River - class torpedo - boat destroyer The River class was a class of six torpedo - boat destroyer s operated by the Royal Australian Navy . Three were ordered for the Commonwealth Naval Forces ( the post - Federation amalgamation of the Australian colonial navies ) in 1909 ; two were built in the United Kingdom , while a third was partially built , disassembled , then transported to Australia for reassembly . Another three ships were later ordered . All six ships were operated during World War I , but were disposed of during the late 1920s and early 1930s . Three were sunk as target ship s , while the other three were used as accommodations ships , but later ran aground or sank . Design and construction . Three ships , , and , were ordered on 6 February 1909 ; the first ships to be ordered for the Commonwealth Naval Forces , the post - Federation amalgamation of the Australian colonial navies . Another three ships , , , and , were ordered later . All six ships of the class were named after Australian rivers ( one from each state ) , starting a tradition in the Royal Australian Navy of naming ships after the rivers of Australia . Based on the British " Acheron " class , these destroyers had a displacement of 750 tons . The first three had a length overall of , while the second three were longer at . They were powered by three Yarrow oil - burning boilers connected to Parsons turbines , which delivered to three propeller shafts . Cruising speed was , giving the ship a range of , and maximum speed was . Each ship ' s company consisted of between 66 and 73 personnel , including five officers . The destroyers ' main armament consisted of a single BL 4 - inch Mark VIII naval gun , supplemented by three QF 12 pounder 12 cwt naval gun s . They were also fitted with three . 303 - inch machine guns and three single 18 - inch torpedo tubes . " Parramatta " and " Yarra " were built in the United Kingdom , and were the first new ships launched for the Australian navy . After completion , the two vessels were temporarily commissioned into the Royal Navy for the delivery voyage to Australia , although they reverted to the control of the Commonwealth Naval Forces on arrival in Broome . " Warrego " , however , was built up to launch condition , then disassembled , transported to Australia by ship , and rebuilt at Cockatoo Island Dockyard : the reasoning behind this was to raise the standard of the Australian shipbuilding industry by giving Cockatoo Island hands - on experience in warship construction . The second batch of three warships were all built at Cockatoo Island . Operational history . In May 1917 , the six River - class ships were ordered to Malta . On arrival , they were to undergo anti - submarine training , but were immediately deployed as escorts for a convoy . After completing the convoy run , the Australian warships completed the training , and were assigned to patrols of the Adriatic . The six destroyers returned to Australian waters in March 1919 . Decommissioning and fate . After decommissioning , " Parramatta " and " Swan " were stripped down and sold to the NSW Penal Department for use as prisoner accommodation on the Hawkesbury River . The two hulks were then sold into private hands ; after plans to use them as fishers ' accommodation , they were used to transport metal to islands along the river . In 1934 , " Swan " and " Parramatta " were being towed along the river to the ship breakers when heavy weather caused the hulks to break free of their towing vessel ; " Swan " sank , and " Parramatta " ran aground . The two ships were abandoned , although in 1973 , the bow and stern of " Parramatta " were salvaged for use as memorials . " Warrego " was used as accommodation at Cockatoo Island . She sank at her berth , and was later demolished . " Yarra " , " Torrens " , and " Huon " were all scuttled outside Sydney Heads after being used as target ship s .