Ship's bell : HMAS Huon (1915-1928) Accession Number: RELAWM09989

Description

Brass bell from torpedo boat destroyer HMAS Huon. The inscription 'H.M.A.T.B.D./1915/ HUON' has been cast into the exterior and filled with black paint. The tongue (clapper) is missing.

Contextual Description

Torpedo boat destroyer HMAS Huon was the first Royal Australian Navy warship to be wholly built in Australia. Following her commissioning in December 1915, Huon saw service in Australian waters before leaving for British North Borneo in June 1916. Huon was joined at Sandakan by HMA Ships Swan and Torrens, and the three patrolled East Indies waters (around present-day Malaysia and Philippines) before transfer to the Mediterranean in May 1917. En route to the Mediterranean, Huon, Swan and Torrens were joined by their sister ships from the Australian Destroyer Flotilla, HMA Ships Yarra, Parramatta and Warrego. After a short stay at Malta, the flotilla was based at Brindisi in southern Italy to participate in the blockade of the Adriatic Sea, which was aimed at preventing the passage of enemy submarines and warships sailing from Austrian ports into the Mediterranean. On 16 November 1917, Huon and the flotilla sailed to the assistance of the torpedoed Italian transport Orione. Huon rescued troops and crew from the water and ferried them to Brindisi. In April 1918 the Australian Destroyer Flotilla was incorporated into the 5th British Destroyer Flotilla. Huon was one of three destroyers fitted with an observation balloon, principally to search for signs of submerged submarines. While on patrol on 8 August 1918, Huon collided with HMAS Yarra. She was subsequently docked at Genoa for repairs, where her crew were struck down by the influenza epidemic, five dying. Huon returned to service in November, and joined the bulk of the 5th Flotilla then operating in the Black Sea. With the rest of the Australian Destroyer Flotilla, Huon visited England in early 1919 before returning to Australia in March. Now obsolete, she was laid up until 1928 when she was paid off and dismantled. On 10 April 1931 she was sunk as a gunnery target off Port Jackson, New South Wales.