HMAS ''Cook'' (GOR 291/A 219), named after Captain
James Cook
Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
, was an oceanographic research vessel of the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
(RAN).
Design work for a dedicated oceanographic research vessel to replace the converted frigate began in the late 1960s.
[Gillett, ''Australian and New Zealand Warships Since 1946'', p. 102] The ship was ordered in 1973.
[ ''Cook'' was in ]length overall
Length overall (LOA, o/a, o.a. or oa) is the maximum length of a vessel's hull measured parallel to the waterline. This length is important while docking the ship. It is the most commonly used way of expressing the size of a ship, and is also ...
, with a beam of and a draught of .[ Displacement was 1,900 tons at standard load, and 2,450 tons at full load.][ Propulsion machinery consisted of diesel engines, connected to two shafts driving variable pitch propellers .][ A bow thruster and an active rudder provided extra maneuverability, especially when the ship was required to remain in one position at sea for oceanographic measurements. Top speed was , with a range of at .][ ''Cook'' was operated by a ship's company of 150, with facilities for up to 13 civilian scientists.][ The ship's armament was limited to light calibre weapons only.][
''Cook'' was laid down by HMA Naval Dockyard at ]Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Hobsons Bay Local government areas of Victoria, ...
,[Gillett, ''Australian and New Zealand Warships Since 1946'', p. 103] on 30 September 1974, launched on 27 August 1977 and commissioned into the RAN on 28 January 1980.[ After a six-year construction period the ship spent another two years in dockyard hands fixing defects from the building period, including the realignment of the entire propulsion mechanism to reduce vibration.][
''Cook'' paid off on 31 October 1990 and was sold for conversion as a small cruise ship and subsequently renamed "Maria Kosmas" - IMO number 8872784. As of 2009, the vessel was in the United Arab Emirates) under the name "Cosmos", in the hands of Platinum Yachts and laid up next to the '' EasyCruiseOne'' for conversion into a private yacht, but work had been suspended.]
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook (A 219), Hmas
Survey ships of the Royal Australian Navy
1977 ships