32 SMALL SHIP SQUADRON ROYAL AUSTRALIAN ENGINEERS

Background
Since before Federation, soldiers in Australia have operated watercraft in various roles around the country. During World War II (1939-1945) the Army operated nearly two thousand watercraft, from Tobruk to the Pacific Islands theatre. Post war, our soldiers operated watercraft in Japan and Papua New Guinea and more recently in other conflicts such as Borneo, Vietnam, East Timor, The Solomon Islands and the Persian Gulf. A major operator of Army watercraft was 32 Small Ship Squadron, raised in 1959 after it was acknowledged that the Army was restricted by sub-standard road and rail facilities in moving the Centurion tanks of the 1st Armoured Regiment from their base in Puckapunyal, Victoria. To overcome this the Army purchased four ex-World War II US Navy Landing Ships Medium (LSM) to be crewed and operated by soldiers of the Transportation Service of the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE). The Royal Australian Navy at that time had no interest in this type of administrative sealift, and Army, with a long history of small ship and landing craft operations, raised 32 Small Ship Squadron, RAE.

AV1354 Brudenell White off Vietnam

At some 203 ft (62.03m) length overall, with a beam of 34 ft (10.37m) and a displacement of over 900 tons loaded, the ships were too large for the Army berths available at either Sydney or Brisbane. However they were initially based at Chowder Bay, Sydney. With the closure of Morts Dock at Woolwich the Army purchased the property and 32 Small Ship Squadron moved in there in 1963 remaining there until its disbandment in 1971. The ships of the Squadron were named after prominent Australian generals. The LSMs being: AV1353 Harry Chauvel AV1354 Brudenell White AV1355 Vernon Sturdee AV1356 Clive Steele (ex US Navy LSM 319) (ex US Navy LSM 477) (ex US Navy LSM 315) (ex US Navy LSM 547)

The Squadron also operated the largest ship to have ever been operated by the Australian Army, the 1400 ton, 233 ft (71.07m) long coastal cargo vessel AS3051 John Monash which was purchased as the MV Marra from the Adelaide Steamship Company in 1965. It saw service around Australia, in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Vietnam. The purpose of a landing ship is to beach and allow tracked and wheeled vehicles to drive ashore via the ships bow ramp. The unique design of the LSM allowed a beaching draft of just 3ft 2in (0.97m) fwd and 6ft 2in (1.88m) aft. General cargo can also be discharged this way. The LSM was powered by two Fairbanks Morse diesel engines, each of 1800 horsepower with twenty vertically opposed pistons, sufficient to cruise at around twelve knots. It had a steaming radius of 3500 nautical miles. Crew numbers varied from task to task but the normal complement was three officers and 36 soldiers in peace time and increased to four officers and 47 soldiers during active service.

AV1356 Clive Steele conducting loading trials at sea with a Skycrane, Vietnam

Centurion tank trials with AV1356 Clive Steele at Stockton Beach NSW in 1963. The then Minister for the Army, Mr Forbes, is on the hull of the lead tank.

Support to the Australian Defence Force.

As well as having the capacity to transport Centurion tanks the LSM was an outstanding vessel for working around the Australian coastline. The ships undertook many tasks in Australian waters, mainly supporting the Army but also carrying out requests for assistance from civilian authorities including relocating cattle in Northern Queensland areas and transporting heavy mining equipment to King Island in Bass Strait. Support to the Army included exercises Spring Tide, Autumn Tide, Carbine, Lost Horizon, Quick Step, Long Shot, Barra Winga, Bell Bird and Operation Blowdown, along the whole East Coast of Australia. Another major role was assistance to the Australian Army Survey Corps by the ships through the provision of a maritime support base for survey operations. AV1353 Harry Chauvel and AV1354 Brudenell White were fitted with helicopter platforms to increase their capability. Support to Australian Army survey detachments was also provided in Indonesia at various times.

Support to Papua New Guinea

All ships spent considerable time operating in Papua New Guinea waters during the 1960s assisting in Nation Building prior to that countrys independence. The ships spent long periods there carrying out such tasks as delivering and withdrawing vehicles, machinery, stores and plant equipment for RAE Construction Squadrons that were developing roads and airfields. The ships were also used in conducting recruiting patrols for the Pacific Island Regiment, undertaking navigational surveys of riverine systems and moving stores and equipment around the country and islands for the PNG Defence Force. In 1964 AV1354 Brudenell White, under command of Captain Wally Blumenfeld RAE, carried out a survey support task where the ship navigated the Sepik River to the May River junction a distance of 595 km. No other ship of this size has ever reached so far up this river, either before or since.

Operational Service
Borneo. AV1353 Harry Chauvel and AV1355 Vernon Sturdee were deployed to Borneo in 1964 providing exceptional support to the Australian Army during the Indonesian Confrontation. These two LSMs transported the heavy construction plant and equipment of 7 Field Squadron Group RAE, the initial engineer unit to serve in Borneo. They also assisted in the unloading at sea of all the squadrons vehicles and 76 tons of stores at Jesselton from HMAS Sydney which, because of the limited port facilities and reasons of security she anchored in the harbour. The Sydneys aircraft cranes were used in this operation Vietnam. From 1966 to 1971 all ships served in South Vietnam with at least one LSM generally on station throughout the period of Australias involvement. In January 1968 two Centurion Armoured Recovery Vehicles were loaded onto AV1356 Clive Steele in Sydney which then sailed to Melbourne to take on two Centurion Bridgelayers. The ship then sailed to Vietnam via Townsville and Labuan, arriving at Vung Tau on 12 February 1968. This was the first consignment of heavy armour to Vietnam and was part of C Squadron, 1st Armoured Regiment. 12 Centurion tanks followed on MV Jeparit. Because there was no heavy lift crane at Vung Tau the Jeparit had to sail to Cam Ranh Bay, accompanied by the Clive Steele. The tanks were then loaded onto the Steele, four at a time, and transported to the Australian base at Vung Tau. During the next four years the LSMs played a significant role in transporting armoured vehicles, including battle casualties, back to Australia.

Loading a battle damaged tank onto AV1356 Clive Steele at Vung Tau, Vietnam for return to Australia in 1969.

Squadron Disbandment
In the early 1970s after the withdrawal of Australian forces from South Vietnam, it was decided that due to the age of the vessels and maintenance difficulties (they were of hasty wartime construction and by then some 26 years old) the ships would be disposed of, and 32 Small Ship Squadron was disbanded in 1971. With the sale of the ships went the Armys role in operating ocean-going vessels. The RAN would now take over this function with the smaller Landing Craft Heavy (LCH). The John Monash was retained under command of 1st Terminal Group until it was sold in 1972. During the life of the squadron the four LSMs and the John Monash sailed in excess of 600,000 nautical miles in support of the Australian Defence Force. There remains a vibrant Association of past members who continue to look after the history of this unique unit, as well as the welfare of its past members.