HMCS (later HMAS) Protector was a large flat-iron gunboat commissioned and purchased by the South Australian government in 1884, for the purpose of defending the local coastline against possible attacks in the aftermath of the 'Russian scare', of the 1870s. She arrived in Adelaide in September 1884 and served in the Boxer Rebellion, World War I and World War II.
During July 1943, Protector was requisitioned for war service by the U.S. Army. On the way to New Guinea and off Gladstone, she was damaged in a collision with a tug and abandoned. The hull was taken to Heron Island off the Queensland coast and later sunk for use as a breakwater. Her rusting remains are still visible to this day.
Description and armament
Built by Sir WG Armstrong, Mitchell & Co, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, Protector was built to a standard type F1 flat-iron gunboat design, but was one of the largest of its type, and was classified as a light cruiser, with a displacement of 920 tons. Her length was , with two compound surface-condensing engines that produced . Her top speed was . To conserve fuel (coal) she was originally rigged as a topsail schooner.
For her size, Protector was exceptionally heavily armed. Her largest weapon was the Armstrong-rifled breech-loading gun mounted at the bow. The gun weighed 12 tons and could fire a shell using a charge of of black powder.
Other armaments included five Woolwich-Armstrong rifled breech-loading guns; four 3-pounder 1.85-calibre Hotchkiss QF guns and five Gatling machine guns. Her small arms consisted of 200 0.45 Martini-Henry rifles Mk IV, 100 breech-loading revolvers, 100 cutlasses and 30 boarding pikes.
At the outbreak of World War I, her armament was increased to include two guns, two 12-pounder guns and four 3-pounder guns.
Operational history
In July 1882, motions were brought forward in both houses of the Parliament of South Australia to establish a naval force with the creation of a cruiser-type warship, capable of defending the local coastline and harbours. At the suggestion of Sir William Jervois, Armstrong, Mitchell & Co. of Newcastle upon Tyne were chosen to build the vessel, named Protector, for about 40,000 to 50,000 pounds sterling. The builder's estimate was £63,600. The contract authorising construction was signed on 16 November 1882 and the time allotted was fourteen months. The final cost was £65,000.
A number of alterations were incorporated during the vessel's time on the builder's slip, delaying completion until May 1884. On 19 June, the Protector was ready for sea. She was officially commissioned and during the day undertook her initial speed trial run over a four-hour period. Her average speed was . The guns were then tested in the open sea.
Protector sailed from Newcastle upon Tyne on 27 June 1884, en route to Australia and arrived in Gibraltar on 5 July. Sailing via Malta and Port Said, the Protector anchored at Suez on 25 July. Rigged as a topsail schooner the gunboat sailed on to Colombo (Sri Lanka), leaving there on 25 August. During her voyage to Adelaide Protector flew the Blue Ensign. She left King George's Sound in late September and on 30 September, arrived at Port Adelaide.
Protectors first commanding officer was Commander J.C.P. Walcott RN, who brought her out from England. He served as the commander in charge of the South Australian Naval Forces until August 1893, when he was succeeded by Captain Creswell. Protector remained in South Australian waters for the next fifteen uneventful years. Her only activities comprised regular deployments on station at Largs Bay.
Boxer Rebellion
Around the turn of the 20th century, all Australian colonies were involved in the Boer War in South Africa, when a call from Britain came to help defeat the Chinese secret society known as the Boxers. South Australia responded by offering Protector and her crew, which varied in number between 85 and 96.
Protector was to join an international force composed of sailors, marines, and soldiers from Britain, France, Italy, the United States, Japan, Russia, Germany, and Austria-Hungary—the so-called Eight-Nation Alliance—to protect the lives of foreign nationals and to defend their economic interests. The British asked that the ship be commanded and manned by British personnel, and although the South Australian government did not agree to the crewing request, commanding officer Chapman James Clare was temporarily demoted to second in command, with William Rooke Creswell, a British officer and Commandant of the Queensland Maritime Defence Force installed as the ship's captain.