View source for State Dockyard

{{Short description|20th century ship building facility in Carrington, New South Wales, Australia}}
{{Use Australian English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox company
|name             = State Dockyard
|logo             = 
|logo_size        = 
|logo_alt         = 
|logo_caption     = 
|logo_padding     = 
|image            = HMAS Strahan IWM FL 19390.jpg
|image_alt        = 
|image_caption    = {{HMAS|Strahan}}
|type             = 
|industry         = Ship building
|fate             = Closed
|predecessor      = Government Dockyard
|founded          = 1942
|founder          = [[Government of New South Wales]]
|defunct          = 1987
|location_city    = [[Newcastle, New South Wales]]
|location_country = Australia
|owner            = Government of New South Wales
}}
The '''State Dockyard''' was a ship building and maintenance facility operated by the [[Government of New South Wales]] in [[Carrington, New South Wales|Carrington]], [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Newcastle]], [[New South Wales]], Australia between 1942 and 1987.

==History==
In 1942, the State Dockyard opened on the site of the Government Dockyard at Dyke Point in [[Newcastle, New South Wales|Newcastle]] that had closed in 1933. Officially the New South Wales Government Engineering & Shipbuilding Undertaking, it was universally referred to as the State Dockyard. The dockyard facility was located at [[Carrington, New South Wales|Carrington]] on [[Hunter River (New South Wales)|Newcastle Harbour]], on {{convert|11|ha|acre|0|abbr=on}} of land in addition to the ship repairs site on {{convert|3|ha|acre|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=NSWStateRecords>{{cite web|url=http://search.records.nsw.gov.au/agencies/2990|title=State Dockyard Newcastle|work=State Records|publisher=[[Government of New South Wales]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140621022613/http://search.records.nsw.gov.au/agencies/2990|archive-date=21 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newportcorp.com.au/page_default.aspx?pageID=48|title=Timeline|publisher=Newcastle Port Corporation|date=2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506011956/http://www.newportcorp.com.au/page_default.aspx?pageID=48|archive-date=6 May 2008}}</ref>

The dockyard launched its first vessel in July 1943. By the end of [[World War II]], it had launched two ships for the [[Royal Australian Navy]] and 22 vessels for the United States and had repaired six hundred ships.<ref name=NSWStateRecords/>

With the cessation of large scale shipbuilding, in the 1970s it diversified into other engineering disciplines. In November 1986 a team of apprentices from the Hunter Valley Training Company completed a three-year overhaul of steam locomotive [[3801]] at the dockyard.<ref>"Re-Commissioning 3801" ''[[Railway Digest]]'' January 1987 page 30</ref> The dockyard closed on 3 March 1987.<ref name=NSWStateRecords/>

A 15,000 ton floating dock was located at Carrington in 1943 to repair damaged ships during World War II. The floating dock was scrapped in 1977 and replaced with a new one built in Japan called Muloobinba, which was eventually sold overseas in 2012.

