The Paluma Shoals in Halifax Bay, the Paluma Range and the
township of Paluma are named for the HMS (sometimes HMQS)
Paluma, a Queensland colonial government survey ship that
worked along the North Queensland coast in the 1880s and
1890s. Four vessels have borne the name Paluma. The link
between the ships and Paluma continue today, almost 120
years on.
In the 1870s and 1880s, Britain was preparing for war with
Russia. British colonies were likewise preparing to defend
themselves. Sir William Jervois had drawn up a scheme for the
defence of Australia, an interpretation of which was submitted
to the Colonial Secretary for Queensland on 24 April, 1882.
Moreton Bay was to be protected by a gunboat and one or
more torpedo boats, with another gun-vessel purchased for
the general defence of the coast. In time of peace, this second
vessel would be available “for general Government purposes”.
(Pixley 1946, p.669) Queensland’s colonial government paid 2500
pounds a year for the official use of Paluma. (Daily Telegraph 2January
1889)
The decision to purchase two gunboats was not an easy
one, given their combined cost of 60 000 pounds. Opinion
in Queensland Parliament was split on this commitment,
which would set a funding precedent and establish a Navy
for Queensland. Argument for the purchase of the gunboats
focused on the usefulness of a Naval Brigade, which could not
function without vessels for training, and on the preparations
Russia had already made. Russia had a small flotilla of vessels
based in the Pacific ready to prey on Australian trade, even
though privateering was outlawed. The gunboats could escort
coastal shipping trade. An expeditious decision was sought
for the gunboats could not be supplied for two years and the
Empire could find itself at war within that time. In comments
that would be echoed sixty years on, the Honourable Mr. Groom
remarked that “it appeared for some time past those in charge of
the Naval defence of the Colonies had forgotten that there was
such a place as Brisbane and such a coast as the Queensland
coast. It was very seldom that they saw a British man-of-war in
these waters – they seemed to be occupied exclusively between
Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland”. (in Pixley 1946, p.765) The
Premier, Sir Thomas McIlwraith, noted that England’s political
leaders had indicated to him that English taxpayers would
not take kindly to protecting colonies not helping themselves.
McIlwraith spoke favourably of a firepower demonstration that
he had witnessed of similar guns to those proposed, which
could pierce 16-inch armour plate and hit a mark at 7 600 yards.
Potential damage to Queensland could be many times more
than the proposed expenditure. (in Pixley 1946, pp. 675-677)
Arguments against the expenditure centred on the cost and
suitability of the vessels. Money had just been allocated for
purchasing a Government steamer, and one member wanted to
know ‘”what duties the gunboat based at Moreton Bay would
perform that could not be done by the new steamer”. (Pixley 1946,
p. 674) Another reason given for not approving the expenditure was the imminent arrival of six fast cruisers for the Australian
Station. The colonies would not need additional protection.
The modest size of the gunboats was ridiculed. Specifically
designed for manoeuvrability along the coast, the fear was
expressed that if captured by an enemy, they would run up
the rivers and attack the towns they were supposed to protect!
(Pixley 1946, pp. 674-765) The Honourable Mr. Miles thought it
ridiculous that “two petty gunboats” could defend 1 500 miles
of coast, while Mr. Brookes thought the use of the telegraph
would prevent the privateering of the past. A motion to drop the
gunboats from budget estimates was defeated 27 votes to 10,
and the order was placed. (Pixley 1946, pp. 677-678)
Paluma and her sister ship Gayundah were 400 h.p. steel
gunboats built “at Armstrong’s famous yard” in Newcastle on
Tyne in 1884 at a cost of 27 750 pounds. (Pixley 1946, p. 672; Daily
Telegraph 2January 1889; Feakes 1951, p.75; Australasian Maritime Historical
Society Notes 26 September 1984) Almost identical with the Albert
under construction for the Colony of Victoria, Pixley gives the
specifications of the gunboats as
Length 120 feet
Beam 26 feet
Draught 9.5 feet
Displacement 360 tons (p. 678)
For their size, Paluma and Gayundah were heavily armed, with
six guns mounted and provision for two more. (Pixley 1946, p.
