Naval Cutter, part of original equipment of aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney, under restoration at Armfield Slip & Boatshed. Goolwa Fleurieu Peninsula
Armfield Slip and Boatshed Goolwa
Wooden Boat Restoration
Naval Cutter Interpretive board transcription:-
Armfield is undertaking the major restoration of this rare craft on behalf of Alexandrina Council.
The work on the craft will occupy teams of Armfield members for the next three years.
The restoration will require replacement of a substantial proportion of the planking and other timbers.
It will also be necessary to make various fittings, including floor grating, to original royal Navy specifications.
The cutter was built in Portsmouth in the United Kingdom in 1941, one of many of this type which saw service as ships' boats on many naval craft. Our example was part of the original equipment of the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney.
A unique feature of these craft is a "Kitchen Rudder System" which employs a pair of baffles to direct the propellor thrust, to steer the craft rather than using a conventional rudder. The baffles or "shells" also provide forward and reverse movement in much the same manner as reverse thrust in jet aircraft.
The Perkins diesel motor has been removed and stored for later refurbishment and re-installation. New engine mount timbers have been constructed to provide greater hull rigidity and will be fitted once the planking is complete.
Following an earlier restoration after the boat was found derelict on land in Milang, the Royal Australian Navy presented Armfield with a pair of HMAS Sydney boat badges.
An early stage of restoration is the steam bending of new ribs which will enable us to re-plank the boat to its original shape. This stage requires bending and splicing 52 rib halves and fixing them to the replaced keelson timber.
Naval Cutter, part of original equipment of aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney, under restoration at Armfield Slip & Boatshed. Goolwa Fleurieu Peninsula
Armfield Slip and Boatshed Goolwa
Wooden Boat Restoration
Naval Cutter Interpretive board transcription:-
Armfield is undertaking the major restoration of this rare craft on behalf of Alexandrina Council.
The work on the craft will occupy teams of Armfield members for the next three years.
The restoration will require replacement of a substantial proportion of the planking and other timbers.
It will also be necessary to make various fittings, including floor grating, to original royal Navy specifications.
The cutter was built in Portsmouth in the United Kingdom in 1941, one of many of this type which saw service as ships' boats on many naval craft. Our example was part of the original equipment of the aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney.
A unique feature of these craft is a "Kitchen Rudder System" which employs a pair of baffles to direct the propellor thrust, to steer the craft rather than using a conventional rudder. The baffles or "shells" also provide forward and reverse movement in much the same manner as reverse thrust in jet aircraft.
The Perkins diesel motor has been removed and stored for later refurbishment and re-installation. New engine mount timbers have been constructed to provide greater hull rigidity and will be fitted once the planking is complete.
Following an earlier restoration after the boat was found derelict on land in Milang, the Royal Australian Navy presented Armfield with a pair of HMAS Sydney boat badges.
An early stage of restoration is the steam bending of new ribs which will enable us to re-plank the boat to its original shape. This stage requires bending and splicing 52 rib halves and fixing them to the replaced keelson timber.