The Gold Funnel Fleet, Victoria's Colonial Navy

Image form Friends of Cerberus website

HMVS Victoria (1855)
The flagship and first "true" warship of the Victorian Navy, she was built on the Thames and sailed to Australia, reaching Melbourne in May 1856. She saw service as a logistics vessel in the Maori wars under the government of New Zealand. In 1864 she became a survey vessel, documenting the Victorian Coast. Between 1868 and 1874, she was sold to the Port Authorities and was later passed on through a few private hands before being broken up in Williamstown in 1888

The Victorian Gunraft "Elder" (1865)
The "Elder" was a one off in the Victorian Navy, it's main role taken by the Gunboats and the Cerberus which relagated it to defense of Hobsons Bay and the mouth to the Yarra River at the top of Port Phillip Bay. It was possibly the only warship ever to level guns at the Confederate raider, the CSS Shanadoah while it was berthed in Williamstown. Seh servered diligently until 1878 when she was sold, being listed as beached at Williamstown.
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HMVS Nelson (1867)

HMVS Cerberus(1868)
The true heart of the VCN and the most prominent ship. The Cerberus can be considered on of the origins of the battleship, dispensing in sails and most rigging leaving only 4 10" guns which sat in two Coles Turrets. Launched in 1870 and arriving in Melbourne in 1871, she was the most advanced warship in the Eastern and Southern hemispheres. She would remain in Port-Phillip Bay for almost all of her life. Unlike many of her peers, she remained in service during the 1890's, being used as a storeship for periods of time. Incorporated into the Commonwealth Naval Forces in 1901, she was however not aging well and by 1909 could not propel herself and in 1914 the main guns were deemed inoperable. Following WWI, she was towed into Corio bay where she was renamed HMAS Platypus II and used as a stationary submarine tender for the new J Class Submarines. Sold in 1924, she was first stripped of what the wrecking firms could pry from her which did prove to be rather little in quantity. In 1926 she was scuttled by the Sandringham Council in Half Moon bay where she lies to this day.

Cerberus as designed and as in first service
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Cerberus on Delivery

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Proposed modifications for early mine sweeping
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The Grey Cerberus
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Cerberus as she appeared in 2007
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... s_2007.JPG

HMVS Childers (1883)
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HMVS Victoria [II] (1884)
The "baby Cerberus" of the fleet if you like. A type-D Flat-Iron Gunboat she was launched in 1884 and on her delivery journey was requested to support the Sudan Campaign but by the time they reached Sudan's coast the action had moved inland. Continuing on to Melbourne via various ports, she arrived on June 26. She had a relativley short service life being sold in 1893 due to economic hardships for the colony which saw her picked up by the West Australian Government in a non-defensive role (presumably navigation, tendering or hydrographical roles). In 1902 she was sold to a Sydney company which used her a towing vessel until 1920 when she was scrapped.
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HMVS Albert (1884)
The Victoria's (II) half-sister. A type-B Flat-Iron-Gunboat. She was launched in 1884 and on her delivery journey was requested to support the Sudan Campaign but by the time they reached Sudan's coast the action had moved inland. Continuing on to Melbourne via various ports, she arrived on June 26. Serving longer than her sister, she was retired in 1897 and sold to the Victorian Public Works Department. She was disposed of in 1917.
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HMVS Lonsdale (1884)
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HMVS Nepean (1884)
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HMVS Gordon (1884)
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HMVS Countess of Hopetoun (1891)

Auxiliaries

HMVS Vulcan (1889)
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Commissioner (1878)
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PS Gannet (1884)

SS Burrumbeet (1884)

SS Batman(1883)
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SS Fawkner (1883)
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Lion (1880's)

SS Lady Loch (1886)

SS Courier (1887)

SS Elingamite (1887)

More to come!

Other Colonial Navies

New South Wales
HMCS Spitfire
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Acheron Class
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New Zealand
Defender Class
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Work list(Current)
Miscellaneous|Victorian Colonial Navy|Murray Riverboats|Colony of Victoria AU|Project Sail-fixing SB's sail shortage
How to mentally pronounce my usernameRow-(as in a boat)Don-(as in the short form of Donald)Dough-(bread)
"Loitering on the High Seas" (Named after the good ship Rodondo)
There's no such thing as "nothing left to draw" If you can down 10 pints and draw, you're doing alright by my standards

Added the Lonsdale Class

Added Batman and Fawkner hopper barges

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“Close” only counts with horseshoes, hand grenades, and tactical nuclear weapons.
That which does not kill me has made a grave tactical error

Worklist

Source Materiel is always welcome.

After John Batman (an important settler), not Batman-Batman (nanananananananan-BATMAN!)

I gathered as much.
Btw, of all the ships available, why did they decide to arm hopper barges?

It's an odd choice I admit, maybe as they were available and they were owned by the government. They also armoured them internally and gave the Fawkner an air compressor to provide for the torpedo boats

Added the Victoria (II)

and her half sister Albert

Been a while and year 12 is clamping down on me currently but I still have had time to foster this project

Here is a small sample of what I have coming soonish
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Future amendments, the 6" gun on the Albert will be updated and the Commissioner as well, the Cerberus has finally been fixed with the gold replaced with the black funnel and upper works as well as the shading fixed

Shipbucket

The Gold Funnel Fleet, Victoria's Colonial Navy

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