SS John Oxley facts for kids
John Oxley in July 2018, undergoing restoration at the Sydney Heritage Fleet shipyard in Rozelle Bay
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Quick facts for kids History |
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  Australia |
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| Name | SS John Oxley |
| Owner |
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| Operator | Royal Australian Navy (World War II) |
| Builder | Bow, McLachlan & Co, Paisley, Scotland |
| Yard number | 464 |
| Launched | 20 July 1927 |
| In service | 1927 |
| Out of service | 1968 |
| Homeport |
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| Identification | IMO number: 5174234 |
| Status | Undergoing restoration |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Pilot boat |
| Tonnage | 544 GRT |
| Displacement | 760 DWT |
| Tons burthen | 212 NRT |
| Length | 168 ft (51 m) |
| Beam | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Draught | 11 ft (3.4 m) |
| Installed power | 1,400 IHP |
| Propulsion | triple expansion steam engine supplied by two Scotch boilers |
| Speed | 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Capacity | 14 pilots |
| Crew | 15 crew |
| Armament | One Oerlikon 20 mm cannon (naval service) |
The SS John Oxley is a cool old steamship. It used to be a special boat called a pilot boat. It also helped take care of lighthouses and buoys in the water. It was built in Scotland way back in 1927 for the Queensland Government in Australia.
During World War II, the Royal Australian Navy used it to help out. After the war, it went back to its old jobs until 1968. By then, it was in really bad shape. In 1970, the Queensland Government gave the ship to a museum in Sydney. This museum is now called the Sydney Heritage Fleet. They wanted to save it, but other projects came first. So, the work on John Oxley didn't really start until 2004. As of 2017, the ship is still being fixed up in Rozelle Bay.
Contents
Building the John Oxley
The John Oxley was built in 1927 by a company called Bow, McLachlan and Company. They were located in Paisley, Scotland. The ship was launched into the water on July 20, 1927. It was finished later that same year.
The ship is about 168 feet (51 m) long. That's like half a football field! It is 32 feet (9.8 m) wide and goes 11 feet (3.4 m) deep in the water. The ship has two large boilers that make steam. This steam powers a special triple expansion steam engine. This engine gives the ship 1,400 horsepower. It can make the ship go as fast as 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) (about 16 miles per hour). The John Oxley had a crew of 15 people. When it worked as a pilot boat, it could carry 14 harbour pilots. These pilots are experts who guide ships safely into ports.
The Ship's Working Life
In October 1927, the John Oxley started its long journey from Greenock, Scotland. It sailed all the way to Brisbane, Australia. On its way, in the Mediterranean Sea, it heard a call for help from another boat. It was a tugboat named Jackstay. The John Oxley helped by towing the tugboat to Malta. It finally arrived in Brisbane on December 9, 1927.
The ship then started working for the Queensland Government. Its main jobs were to be a pilot boat in Moreton Bay. It also helped take care of buoys and lighthouses along the coast of Queensland.
World War II Service
During World War II, the Royal Australian Navy needed the John Oxley. They put a 20mm anti-aircraft gun on the back of the ship. This gun could shoot down enemy planes. After the war ended in 1946, the ship went back to its old jobs. It was also changed from burning coal to using oil for fuel that same year.
The John Oxley kept working until 1968. By then, it was very old and worn out. It was in such bad shape that a journal for sailors in 1964 called it a "rust heap." They said it had "the worst living conditions of any ship on the entire Australian coast." Because of its poor condition, it was taken out of service.
Saving the John Oxley
In August 1970, the John Oxley was given to a museum in Sydney. It was first tied up at Birkenhead Point. For many years, not much work was done to fix it. Then, in 1997, another ship the museum was restoring, the James Craig, was almost finished. This meant the John Oxley could finally get some attention. Its hull (the bottom part of the ship) had gotten very rusty and needed a lot of repairs.
Since 2002, the John Oxley has been continuously restored on land. This work happens at the Sydney Heritage Fleet's dockyard in Rozelle Bay. The ship had been in the water for eighty years! This caused a lot of rust and damage to its hull, decks, and upper parts. Most of the metal plates on the ship's hull needed to be replaced. Workers are using the same old method of hot riveting, just like when the ship was first built.
The restoration also includes fixing all the machinery, masts, and ropes. They are also repairing the wooden parts and the inside of the ship. The goal is to make the ship safe to sail again. It will need to pass special safety checks to be able to travel along the coast.
Gallery
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John Oxley on floating dock in 2005
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Wheelhouse and bridge superstructure in 2005
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Hot riveting hull plates in 2006
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John Oxley and the schooner Boomerang in 2005
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SS John Oxley on floating dock in 2013
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After being removed from the ship for restoration the teak wheelhouse was refitted on July 10, 2018
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Refitted propeller in 2018
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Returning wheelhouse to ship in 2018
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Restored wheelhouse in 2018
Images for kids
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Fitting the last hull plate on the John Oxley, 21 October 2021
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Isolation Transformer being craned aboard Nov 2021
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Painting & preparation Feb 2022
