HMS DART
Photographer
Henry King
(1855-1923)
Date1880s
Object number00019468
NamePhotograph
MediumPhotographic print on paper, card
DimensionsOverall: 154 x 205 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionFeatured here is the Royal Navy survey vessel HMS DART moored off Garden Island, Sydney.HistoryThe 470-ton two-masted auxiliary schooner HMS DART was built in 1877 by Barrow Shipbuilding Company, Barrow, North West England as the CRUISER but was fitted out for the Royal Navy's work on the Australia Station when it was launched in 1882. DART was originally intended as an official yacht for the Commander-in-Chief but was employed in hydrographic surveys around the Great Barrier Reef, Tasmania, New Zealand and the Pacific islands, including Papua New Guinea, the Solomons and the New Hebrides.
In 1904, DART was lent to the NSW Government and used as a training ship and occasional tender for the naval training ship NSS SOBRAON. In 1912 it was sold to the Victorian Government and commenced service as a training ship for cadets, in which capacity it served until 1919.SignificanceThe hydrographic surveys of the Australian coastline by the Royal Navy was crucial to the development of shipping trade routes. HMS DART was one of many vessels employed in this service.