678) In recognition of their firepower, Paluma and Gayundah
were said to be Aboriginal words for thunder and lightning
respectively, though the language from which this originates
is not recorded. (Feakes 1951, p.75) Their coal carrying capacity
was 75 tons, giving each a steaming range of 700 to 800 miles.
Gayundah was launched on 13 May 1884, Paluma a few days
later. Following sea trials in September 1884, both sailed for
Brisbane. (Pixley 1946, pp. 678-679)
Gayundah arrived in Brisbane first. The Brisbane Courier
commented on her lack of beauty. (Pixley 1946, p. 682) As it was
less than forty years since the British Navy started building iron
ships, perhaps the technology for working with steel was still
basic. Despite her utilitarian lines, the Queensland cabinet was
well pleased. The cabinet meeting on 13 April 1885
decided to send to Lytton fifty [men] from the naval brigade,
to man the gunboat Gayundah, which will be commissioned
for active service. (Rhodes 1936, p.242)
The Governor himself inspected Gayundah a few days later and
expressed his satisfaction at the arrangements.
By the time Paluma arrived in Brisbane on 7 May 1885, the
threat of invasion had diminished following the signing of an
agreement between England and Russia only the day before.
(Australasian Maritime Historical Society Notes 26 September 1984; Sunday
Mail Magazine 24 November 1968) Gayundah remained fitted out
as a gunboat, but Paluma was immediately converted to a
coastal survey vessel, the decision to employ her in survey work having been announced by the Admiralty on 28 July 1884. A
deck house replaced the 6-inch gun on the quarter deck, and
a work room replaced the 8-inch gun. (Pixley 1946, p. 679) Paluma
commenced survey work with the Royal Navy in June 1885,
based in Townsville, continuing the marine survey work begun in
Queensland after Separation. Over the next ten years, Paluma
made a valuable contribution to this knowledge base, working
from Townsville among the reefs north to Cape York and south
to Whitsunday Island until March 1895 when she reverted to
the Queensland Government. (Lack 1959 Royal Historical Society of
Queensland Journal Vol 6 No 1, p. 137; Pixley 1946, p.715)
On the refitting trip south in 1893, the Paluma endured the
indignity of being flung up into the grounds of the Botanic
Gardens during a cyclone that caused great loss of life and
property in Brisbane. (Armitage 1972 Walkabout No 4, pp. 62-63) There
was “considerable haggling over the price to float her”. The
Premier, Sir Thomas Griffith, delayed giving his decision and
before the canal could be dug, a second flood refloated her and
she was towed back to her moorings by the government steamer
Advance. (Feakes 1951, p.75; Pixley 1946, p. 715)
In 1889, Paluma sailed to Sydney to pay off her existing crew
under Lieutenant G. Richards, and to await the arrival of her new
crew, men from the Imperial Navy on their way from England. A
Sydney Daily Telegraph article described her in detail.
The Paluma …is a sister ship to the Gayundah…Both
vessels were turned out at the same yard and in build
and equipment are a facsimile of each other. They belong
to the most useful class of gunboats, and although of
limited dimensions would prove destructive enough in an
engagement. The Paluma is built of steel throughout and
measures 115ft. in length between perpendiculars and 25ft.
in breadth. This gives her a displacement of 400 tons. Her
armament consists of two guns of heavy calibre besides
the usual complement of machine guns, &c. The big guns
were taken out of the ship some time ago and landed at
Brisbane to make more room on board for the surveying
operations. When in the ship, one a 12-ton 8in. B.L. gun
is mounted forward, and the other, a 4 1/2-ton 6in. B.L.
gun, aft. The forward gun has a good range, the hull being
cut down to facilitate its working. The Paluma is propelled
by compound engines from Messrs. Hawthorne and Co.’s
works, capable of driving the vessel at a rate of 10 knots
per hour. The Paluma, of course, is fully equipped with
modern improvements, and she is kept in excellent order,
the motto ‘A place for everything and everything in its place’,
being strictly observed. The ship has a complement of 50,
all told, the officers’ names being Lieutenant G. Richards,
commander; Lieutenants Wheeler, Combe and BowdenSmith; Dr. Thorpe, surgeon, and Mr. Hudson, engineer.
