Ahoy - Mac's Web Log

Dear Mac,

I like your Ahoy website.

My father, Alan Meade, served on HMAS Shropshire as a Stoker 1944 - 1946. I long ago promised to get him some copies of the HMAS Shropshire Ship's Log for certain important dates.

Well, today was the day I finally made it to the National Archives of Australia's Sydney reading room for a look at the logs.

Fascinating of course.

One question arose. Early logs showed the Shropshire's tonnage as 10,000 and from March 1944 onwards as 14,283. This figure is written on the front cover of each monthly log book, as you may recall from your service.

The figure of 14,283 tons for HMAS Shropshire is higher than most figures I can see on internet resources. 

What do you believe was the HMAS Shropshire's wartime tonnage?

I'm attaching a few photographs showing the two different tonnage figures, and I'll also attach one  showing an important entry for September 2nd, 1945.

Best regards,
Bob Meade

Bob,

Thank you for your kind words about AHOY, it is a joint effort with my web master Terry Kearns in Atlanta Georgia. turning my research and writing into what anyone who logs on is presented with.

When the ship was built she was completed at a trials displacement of 10,032 tonnes in July of 1929, and also carried out trials at a full load of 12,7000 tons, also in 1929.

At that time her AA armament was 4 by single 4 inch guns, plus 4 single barrel pom poms.

In the Pacific War I do not believe any cruiser would have survived the Kamikaze attacks with that limited AA armament.

In the 1943 refit to turn her over to the RAN the AA armament changed to: 8 by 4 inch guns in 4 twin mountings, 2 twin 8 barreled pom poms  ( a 4 fold increase ) 2 single 20mm oerlikons, 5 power operated twin 20mm oerlikons. Projector rockets 12, 2 inch VP fitted to A turret.

In late 1944 at Manus, the Gunnery Officer swapped two cases of Scotch for 13 40mm single Army Bofors with an effective range of 5,000 yards, and we ditched all the oerlikons whose range was but 1,000 yards.

At the refit 3 by 36 inch searchlights replaced 2 by 36 inch and 1 by 18 inch. 

By now the torpedo tubes had been removed to cut down on top weight, and the aircraft had gone.

In the 1943 refit, modern Radar was fitted and all the extra weight of Aerials, fitted high up in the ship etc added to tonnage.

The ships original deep draft was 18 feet aft, with all the new guns, ammunition, supplies,  radar, and extra crew to man them, the new deep draft was 22.5 feet.

In my, and your Dad's time in the ship, her crew numbered about 1,280, by contrast Canberra when we were sunk carried a crew in the 800' s.

So, the 14,263 figure in 1944 would reflect all those changes, Captain Nichols also loaded extra 8 inch ammunition, and a single 8 inch shell comes in at 256 pounds. 

I would not have been suprised to learn we topped 15,000 when fully loaded .

I hope this helps a little.

Kindest regards, 
Mac.

That helps a great deal, thanks Mac.

May I have permission to quote your answer on my blog, lifeasdaddy (link after my signature below)?

Otherwise I will put up a link on the blog to your answer when it is eventually posted on your fine website.

And thanks to Terry too. The Internet is a fine thing when it permits such international collaboration.

I well remember seeing the photographs of the distinctive Bofers guns in Dad's photo album, and indeed saw them referred to in the Ship's logs I read yesterday specfically in shooting down kamikaze in November 1944. I did not know how much they cost to acquire, though.

The deep draught after onloading fuel also corresponded to around 22' 6" or so, although I don't have copies of the logs in front of me just at this moment.

Best regards,
Bob

Bob,

Of course you may quote my response, pleased to be able to help.

Best wishes,
Mac.

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