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Slipways

There were two major slipways sites in Fremantle Harbour, the first on Rous Head from 1909, the second constructed during the Second World War, in use from September 1942.

North Slipway
Hutchison 1991:
A temporary slipway was constructed at Rous Head, able to accommodate vessels up to 198 m long and 48.8 m keel length. This slipway continued to be used for nearly fifty years.

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The Rous Head slipway 1956 (bottom of image), NLA an2316.

The South Slipway consists of three slipways, of 2000 tonne capacity, 610 tonne, and 101 tonne. They still exist, though in disuse, with the central one displaying HMAS Ovens, an Oberon class submarine.

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This is my photograph of a photo on ... a large tank - believe it or not. Note the pole in front of it. There are two such tanks in the slipways vicinity, both with such huge photos.Click/tap for a larger view. The caption, also on the tank, tells us this an "aerial photograph of the slipway complex showing the dredge Sir James Mitchell on the former submarine slipway [the largest one], and the new 600 ton and 100 ton capacity slipways. Courtesy Aerial Services Australia, State Library of WA (258201PD)

Image cropped from a 2019 panorama provide by Curtin University's panoramas project, showing the Ovens on the largest slipway in the middle, and the smallest slipway to the right. The other one is concealed between the Maritime Museum and the two cranes.

David Hutchison, Fremantle Walks, 2006:
Next to the museum, this slipway came into operation during World War II, in 1942. It serviced many Allied submarines and other navy vessels as well as merchant ships. Adjacent slipways were built in the late 1950s, and the slipway remained in operation until the late 1990s. It now houses an Oberon-class submarine, HMAS Ovens, which was in service with the Royal Australian Navy for twenty-six years. After decommissioning in 1998 it was handed over to the WA Maritime Museum where it is displayed as a memorial to American, Australian, British and Dutch submariners who served from Fremantle during World War II.

Jacqui Sherriff 2001:
The Rous Head slipway, completed in 1909 as a ‘temporary’ measure until a more permanent facility could be constructed, was operated by the Fremantle Harbour Trust. It had a capacity of 650 tons, with a cradle of 185 feet able to accommodate vessels to a maximum keel length of 160 feet. Although there were many private slipways at Fremantle Harbour and elsewhere at the time, they were generally small outfits. The Government was keen to build a large slipway capable of accommodating the largest ships of the State Shipping Service as well as military and commercial vessels, and to operate it as a public venture. [[../../fhs/fs/2/Sherriff.html|Sherriff]]: 106-7.

The following photo by George Davidson is the only one I've seen which shows the North Slipyard on Rous Head - in the distant background - towards the left.

Thanks to the City Library for this c. 1930s photo by George Davidson ref. no. 2379.

Library:
These vessels conveyed the lumpers (waterside workers) to the various landings along North Wharf (Quay). The Ivanhoe and Victor II were Harbour Trust owned; the remainder privately chartered. The tug Wyola is visible on the right. In the background is the original slipway which was abandoned during WWII.

South Slipways (no. 2 [610 tonne) left, no. 1 (2000 tonne] at right), c. 1960 (Fremantle Ports)

In 2022, the Maritime Museum would be standing on the left of this photo, the slipway on the left empty, and the submarine HMAS Ovens would be on the (largest) slipway on the right. (There is a third, smallest [110 tonne] slipway on the extreme right edge of the photo above.)

A plan was developed in 2005 to develop the area: the Slipways Development Concept. The whole document is available on this site.

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Ross Shardlow's key concept drawing. Click/tap for larger size.

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Another photo of a photo on a tank. The caption for this one: "1946. Dutch submarine RNN Tijgerhaai being repaired on the fremantle submarine slipway. Walter Murray Collection, WA Museum (MA 4504_72)

The third photo (on a third tank): "1945. British submarine HMS Telemachus being cleaned and repainted on the slipway, seen from the aircraft carrier HMS Unicorn. Courtesy Lesley Mills, AB Kenneth Lord Collection (MHD 355_089)

References and Links

Hutchison, David 1991, History of the Port of Fremantle with Emphasis on Victoria Quay, part of the volume Victoria Quay and Its Architecture, Its History and Assessment of Cultural Significance, City of Fremantle.

Sherriff, Jacqui 2001, [[../../fhs/fs/2/Sherriff.html|'Fremantle South Slipway: a vital World War II defence facility']], Fremantle Studies, 2: 106-119.

Slipways Development Concept, 2005.

See also: Slipway 1, Slipway 2, Slipway 3.

Freotopia

This page incorporates material from Garry Gillard's Freotopia website, that he started in 2014 and the contents of which he donated to Wikimedia Australia in 2024. The content was originally created on 2 October, 2017 and hosted at freotopia.org/slipways/index.html (it was last updated on 3 May, 2024). The donated data is also preserved in the Internet Archive's collection.