(23 January 1889)
The relationship between the Imperial Navy and the Queensland
colonial government was not always smooth sailing, a situation
repeated in other colonies at the time. The colonial navies
worked in isolation, “neither cooperating with the Admiralty
vessels nor among themselves”. (Feakes 1951, p. 76) Each
colony had its own Defence Act and placed its own contracts
for construction of vessels. This situation continued until the
formation of the Commonwealth. Paluma and Gayundah were
attached to the Australian Squadron, under the command of an
English Rear-Admiral. (Daily Telegraph 23 January 1889) In 1888, the Naval Commandant in Brisbane, Senior Naval Officer Captain
‘Cocky’ G. Wright, R.N., disagreed with the Queensland Defence
Minister over payment for his leave. While neither Feakes
(1951) nor Pixley (1946) mention the involvement of Paluma,
Corfield (1921) wrote that Captain Wright:
(pp. 121-122)
ordered the two war vessels, the Paluma and Gayundah
to put to sea, contending he was under the control of the
Admiral in charge of the station, and defied the Minister.
Steam was up on the vessels, when a rather large body
of police, fully armed, was marched down to the Botanic
Gardens, and lined the river banks ready to fire on the ships
if they were moved. Meanwhile, the wires were at work.
The Admiral disclaimed control over the vessels, as it was
a time of peace, and the Commandant retreated from the
stand he had taken. The matter quietened down, but the
Commandant shortly afterwards retired from the service of
the State.
The twin-screw gunboats Paluma and Gayundah were part
of Queensland’s contribution following the formation of
the Australian Naval Forces in 1901 as part of Federation.
Queensland’s other donations to the infant navy were the Midge
and Mosquito, both torpedo boats. (Pixley 1946, p.717) The first
Naval Director was William Rooke Cresswell, charged with “the
mobilization of his ancient specimens of naval architecture”.
(Feakes 1951, p. 105) The gunboats were refitted with “modern
5-inch B.L. and 4.7 B.L.Q.F. guns under the supervision of
Lieutenant-Commander J.A.H. Beresford, C.N.F.” (Feakes 1951, p.
106) In 1911, both were still part of the Royal Australian Navy.
Gayundah was a patrol ship in the First World War, but was
converted to a gravel barge soon after, and was still working
along the Brisbane River in 1946. (Pixley 1946, p.718) She finished
her days as a hulk on the foreshores of Redcliffe. The first
Paluma also had a less-than-noble end, being broken up and
sold for scrap in the mid-1950s after working for many years in
the Port of Melbourne as the lighthouse tender S.S. Rip.
The subsequent association of other ships of the same name
with marine survey operations commemorates Paluma’s
hydrographic history. M.V. Paluma, a 45-tonne timber launch
built at Matt Taylor’s shipyard in Ross Creek in 1941, was
requisitioned during the Second World War:
by the Australian Navy for use by the Coastwatchers and
(MV Paluma Tourist pamphlet 1995)
served with the famous ‘Z’ Force from 1941-46. She covered
thousands of miles in hostile waters and was engaged in
survey operations within 50 miles of the Japanese who took
no notice of the insignificant vessel plodding, apparently
aimlessly about. What they didn’t realise was that the
Paluma was opening the back door for sea transport that
would later bring tanks and guns into the fray.