==Ships built==
[[File:Princess of Tasmania.jpg|thumb|{{MS|Princess of Tasmania}} under construction in 1958]]
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* {{HMAS|Strahan}} (1943)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gillett|first1=Ross|title=Australian & New Zealand Warships 1914-1945|date=1983|publisher=Doubleday Australia|location=Lane Cove|isbn=0 86824 095 8|page=168}}</ref>
* {{HMAS|Condamine|K698|6}} (1944)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gillett|first1=Ross|title=Australia's Navy Past, Present & Future|date=1986|publisher=Child & Henry|location=Brookvale|isbn=0 86777 178 X|page=52}}</ref>
* SS ''Dorrigo'' (1946)
* SS ''Dubbo'' (1947)
* SS ''Delungra'' (1947)
* SS ''Denman'' (1949)
* MV ''Dongarra/Kabbarli'' (1950)
* SS ''Townsville'' (1952)
* MV ''Woomera'' (1952)
* MV ''Wangarra'' (1953)
* MV ''Warringa/Windarra'' (1953)
* MV ''[[MV Kooleen|Kooleen]]'' (1956)<ref>[http://www.ferriesofsydney.com/kooleen.html MV Kooleen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160227125314/http://ferriesofsydney.com/kooleen.html |date=27 February 2016 }} Ferries of Sydney</ref>
* MV ''Koojarra'' (1956)
* MV ''Iranda'' (1957)
* {{MS|Princess of Tasmania}} (1959)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Plowman|first1=Peter|title=Ferry to Tasmania: A Short History|date=2004|publisher=Rosenberg Publishing|location=Dural|isbn=1 877058 27 0|pages=100–101}}</ref>
* MV ''Bass Trader'' (1961)
* {{MV|Cape Don}} (1962) Lighthouse supply vessel
* Dredge ''John Main'' (1962) For NSW Public Works.
* {{MV|Cape Moreton}} (1963) Lighthouse supply vessel
* MV ''Moresby'' (1963) For Burns Philp to and from New Guinea
* {{HMAS|Moresby|1963}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gillett|first1=Ross|title=Warships of Australia|date=1977|publisher=Rigby|location=Sydney|isbn=0 7270 0472 7|page=268}}</ref>
* {{MV|Cape Pillar}} (1964) Lighthouse supply vessel
* MV ''Kooringa'' (1964)
* MT ''BP Endeavour'' (1967)
* MT ''BP Enterprise'' (1968)
* [[HMAS Jervis Bay (GT 203)|MV ''Australian Trader'']] (1969)<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sharpe|first1=Richard|title=Jane's Fighting Ships|date=1991|publisher=Jane's Information Group|location=Coulsdon|isbn=0 7106 0960 4|page=[https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00rich/page/31 31]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/janesfightingshi00rich/page/31}}</ref>
* MV ''Darwin Trader'' (1970)
* Dredge ''Geopodes'' (1971) For a Dutch Dredging company.
* Dredge ''WD Resolution'' (1971) For Westminster Dredging company.
* MV ''Lysaght Endeavour'' (1973)
* MV ''Lysaght Enterprise'' (1973)
* MT ''Express'' (1974) For Howard Smith
* MT ''John Hunter'' (1975) For Caltex
* MV ''Bass Trader 11'' (1976)
* MV ''Flinders Range'' (1976)
* MV ''Selwyn Range'' (1977)
* {{MV|Freshwater}} (1982 Yard no. 105)
* {{MV|Queenscliff|1983}} (1983 Yard no. 106 and the final vessel built)
* [[Lady-class ferry|Lady-class ferries]]
** {{MV|Lady Cutler}} (1968)<ref name=GAndrews>{{cite book|last1=Andrews|first1=Graeme|title=The Ferries of Sydney|date=1975|publisher=AH & AW Reed|location=Terry Hills|isbn=0 589 07172 6|pages=58–59}}</ref>
** MV ''Lady Woodward'' (1970)<ref name=GAndrews/>
** MV ''Lady McKell'' (1970)<ref name=GAndrews/>
** MV ''Lady Street'' (1979)<ref>"Lady Street names her namesake" ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'' 9 May 1979</ref>
** MV ''Lady Herron'' (1979)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ferriesofsydney.com/Lady%20Herron.html|title=Lady Herron|publisher=Ferriesofsydney.com|access-date=8 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414182211/http://www.ferriesofsydney.com/Lady%20Herron.html|archive-date=14 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}

==After closure==
[[File:Sydney Ferry Freshwater.jpg|thumb|[[Sydney Ferries]]' {{MV|Freshwater}} at [[Balmain, New South Wales|Balmain]] depot in July 2013]]
In 2007 the outline of the painted "STATE DOCKYARD" sign on the southern roof of the former dockyard building could still be seen when viewed from above.

==Surviving ships==
As of December 2023, the surviving State Dockyard built ships still in service are the Manly ferries {{MV|Freshwater}} and {{MV|Queenscliff|1983}}, which are operated by the [[Sydney Ferries]] franchisee [[Transdev Sydney Ferries]]. Former Sydney Harbour ferries ''Lady Cutler'' and ''Lady McKell'' operate as cruise boats on [[Port Phillip]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ladycutler.com.au|title=Melbourne Showboat and Boat Cruise for Parties and Wedding|publisher=Lady Cutler|access-date=7 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150416105419/http://www.ladycutler.com.au/|archive-date=16 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.victoriastar.com.au/history|title=History|work=victoriastar.com.au|access-date=7 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229025146/http://www.victoriastar.com.au/history/|archive-date=29 February 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Surviving non-operating or stored ships built by State Dockyard, are ''Cape Don'', a [[lighthouse tender]] built in 1962 for the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service which is now a museum ship at [[Balls Head Bay]], [[Waverton, New South Wales|Waverton]] and the ex-Sydney Inner-harbour ferry Lady Herron, which is currently laid up in Newcastle.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.miramarshipindex.org.nz/shipyard/list?link=2462&page=1 Miramar Ship Index - fuller, though incomplete, production list (subscription required)]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/uon/sets/72157629215715018/detail/?page=5 Flickr gallery]

{{Coord|32|55|21.4|S|151|46|30.4|E|type:landmark_region:AU-NSW|display=title}}

{{City of Newcastle suburbs}}
{{Hunter Region places and items of interest}}

[[Category:History of Newcastle, New South Wales]]
[[Category:Shipbuilding companies of Australia]]
[[Category:1942 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:1987 disestablishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Shipyards of New South Wales]]