HMS DAUNTLESS at naval buoy number 12
Photographer
Frederick Garner Wilkinson
(1901-1975)
Date1924
Object number00037682
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
DescriptionHMS DAUNTLESS is depicted at naval buoy number 12, Sydney on 11 April 1924 as part of the Special Service Squadron. Frederick Wilkinson photographed the ship whilst travelling on a special ferry cruise on board KARINGAL.HistoryDuring 1923-1924 the British Navy's Special Service Squadron conducted the Empire Cruise, a world tour that stopped at many countries who fought and held allegiance with Britain in World War I. Starting on 27 November 1923 and lasting until 28 September 1924 the tour was largely a public relations exercise to express Britain's sea power and dominance, particularly relevant in the aftermath of World War I. The fleet consisted of H M Ships HOOD, REPULSE, the light cruisers DELHI, DRAGON, DAUNTLESS, DANAE and DUNEDIN with nine other supporting vessels.
HMS DAUNTLESS was a Danae class light cruiser of the Royal Navy launched on 10 April 1918. Its first years of service were spent in the Baltic Sea and West Indies. During World War II HMS DAUNTLESS took part in operations in China, the Dutch East Indies and Singapore. On 13 February 1946 it was sold and broken up for scrap metal.
SignificanceThis photograph is representative of the Royal Navy's Special Service Squadron world tour in 1923-1924.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.