MV Paluma was refitted several times after the war, working as
a lighter, tow boat and reef charter boat. (Sunday Mail 1 September
1996) In the mid-1980s, MV Paluma was working out of Cairns,
part of the bankrupted Paluma Fisheries. An advertisement
for the disposal of plant and equipment describes the second
Paluma thus:
(Townsville Daily Bulletin November 1984)
Length 36.04m, beam 7.24m, depth 2.22m….Currently operating as a mother ship and maintained in Marine Board
Survey as a passenger and coastal cargo vessel, class
11-B and is a registered fishing vessel.
Following her stint as a fishing vessel, M.V. Paluma was
fitted out as a tourist cruise vessel. In 1986, Moreton Bay
cruises on board the Paluma cost $160 per person for a three-day cruise. (Queensland Country Life 2 January 1986) By the 1990s,
she was back in North Queensland waters, offering a cruise
on Cleveland Bay to observe Townsville’s VP50 celebrations.
(MV Paluma Tourist pamphlet 1995) She continued to work North
Queensland waters as a tourist cruise vessel until burning to
the waterline in the Whitsundays in August 1996. (Sunday Mail 1
September 1996)
The third HMAS Paluma was an 180-ton, 120 foot motor vessel
built for the Army in 1943. In 1945, she was working as a
stores lighter, but was modified for the Royal Australian Naval
Surveying Service in 1956. After a major refit in 1958, she was
commissioned into the Navy as HMAS Paluma. (Northern Services
Courier November 1989) In 1959, she was operating off Western
Australia and arrived later that year “to chart the Great Barrier
Reef waters, as did her namesake seventy years ago”. (Lack 1959
Royal Historical Society of Queensland Journal Vol 6 No 1, p. 138) She was
sold off in 1974 after steaming 184 000 miles undertaking
coastal surveys. (Northern Services Courier November 1989)
The fourth, and current, HMAS Paluma is a purpose-built
hydrographic survey vessel. She was built in Port Adelaide by
EGLO Engineering Pty Ltd, and was the first of a new class of
vessel within the Royal Australian Navy. Other ships in the same
class are the Benalla, the Shepparton and the Mermaid. Like
all naval survey vessels, HMAS Paluma is not the traditional
battleship grey, rather she is painted white. Her most striking
difference however, is that she is a cataraman, with steel hulls
and an aluminium superstructure. Paluma is 36.01 metres
long, 13.08 metres across the beam, is 318 tons dead weight
and draws only 1.9 metres. Her shallow draft and the stability
provided by twin hulls make her an ideal vessel for charting the
reefs and shoals of the Great Barrier and other reefs. Paluma is
powered by two Detroit GM 12V92TA diesels, developing 550hp
at 1800 rpm, with a top speed of 12 knots. (Royal Australian Navy
News Pictorial 1989 Vol 32 No 4, p.1; Northern Services Courier November 1989)
HMAS Paluma has a much smaller crew than her predecessors
– two officers, two senior sailors and eight sailors. She is
designed to run with unmanned engine rooms, with engine
performance monitored from the computerised bridge console.
Steering can also be on autopilot along a predetermined
survey line. Survey data is collected automatically from a
range of computerised instruments. Her first commander upon
launching in February 1989 was Lieutenant Commander Mark
Sinclair RAN. (Invitation to Commissioning of HMAS Paluma 27 February
1989) In a weekend of celebrations upon her maiden voyage
north, the crew of the Paluma was granted “freedom of the city”
of Thuringowa at Paluma in an official ceremony in October
1989. In the cricket match that followed, the sailors suffered
“what local businessman Mr Andy Bishop described as a mild
walkover”. (Townsville Bulletin 24 October 1989) Her first posting was
to Cairns to survey in the Australian charting area that covers
nearly 12 million square nautical miles of ocean, including the
waters of Papua New Guinea. From Cairns, Paluma continued
the work begun by her namesake over 100 years ago.
Extract from: Paluma the first 80 years 1870s-1950s,
by Linda Venn, Thuringowa City Council, February 2002