My must-do list for our journey included visiting the 'Whyalla' ship memorial, saved and placed on the hard by the City Council with quite a lot of difficulty, well away from the water in that town. Scratch number 1 off the list.. and well worth the stop-over!
HMAS Whyalla was one of 60 Bathurst-class Australian Minesweepers (corvettes, based on a British type) built in Australia during WWII, 39 of which were for the RAN. They were used mainly for patrol, escort and survey work and served admirably and with distinction during the conflict. 'Whyalla' was present in Sydney Harbour at the time of the Japanese midget submarine attack. She came under air attack a couple of times during the war but suffered only minor damage. All of the Bathurst-class ships worked hard through the war. 'Whyalla' was paid off at Brisbane in 1946 and was bought by the Victorian Public Works Dept. as a lights maintenance vessel. When about to be scrapped in 1984, the Whyalla City Council stepped up and saved her to be set up as a museum. She is one of only two Bathurst-class vessels preserved to recall the great service these little ships gave in time of crisis.
The tour of the 'Whyalla' is comprehensive and interesting. Most parts of the ship are viewed, and the lady guide is pretty much full-bottle on the details. Here, the ship's whistle is about to be blasted across the surrounds by virtue of an air compressor. The kids love it!
Whyalla's history has always been about .. STEEL!, although the industry is struggling these days with so much competition from Asian makers. Surely our sometimes feather-brained government must see the vital strategic need to keep this place and its industry alive and well .. and this from a WA-ite! During WWII Whyalla produced only four of the Bathurst-class ships. But it also produced numbers of much larger vessels to assist with the war effort. The place and its industry was vital. It still is! 'Nuf politics.
Although Whyalla was a long way from the heat of war in the '40s, protection of these great assets was vital. The high point of Hummock Hill was an ideal place for anti aircraft installations. One has been preserved.
This image is a blow-up from the previous and a little hard to read. But a pocket history of Hummock Hill's WWII installations is here.
Your correspondent can't often pass by without a visit to a jetty where anglers are in action. This one below Hummock Hill was entertaining, as much because the pelican was trying to snitch a feed from the fishers by terror tactics. I had to show them how to get the better of these con-artists by giving as good as you get - spread arms and roar at 'em while advancing on the enemy. My bailiwick has plenty of these feathered larrikins. It's really all about bluff.. as long as you have a bit of respect for that bill.
Locals can't resist dropping bits of tucker from the jetty to this dolphin mother-and-child. And the pair know it!
Whyalla Marina Fishing Team resting up for the next assault. Room for one more.. one good tern deserves another.. or something..
We stayed at the Foreshore Caravan Park at Whyalla, in a site right on the waterfront. It would have been ok, excellent in summer. But the springtime easterly was quite blowy and nippy. Otherwise, a neat park, one for the warm weather holidaymakers if you end up next to the beach. Good value meals are available at the sporting club right next door, but we didn't sample them.
-- Edited by JocknNik on Wednesday 9th of August 2017 09:05:14 PM
I enjoyed reading about the Wyalla. Great pics to go with it as well.
You got lucky with Peter Pelican staying put for you too.
JocknNik said
09:09 PM Aug 9, 2017
Thanks Doug. I asked the pelican if his name was Percival, but all I got was a guttural grunt. At least he was co-operative as a subject.
I think I might have finally nutted out how to decrease pic size. Me and 'sputers are not a good mix.
Gaylehere said
10:08 PM Aug 9, 2017
We had a look at that ship too a couple months back when down that way. What is the name on the back of the ship? The ownership of the steel works has only recently changed hands - very recently. The steel works tour was also very good. It's nice to read someone else's report and think "I've been there and seen that". Thanks.
(It still says RIP on the back).
JocknNik said
01:51 AM Aug 10, 2017
Hi Gaylene. This is the only image I took at the stern of the 'Whyalla'. Didn't get the upper stern in it, and couldn't recall seeing what, if anything, that was above. So I did a Google search and could only find one image of the stern section. Hard to make out what was on the stern bit it seemed to be the word 'Rip'. It's good to see there is a new owner at the steel works. We were there late last year and I think the then owners were a French crowd. Asian steelworks will always make it hard for Whyalla.
Edit: Ah, it's just hit me! When the Vics got hold of the 'Whyalla' they re-named it the 'Rip' after I believe, the notorious rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. Wouldn't be my favourite choice for a boat name, seemed a bit inappropriate. Maybe someone's sense of humour at the time.
-- Edited by JocknNik on Thursday 10th of August 2017 02:00:22 AM
-- Edited by JocknNik on Thursday 10th of August 2017 02:34:36 AM
A further update on the SS 'RIP'. Seems the ex-'Whyalla' was not the first ship in Victorian Public Works service to be called the 'Rip'. An earlier vessel in that service also carried the name. I've been able to find a few more images of both ships by Googling them.
