HMAS Rushcutter (naval base)
Encyclopedia
HMAS Rushcutter was a Royal Australian Navy
(RAN) depot, radar and anti-submarine training school at Rushcutter Bay
, Edgecliff
, New South Wales
, Australia
.
Originally the NSW headquarters of the Naval Brigade and naval artillery from 1901, the site was used as an administrative depot due to the demolition of Fort Macquarie
as facilities for the compulsory peace time training from 1911-1929.
The site remained as the Naval Reserve Depot and the Anti Submarine School was opened there in 1939 and used by the RAN and newly formed Anti-Submarine Branch of the Naval Reserve.
On 1 August 1940, the depot was commissioned as HMAS Rushcutter.
During World War II
the site housed the Anti-Submarine School, the Radar and Gunnery Instruction School and served as a base for the mosquito fleet
: Harbour Defence Motor Launches, the Fairmiles and the Naval Auxiliary Patrol Boats.
The training of RAN Radar Operators transferred from HMAS Rushcutter to HMAS Watson
in 1943. The technical functions of Radar operation remained at HMAS Rushcutter.
At the end of World War II, the site became a training facility for the RAN Experimental Labs and Research Labs.
In 1979 the Commonwealth Government transferred the site to State ownership for public recreational use.
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN) depot, radar and anti-submarine training school at Rushcutter Bay
Rushcutters Bay, New South Wales
Rushcutters Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Rushcutters Bay is located 3 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney....
, Edgecliff
Edgecliff, New South Wales
Edgecliff is a small suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Edgecliff is located 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra. The postcode is 2027.Edgecliff is surrounded by...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Originally the NSW headquarters of the Naval Brigade and naval artillery from 1901, the site was used as an administrative depot due to the demolition of Fort Macquarie
Fort Macquarie
Fort Macquarie was a square castellated battlement fort built at Bennelong Point, Sydney, Australia, where the Sydney Opera House now stands.-History:...
as facilities for the compulsory peace time training from 1911-1929.
The site remained as the Naval Reserve Depot and the Anti Submarine School was opened there in 1939 and used by the RAN and newly formed Anti-Submarine Branch of the Naval Reserve.
On 1 August 1940, the depot was commissioned as HMAS Rushcutter.
During 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...
the site housed the Anti-Submarine School, the Radar and Gunnery Instruction School and served as a base for the mosquito fleet
Mosquito Fleet
The term Mosquito Fleet has had nine main meanings in U.S. naval and maritime history:#It is the term used to describe the United States Navy's fleet of small gunboats, leading up to and during the War of 1812, most were part of the New Orleans Squadron....
: Harbour Defence Motor Launches, the Fairmiles and the Naval Auxiliary Patrol Boats.
The training of RAN Radar Operators transferred from HMAS Rushcutter to HMAS Watson
HMAS Watson
HMAS Watson is a Royal Australian Navy base located on Sydney Harbour at South Head, near Watsons Bay, New South Wales. Commissioned in 1945 , the base served as the RAN's radar training school...
in 1943. The technical functions of Radar operation remained at HMAS Rushcutter.
At the end of World War II, the site became a training facility for the RAN Experimental Labs and Research Labs.
In 1979 the Commonwealth Government transferred the site to State ownership for public recreational use.
See also
- Coastal Forces of the Royal Australian NavyCoastal Forces of the Royal Australian NavyCoastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy established during World War II. It consisted of small coastal defence craft such as motor launches, submarine chasers, air-sea rescue launches, motor gun boats and motor torpedo boats. It did not include minesweepers, trawlers or landing craft...