Crusader in December 1945
| |
History | |
---|---|
Australia | |
Operator |
|
Builder | Melbourne Harbour Trust, Williamstown Dockyard |
Launched | 8 August 1945 |
Commissioned | Late 1945 |
Decommissioned | 1947 |
Out of service | 1984 |
Renamed |
|
Fate | Sunk as a dive wreck in 1986 |
General characteristics | |
Displacement | 1,500 long tons (1,500 t) |
Length | 200 ft (61.0 m)[1] |
Beam | 50 ft (15.2 m)[1] |
Draft | 12 ft (3.7 m)[1] |
Ramps | Six vehicle loading ramps |
Propulsion | Six Ruston & Hornsby engines and six propellers |
Speed | 9 knots (17 km/h) |
Endurance | 30 days |
Capacity | 1,500 long tons (1,500 t) of cargo in three holds and 40 vehicles as deck cargo |
Complement | 31 |
Armament | Fitted for self-defence guns at the bow and stern |
Notes | Characteristics are for the ship's Army service and are from [2] and [3] |
Crusader (AV2767) was an Australian Army amphibious operations support ship of World War II. She was launched shortly before the war ended and entered service in late 1935. From 1945 to 1947 she was mainly used to return Australian Army equipment from the islands off New Guinea. She was also loaned to the Australian Shipping Board in early 1947 and transported earth moving equipment and timber between Melbourne and Tasmania. However, the Army did not need a ship with Crusader's capabilities after the war, and she was sold in 1947 to the Queensland Cement and Lime Company which operated her as a coral barge on the Brisbane River until the mid-1980s. The ship was scuttled in 1986 and became a popular dive wreck.
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