HMAS Cook

Sailors from USS Missouri cheer to honour Prince Philip as he passes by aboard HMAS Cook in 1986
History
Australia
Namesake: Captain James Cook
Builder: HMA Naval Dockyard, Williamstown, Victoria
Laid down: 30 September 1974
Launched: 27 August 1977
Commissioned: 28 January 1980
Decommissioned: 31 October 1990
Motto: "With Diligence and Skill"
Fate: Converted to merchant vessel, fate unknown
Badge:
General characteristics
Type: Oceanographic research vessel
Length: 316.6 feet (96.5 m) in length overall
Beam: 44 feet (13 m)
Draught: 15.1 feet (4.6 m)
Propulsion:
  • Diesels
  • 2 shafts
Speed: 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Range: 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km; 13,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Complement: 150 + 13 scientists
Armament: Light calibre weapons only

HMAS Cook (GOR 291/A 219), named after Captain James Cook, was an oceanographic research vessel of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Design work for a dedicated oceanographic research vessel to replace the converted frigate HMAS Diamantina began in the late 1960s.[1] The ship was ordered in 1973.[1] Cook was 316.6 feet (96.5 m) in length overall, with a beam of 44 feet (13 m) and a draught of 15.1 feet (4.6 m).[2] Displacement was 1,900 tons at standard load, and 2,450 tons at full load.[2] Propulsion machinery consisted of diesel engines, connected to two propeller shafts.[2] Top speed was 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph), with a range of 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km; 13,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph).[2] Cook was operated by a ship's company of 150, with facilities for up to 13 civilian scientists.[2] The ship's armament was limited to light calibre weapons only.[2]

Cook was laid down by HMA Naval Dockyard at Williamstown, Victoria,[2] on 30 September 1974, launched on 27 August 1977 and commissioned into the RAN on 28 January 1980.[1] After a six-year construction period the ship spent another two years in dockyard hands fixing defects from the building period, including the realignment of the entire propulsion mechanism to reduce vibration.[1]

Cook paid off on 31 October 1990 and was sold for conversion to a merchant vessel. As of 2009, the vessel (named Cosmos and registered in the United Arab Emirates), was in the hands of Platinum Yachts for conversion into a private yacht, but work had been suspended.[3]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships Since 1946, p. 102
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gillett, Australian and New Zealand Warships Since 1946, p. 103
  3. "Cosmos". Super Yacht Times. Retrieved 7 February 2014.

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/11/2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.