Pictorial extracts from Frank Doak's 1986 'Royal Australian Navy: A Brief History'. HMAS PARRAMATTA [I] and HMAS TATTOO. Photo mixed sources.

3118. A caption gives us nothing but the ships names, the WWI-era River Class destroyer HMAS PARRAMATTA, and the 'S' Class destroyer HMAS TATTOO, but we can say this is taken at the Hann Inlet wharf at Flinders Naval Depot, the 'Depot Wharf.'

 

As to dating, there appears to be two options: May 1920, when the ships were in Victorian waters for the Prince of Wales's visit and RAN fleet review in Port Phillip Bay, or - more likely - between October 1924 and November 1925, when Parramatta was attached to FND as a training ship, as was HMAS Tattoo for a longer period.

 

We arealso feeling that it is the latter period because in 1920, as other photos have shown, the FND wharf area was still under development and had a messier construction site appearance than this

 

Photo: Credited Department of Defence it appears in Frank Doak's 'Royal Australian Navy: A Brief History' [Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra 1986] p15.

Thanks to Ronald L. Marsh, RAN 1957-1963, of Brisbane, for kindly sending the copy used here.

The photo is also in the RAN Archives, Heritage Collection.

 

Done