's company initially consisted of 183 personnel, but by 1936 had decreased to 167: 11 officers and 156 sailors.

As originally designed, the ship's main armament consisted of five BL 4.7 inch /45 naval guns, which were augmented by a 3-inch gun for anti-aircraft defence. When ''Stuart'' entered RAN service in 1933, the ship's armament consisted of five BL 4.7 inch /45 naval guns, a QF 3-inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun, two QF 2-pounder naval guns (known as pom-poms), five .303 inch machine guns (a mix of Lewis and Maxim guns), six 21-inch torpedo tubes (in two triple mountings), two depth charge chutes, and four depth charge throwers. By 1941, two of the 4.7-inch guns had been removed, five 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns and a Breda gun had been fitted, and the depth charge chutes were replaced with depth charge rails. A year later, a third 4.7-inch gun was removed, along with two of the Oerlikons, the .303-inch guns, the Breda gun, and the torpedo tube sets. During 1942, a Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar was installed. When ''Stuart'' was converted into a storesship and troop transport in 1944, her armament was changed to a single 4-inch gun, seven Oerlikons, three quad-barelled pom-poms, a Hedgehog, and a payload of depth charges.

''Stuart'' was laid down by Hawthorn Leslie and Company at their shipyard in Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 18 October 1917, and was launched on 22 August 1918. ''Stuart'' was one of only four ships in her class to launch before the end of World War I. The destroyer was completed on 21 December 1918 and commissioned into the Royal Navy on the same day. The ship's name comes from the royal House of Stuart, and the badge design depicts a Stuart royal crown and a Yorkshire rose: the Scottish Stuarts' claim to the English throne came from their descent from Edward IV of the House of York.

Operational history

Royal Navy

After being commissioned in December 1918, ''Stuart'' spent most of her Royal Navy career operating with British forces in the Mediterranean, during which time she was mainly assigned to the 2nd Destroyer Flotilla, operating out of various locations including Malta. In the immediate post war period, amidst the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and civil war in Russia, ''Stuart'' was heavily involved in various operations. In 1919–20, ''Stuart'' saw service in the Black Sea as part of Royal Navy operations during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War, being dispatched to Yalta in April 1919 as fighting broke out in the Crimea, and later evacuating troops from the British military mission in March 1920 as Bolshevik forces advanced on Novorossiysk. She also provided assistance to the Greeks during operations against the Turks, reinforcing the Aegean Squadron and escorting troopships during the occupation of Smyrna in May 1919, and the during the landing at Panderma in July 1920. In early 1921, ''Stuart'' was operating out of Constantinople, where the Allied forces had established an occupation force at the end of the war.

Royal Navy operations in the Mediterranean normalised after 1923, and in the latter part of the decade ''Stuart'' undertook various exercises and other routine duties as part of the Mediterranean Fleet. Between 1928 and 1931, the ship was commanded by William Whitworth. In May 1933, the ship was decommissioned. ''Stuart'', along with four V and W-class destroyers, were transferred to the RAN as a replacement for the Australians' previous complement of destroyers: ''Stuart'' was to replace the destroyer leader . ''Stuart'' commissioned into the RAN on 11 October 1933. The five ships sailed from Chatham on 17 October, and arrived in Sydney on 21 December.

Royal Australian Navy

''Stuart'' spent the early part of her RAN career operating in Australian waters, and she was decommissioned into reserve on 1 June 1938. The destroyer was briefly reactivated from 29 September to 30 November 1938. She recommissioned again on 1 September 1939 under Commander Hector Waller, RAN. On 14 October, ''Stuart'' led the RAN destroyer flotilla from Sydney; the ships reached Malta on 2 January, and were redesignated the 19th Destroyer Division, nicknamed the "Scrap Iron Flotilla" by German propagandists. On 27 May, they were merged with the 20th Division to form the 10th Destroyer Flotilla.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 108 In July 1940, ''Stuart'' led the 10th Flotilla during the Battle of Calabria.Cassells, ''The Destroyers'', p. 109 ''Stuart'' was also involved in the Western Desert Campaign, providing gunfire support to army forces. On 30 September 1940, the destroyer attacked the Tobruk-bound Italian submarine ''Gondar'', forcing her crew to surrender. ''Stuart'' supported the 6th Australian Division when it captured Tobruk on 22 January 1941, and participated in the Battle of Cape Matapan in March 1941. During the battle, ''Stuart'' hit the Italian cruiser with a torpedo.

She then assisted in the evacuation of Allied troops from Greece in April 1941 and the evacuation from Crete in May 1941. During June and July 1941, ''Stuart'' participated in the Tobruk Ferry Service: supply runs to the Australian forces besieged at Tobruk. The destroyer made 24 runs before she was forced to sail back to Australia with a disabled port engine. Sailing on 22 August, the ship arrived in Melbourne on 27 September, and was docked for repairs and refits until April 1942. After the refit, the destroyer was employed on convoy escort runs and anti-submarine patrols in eastern Australian waters. At the end of 1943, the destroyer was removed from service, and during early 1944, was converted into a storesship and troop transport. After conversion, ''Stuart'' operated in Australian and New Guinea waters until January 1946.

The ship earned eight battle honours for her wartime service: "Mediterranean 1940", "Calabria 1940", "Libya 1940–41", "Matapan 1941", "Greece 1941", "Crete 1941", "Pacific 1942–43", and "New Guinea 1942–44".

Decommissioning and fate

''Stuart'' was decommissioned into reserve on 27 April 1946. The destroyer was sold to T. Carr and Company on 3 February 1947 for ship breaking, and was delivered to the breakers yard on 21 February. After scrapping, the keel was buried in Kissing Point Bay, Putney, New South Wales.

Citations

References

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External links

HMAS ''Stuart'' at naval-history.net

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart
Admiralty type flotilla leaders of the Royal Australian Navy
Ships built on the River Tyne
1918 ships
Admiralty type flotilla leaders
World War II destroyers of Australia