Dunmowin said
10:03 PM Oct 7, 2017
When we did the tour of the ship, we were told the reason for RIP, but can't remember it now.... grey matter creeping in
but google helps with this information:
The S.S. Rip started life as the HMAS Whyalla and served in the war until 1947 when it was sold to the Victorian Public Works Department as a maintenance ship in Port Phillip Bay.
When it was sold it was refitted as a civilian vehicle and renamed the S.S. Rip.
-- Edited by Dunmowin on Saturday 7th of October 2017 10:06:10 PM
My must-do list for our journey included visiting the 'Whyalla' ship memorial, saved and placed on the hard by the City Council with quite a lot of difficulty, well away from the water in that town. Scratch number 1 off the list.. and well worth the stop-over!
HMAS Whyalla was one of 60 Bathurst-class Australian Minesweepers (corvettes, based on a British type) built in Australia during WWII, 39 of which were for the RAN. They were used mainly for patrol, escort and survey work and served admirably and with distinction during the conflict. 'Whyalla' was present in Sydney Harbour at the time of the Japanese midget submarine attack. She came under air attack a couple of times during the war but suffered only minor damage. All of the Bathurst-class ships worked hard through the war. 'Whyalla' was paid off at Brisbane in 1946 and was bought by the Victorian Public Works Dept. as a lights maintenance vessel. When about to be scrapped in 1984, the Whyalla City Council stepped up and saved her to be set up as a museum. She is one of only two Bathurst-class vessels preserved to recall the great service these little ships gave in time of crisis.
The tour of the 'Whyalla' is comprehensive and interesting. Most parts of the ship are viewed, and the lady guide is pretty much full-bottle on the details. Here, the ship's whistle is about to be blasted across the surrounds by virtue of an air compressor. The kids love it!
Whyalla's history has always been about .. STEEL!, although the industry is struggling these days with so much competition from Asian makers. Surely our sometimes feather-brained government must see the vital strategic need to keep this place and its industry alive and well .. and this from a WA-ite! During WWII Whyalla produced only four of the Bathurst-class ships. But it also produced numbers of much larger vessels to assist with the war effort. The place and its industry was vital. It still is! 'Nuf politics.
Although Whyalla was a long way from the heat of war in the '40s, protection of these great assets was vital. The high point of Hummock Hill was an ideal place for anti aircraft installations. One has been preserved.
This image is a blow-up from the previous and a little hard to read. But a pocket history of Hummock Hill's WWII installations is here.
Your correspondent can't often pass by without a visit to a jetty where anglers are in action. This one below Hummock Hill was entertaining, as much because the pelican was trying to snitch a feed from the fishers by terror tactics. I had to show them how to get the better of these con-artists by giving as good as you get - spread arms and roar at 'em while advancing on the enemy. My bailiwick has plenty of these feathered larrikins. It's really all about bluff.. as long as you have a bit of respect for that bill.
Locals can't resist dropping bits of tucker from the jetty to this dolphin mother-and-child. And the pair know it!
Whyalla Marina Fishing Team resting up for the next assault. Room for one more.. one good tern deserves another.. or something..
We stayed at the Foreshore Caravan Park at Whyalla, in a site right on the waterfront. It would have been ok, excellent in summer. But the springtime easterly was quite blowy and nippy. Otherwise, a neat park, one for the warm weather holidaymakers if you end up next to the beach. Good value meals are available at the sporting club right next door, but we didn't sample them.
-- Edited by JocknNik on Wednesday 9th of August 2017 09:05:14 PM
I enjoyed reading about the Wyalla. Great pics to go with it as well.
You got lucky with Peter Pelican staying put for you too.
I think I might have finally nutted out how to decrease pic size. Me and 'sputers are not a good mix.
(It still says RIP on the back).
Hi Gaylene. This is the only image I took at the stern of the 'Whyalla'. Didn't get the upper stern in it, and couldn't recall seeing what, if anything, that was above. So I did a Google search and could only find one image of the stern section. Hard to make out what was on the stern bit it seemed to be the word 'Rip'. It's good to see there is a new owner at the steel works. We were there late last year and I think the then owners were a French crowd. Asian steelworks will always make it hard for Whyalla.
Edit: Ah, it's just hit me! When the Vics got hold of the 'Whyalla' they re-named it the 'Rip' after I believe, the notorious rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. Wouldn't be my favourite choice for a boat name, seemed a bit inappropriate. Maybe someone's sense of humour at the time.
-- Edited by JocknNik on Thursday 10th of August 2017 02:00:22 AM
-- Edited by JocknNik on Thursday 10th of August 2017 02:34:36 AM
When we did the tour of the ship, we were told the reason for RIP, but can't remember it now.... grey matter creeping in
but google helps with this information:
The S.S. Rip started life as the HMAS Whyalla and served in the war until 1947 when it was sold to the Victorian Public Works Department as a maintenance ship in Port Phillip Bay.
When it was sold it was refitted as a civilian vehicle and renamed the S.S. Rip.
-- Edited by Dunmowin on Saturday 7th of October 2017 10:06:10 PM