Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00053:schedule:5:p18
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2018L00053
Segment Type: schedule
Provision Reference: sch 5 (pt 18/42)
Character Range: 534245–537121

possible, all repairs, construction etc. of Commonwealth vessels to be at Cockatoo Island' (Balint et al: 1982:49). The first steel warship to be wholly built in Australia, HMAS Huon, was completed on the island in 1916. Cockatoo dockyard also built the first steel ship ever built in Australia, the tug Hinton, in 1886, assembled from imported components.
The period from 1910-19 saw the greatest expansion of the facilities on Cockatoo Island since construction of the docks. Prior to World War One 800-900 men were employed on Cockatoo Island, by the end of the war this had increased to a maximum of 4 085 in December 1919 (Jeremy:1998: p250). In 1918 a large powerhouse and chimney was built to provide electricity to the island. The building housed steam-turbine generating plant, the dock pumping machinery and hydraulic pumps and air compressors for dockyard services.
With the outbreak of World War Two development of the dockyard increased dramatically. From 1933 the dockyard was leased from the Commonwealth by Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Co Ltd and during World War Two the workforce, which reached an average of 3 043 in 1942, was employed on the island fitting out troop ships, building naval vessels and repairing allied warships (Birmingham: 1984:p11,12). After the war the lessee company became a member of the world-wide Vickers Group and dockyard undertook a continuing program of re-converting ships for commercial service, modernising warships and constructing warships for the RAN, including the construction of the first all-welded warships to be built in Australia. Cockatoo Island dockyard also built the propulsion machinery for most of these ships. Cockatoo Dockyard was the largest steam turbine builder and repairer in Australia, servicing turbines for ships, power plants, sugar mills, oil refineries and other industries throughout Australia.
For over a hundred years, since the late 19th century, Cockatoo Dockyard contributed to the development of Australia by producing products for power stations, bridges, dams, ports, mines and major projects including the Snowy Mountains Scheme. From 1960 to 1991 the dockyard undertook a long program of submarine refitting for which special facilities were built in 1969-71. For the last 20 years of operation the refit and maintenance of the RAN's Oberon-class submarines was the main role of the dockyard during which time it had one of the most advanced (non-nuclear) submarine refit facilities in the world.
In its 137 year history, Cockatoo Dockyard docked or slipped some 12 000 vessels, more than any other dockyard in Australia, it built Australia's first modern warship and the largest (at the time) roll on/roll off passenger ship in the world. Cockatoo Dockyard introduced the first formal quality control system in any Australian dockyard and trained many thousands of young Australians