Summary

Model of the Royal Navy "Battle" class destroyer HMS Armada, named in honour of the English victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588.

The original ship was built by R.& W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co at their shipyards in Hebburn-upon-Tyne, near the city of Newcastle. The Company was formed by the merger in 1886 of shipbuilder A. Leslie & Co, of Hebburn, with the locomotive works of R.& W. Hawthorn, based at St.Peter's in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The company divested its locomotive manufacturing interests to Robert Stephenson & Co Ltd, of Newcastle, in 1937, which became Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd. Their shipbuilding yards at Hebburn were merged with Swan Hunter and the Vickers Naval Yard in 1968 to create Swan, Hunter & Tyne Shipbuilders, but kept operating until closure in 1982.

HMS Armada was launched from R.& W. Hawthorn, Leslie & Co.'s shipyard on 9 December 1943 and commissioned on 2 July 1945. Although HMS Armada was intially assigned to the British Pacific Fleet, based in Sydney Harbour, the ship did not see action before the end of the war against Japan in August 1945, arriving after the Japanese surrender. HMS Armada visited Melbourne in early 1946. Shortly afterwards it was transferred to the 19th Destroyer Flotilla and deployed to the Far East. In 1949, HMS Armada was transferred to the 3rd Destroyer Flotilla and deployed to the Mediterranean where the ship served most as the rest of its career, being based at Malta. In 1956, HMS Amarda was involved in the British response to the Suez Crisis. Two modified "Battle" class destroyers were built in Australia after WWII - the HMAS Anzac and HMAS Tobruk.

This 1:96 scale model of HMS Armada in blue British Pacific Fleet camouflage was purchased by the Museum in 1958, from Mr John B. Walker, who was a professional ship modelmaker and former employee of the ship construction branch of the Department of the Navy. He built a number of models that were acquired by the Museum.

Note: This model was originally incorrectly identified by the modelmaker as the HMAS Bataan, a Tribal class destroyer built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard, Sydney, during World War II.

Physical Description

Specifications of Original Vessel: Class: Battle class Type: Destoyer Tons Burthen: 2,325 tons Displacement: 2,600 tons Engines: 37,300 BHP Parsons geared steam turbines Length: 379 ft (115.8 m) Beam: 40.25 ft (12.27 m) Armament: 4 x 4.5 inch guns; 1 x 4 inch gun; 12 x 40 mm guns; 8 x torpedo tubes; anti-aircraft guns & depth charges Complement: 337 (wartime); 235 (non combat)

More Information