World War 2 pictures of the Castlemaine
To view full size World War 2 pictures click on the small pictures below (thumbnails).
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The above World War 2 picture is of the Castlemaine's arrival in Port Moresby.
The background ship is MOST probably the inter-island trader "Matafele", 335 tons. She was owned by
Burns Philp and served with Royal Australian Navy in 1943-44. she was built in Hong Kong in 1938
and was lost with all hands in June 1944 whilst on a voyage from Townsville to Milne Bay.
This World War 2 picture of the silhouette of the HMAS Castlemaine comes from the Castlemaine archives.
This post World War 2 picture was taken at Hann's Inlet Westernport Bay Victoria. At HMAS Cerberus, Flinders Naval Depot. Here it is used as a stationary training ship. It was used for the trainee engine room Artificer and also for shipwrights. In this picture you can see the laying out of the anchor chain (flaked out).
HMAS Castlemaine shortly after its arrival in Williamstown Melbourne Australia. The masts behind the Castlemaine are from the yachts moored at the marina and the cranes are from the ship building yard. This picture was taken in 1975.
HMAS Castlemaine a static training ship In 1955 Navy Office, HMAS Castlemaine was allocated to Flinders Naval Depot, (HMAS Cerberus) for use as a stationary training ship for engine-room personnel. To prepare for this role she was towed from Geelong to Williamstown dockyard for a complete engine overhaul with all other non essential equipment, such as guns, radar, radio, asdic, boats, minesweeping gear and deck fittings being removed. The crew's mess was gutted in preparation for the engine room artificer's work. A steaming crew joined the ship for the voyage to HMAS Cerberus in Westernport Bay to the wharf beside the Seamanship School that was to become her home for the next 15 years. After arriving at her new berth in 1956 HMAS Castlemaine was firmly secured to the wharf as a training ship for engine-room mechanics and shipwrights. The boilers were flashed and the engines and propellers turned slowly. The ships decks were stripped bare and little rigging remained and the shipwrights flaked out the anchor cables were on the wharf as part of their training. For the training of the engine-room crews it was like being at sea-save that they never left the wharf. The former mess deck was turned into a workshop and the minesweeping store into a classroom for the recruits. Later the small arms magazine was turned into a damage control compartment, which was flooded with water through water-boxes that had various size holes and splits in them. The damage control parties had to enter the compartment and plug the holes as water poured in, along with smoke bombs and lights going out. With the building of a new engineering school at HMAS Cerberus, HMAS Castlemaine's role as a training ship was reduced, especially as training methods and new technology was introduced to the syllabus. Parts of the engines and boilers were removed to the classrooms as models. During 1967 an investigation was undertaken to convert her to a Tank Cleaning Vessel, similar to Colac in Sydney. The idea was abandoned, and she remained at HMAS Cerberus, rusting away. In 1969 the HMAS Castlemaine was declared for disposal by the government. As the ship was now immobile her only future appeared to be the breaker's yard. Finally HMAS Castlemaine was offered for "Sale by Tender as Lies", with tenders closing on the 24th June 1971.