Crusader (AV2767) was an Australian Army

Australian Army

The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...

 amphibious operations support ship of World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. She was launched shortly before the war ended and entered service in late 1945. The Army did not need a ship with her capabilities after the war and she was sold in 1947 to the Queensland Cement and Lime Company which operated her on the Brisbane River

Brisbane River

The Brisbane River is the longest river in south east Queensland, Australia, and flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay. John Oxley was the first European to explore the river who named it after the Governor of New South Wales, Thomas Brisbane in 1823...

 until 1984. The ship was sunk in 1986 and later became a dive wreck.

Service history

Crusader was designed by the Australian Army's chief engineer Major General

Major General

Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

 Clive Steele

Clive Steele

Major General Sir Clive Selwyn Steele KBE, DSO, MC, VD was an engineer and a senior officer of the Australian Army who served in both World War I and World War II...

 to support amphibious operations and carry supplies to Army units operating on islands in the Pacific. Steele deliberately underestimated the cost of building the ship in order to gain approval for her design and construction.
Crusader's design incorporated a number of unusual features. The ship had a shallow draft to allow it to operate close to the shore and four rudders and six engines driving six propellers to give her a high degree of maneuverability. Crusaders hold could carry 1,500 tons of stores and an additional 40 vehicles could be embarked on her deck. The ship had six 30-ton cranes to move heavy equipment and vehicles were embarked and disembarked via six bridge-like structures. This equipment allowed her to discharge cargo at the rate of 90 tons at any one time. Crusader had a 'box-like' appearance, and her design did not impress naval engineers.

Crusader was built by the Melbourne Harbour Trust at Williamstown Dockyard

Williamstown Dockyard

Williamstown Dockyard was one of Australia's principal ship building yards at Williamstown, Victoria, Australia.The Colony of Victoria decided to construct a large slipway at Williamstown to provide ship repair facilities in 1856 and the Government Patent Slip was opened in 1858. Slip Pier was...

 in Williamstown, Victoria

Williamstown, Victoria

Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733....

. She was the largest all-welded steel vessel to have been constructed in Australia at the time, and cost considerably more to build than Steele's deliberate under-estimate. The ship was launched on 8 August 1945 after being named by Steele's wife and later became the largest ship to be commissioned by the Australian Army during World War II. Construction of a sister ship, to be called AV2768 Corsair, was also begun, but this ship was canceled when the war ended.

The ship entered service with the Army's No. 2 Ordnance Craft Park in late 1945. In February 1946 Crusader sailed to Rabaul

Rabaul

Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...

 in New Britain

New Britain

New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...

 and later Torokina

Torokina

Torokina is a coastal village on the island of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. It is located on the western coast of that island, at ....

, Bougainville

Bougainville Island

Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...

. During this and later voyages she proved successful in her intended role, and returned supplies and equipment from the islands to Australia. By 1947 the Army no longer needed a ship with Crusaders capabilities, and she was sold to the Queensland Cement and Lime Company (QCL) and renamed Cementco.

QCL used Cementco as a self-propelled coral barge. The ship was converted by moving the wheel-house from the aft superstructure to about 50 feet (15.2 m) from the bow and extensively modifying the cargo holds to carry up to 2,000 tons of coral. Cementco's stern was later extended so that all her crew had their own cabin. After the conversion was completed in 1948 the ship carried coral dredged from Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...

 by a converted Landing Ship Tank (the former HMAS LST 3022

HMAS LST 3022

HMAS LST 3022 was a Mark 3 Landing Ship Tank operated by the Royal Navy during World War II, and the Royal Australian Navy from 1946 until 1954....

) to QCL's cement factory at Darra

Darra, Queensland

Darra is a Brisbane suburb known for its high migrant population. It is one of the older suburbs and lies about 14 kilometres southwest of Brisbane. The houses are mainly of the Queenslander style built in the 1940s and 1950s. The majority of blocks in Darra are large enough to be subdivided, which...

 in Brisbane

Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...

. Cementco was retired in 1984 when QCL moved its factory to Gladstone

Gladstone, Queensland

- Education :Gladstone has several primary schools, three high schools, and one university campus, Central Queensland University. It is also home to CQIT Gladstone Campus.- Recreation :...

, and was laid up at Mary Street wharf while attempts were made to sell her. During this period she was renamed Crusader II to avoid confusion with a new ship named Cementco. A buyer was not found, and in 1986 she was sunk at Flinders Reef

Flinders Reef

Flinders Reef is a small isolated reef near Moreton Island, 5 km north-west of Cape Moreton in South East Queensland. It has the highest number of coral species of any sub tropical reef system along Australia's east coast and is the nearest true coral reef to Brisbane. Flinders Reef is one of...

  off Cape Moreton

Cape Moreton

Cape Moreton is a rocky headland located at the north eastern tip of Moreton Island in South East Queensland, Australia. The surrounding area is part of the Moreton Island National Park. 5 km north-west of Cape Moreton is Flinders Reef....

and subsequently became a popular dive wreck.