HMS DANAE at naval buoy number 9

Photographer Frederick Garner Wilkinson (1901-1975)

Date10 April 1924

Object number00037678

NameGlass plate negative

MediumEmulsion on glass

DimensionsOverall: 82 x 103 mm, 2 mm, 0.04 kg

ClassificationsPhotographs

Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds

Terms

DescriptionHMS DANAE is shown at naval buoy number 9 on 10 April 1924, the day after it arrived in Sydney as part of the Royal Navy's Special Service Squadron. The squadron's world tour was an attempt to express the power of Britain’s navy after World War I as well as offering a goodwill gesture to allies.HistoryHMS DANAE was the lead ship of the Royal Navy's Danae class cruisers and when launched on 26 January 1918 was one of the fastest cruisers of its time. In 1923-1924 DANAE took part in the Royal Navy's Special Service Squadron world tour. Under the flagship HMS HOOD the Special Service Squadron conducted the Empire Cruise, a world tour that stopped at many countries who had fought for and held allegiance with Britain in World War I. The tour started on 27 November 1923 and lasted until 28 September 1924 and was largely a public relations exercise to express Britain's sea power and dominance, particularly relevant in the aftermath of World War I. During World War II DANAE took part in operations in the South Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Yellow Sea and Normandy. During the final years of the conflict it was put into service with the Polish Navy and acted as a transport ship until it was decommissioned on 8 March 1946 and returned to the Royal Navy. On 27 March 1948 the vessel was scrapped at Barrow-in-Furness. SignificanceThis photograph highlights the Royal Navy's world tour in 1923-1924 and the presence of British ships including HMS DANAE in Sydney Harbour.

The print is part of the F G Wilkinson Photograph Collection, comprising more than 700 glass plate negatives of ships in Sydney Harbour between 1919 and 1936. The collection provides an extensive and well-documented coverage of the changing styles of shipping in the port of Sydney before the decline of the coastal trade. The backgrounds also reveal the changing face of the city and harbour foreshores.