HMAS ''Huon'' is a former

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) base located in ,

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, Australia, in operation from 1911 to 1994.

History

The RAN purchased a block of land on the west bank of the Derwent River in 1911; and commenced construction on the site in 1912. Although completed during the 1910s, the base remained unnamed until 27 August 1939, when she was commissioned as HMAS ''Cerberus VI'', identifying her as a subsidiary depot to the

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatur ...

naval base . In 1940, the decision was made to give RAN shore establishments unique names, and ''Cerberus VI'' was recommissioned on 1 August as HMAS ''Derwent''. The base was renamed to HMAS ''Huon'' on 1 March 1942; the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

had previously commissioned the destroyer , and RAN wartime policy was to avoid duplicating names with allied navies. After World War II, ''Huon''s status was downgraded in 1946 to a care and maintenance base. In 1960, the depot's role was expanded to become the primary support and recruitment base in Tasmania, as well as home to the Hobart Port Division of the

Royal Australian Navy Reserve The Royal Australian Naval Reserve (RANR) is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal Australian Navy in Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Austra ...

and the state's primary

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

training facility. From 1967 to 1982, was attached to the base for Reserve training duties. She was replaced by the patrol boat , which was assigned to ''Huon'' until 1994. On 17 June 1994, ''Huon'' was decommissioned; one of several RAN bases closed due to budget cuts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huon Huon Buildings and structures in Hobart 1994 disestablishments in Australia 1911 establishments in Australia Military units and formations established in 1911 Military units and formations disestablished in 1994

History

See also

References