May 1920: Edwardian ladies, young and old, visit HMS RENOWN at Port Melbourne - A.C.Green [1878-1954], SLV.

6166. We are not to be toyed with, Watson, nor treated as if we are children. You will remember, not more than one page back - at Entry NO 6141 to be precise - we were momentarily deceived by finding the year '1924' inscribed at the bottom of a negative glass plate, in exactly the same way we see it here : but the previous image actually showed crowds visiting RAN warships at the old Sandridge Town Pier at Port Melbourne in late Feb-March 1914.

 

Now Moriarty tries us twice, the swine, perhaps thinking we have lapsed into self-congratulation and complacency, having perceived his deception the first time.

 

Again he presents the foul year '1924,' and hopes yet once more to lead us up the primrose path of HMS HOOD, HMS REPULSE and the RN Special Service Squadron's celebrated visit to Melbourne in March of that year.

 

Cunning, wicked wretch, he thinks we will neither notice the crest on the gun tampions here nor recall that this ship is berthed in the wrong place to be HMS REPULSE, although the triple AA batteries abaft the bridge mark her out as a ship of that class.

 

HMS REPULSE, we all remember, was berthed on the Outer West side of Princes Pier, when she came to Melbourne with the Special Service Squadron, with cruiser DANAE ahead, while HOOD and DELHI were opposite them, on Princes Pier East.

 

To wit, once again, Pics 749-50, starting here:

 

www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/3979785037/in/photostr...

 

So what ship of the same class could we have berthed to the east, in the same period, as we have it here?

 

Elementary, my dear Watson. It is HMS RENOWN, which is berthed at Outer East, Princes Pier, having brought Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales to Melbourne in March 1920, the pier then being newly built and named for him. RENOWN is sitting at the pier exactly as she is shown at Pic NO. 655, here:

 

www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/3966371020/

 

1924 ? Fuss and bother. We repeat, Fuss and Bother. And all elementary of course to those of us who happen to be blessed - or cursed, however one may perceive and experience it - with genius, my dears. It can be an isolating thing in a general population.

 

Please don't fail to notice the height of HMS RENOWN's breakwater on the forecastle here. It stands taller than the ladies.

 

Photo: Allan C. Green [1878-1954], Green Collection, State Library of Victoria [La Trobe Library], accession NO. H91.325/2355, publicly released.

 

 

 

Done