The Ships of Brawling Battleships Steel: Australia Battle Cruiser Australia

Laid down on June 23, 1910, launched on October 25, 1911 and commissioned on June 21, 1912, Australia carried a main armament of eight 12 inch main guns mounted two per turret; one centerline forward, one centerline aft and one wing turret per side that could fire fore and aft and to both sides. Australia was a member of the three-ship Indefatigable battle cruiser class that included the class name ship built for Great Britain and the New Zealand, which was paid for by New Zealand. The class was powered by turbines with coal-fired boilers. This was the only capital ship to ever serve in the Australian Navy and her construction and upkeep was paid for entirely by Australia. Based in the broad Pacific when World War One started, the Australia was engaged in escort duties and operated against the German New Guinea and Samoa colonies. Ordered to Europe, she sank the German navy auxiliary SS Eleonore Woermann in the South Atlantic along the way. After reaching England, the ship was never involved in actual combat but became involved in a series of mishaps including a collision with her sister ship New Zealand on April 22, 1916 that caused Australia to miss the Battle of Jutland (May 31, 1916) and a collision with the battle cruiser Repulse on December 12, 1917. She was taken out of service in 1921 to conform to the Washington Naval Agreement and scuttled off the coast of Australia on April 12, 1924.

See other British battle cruisers: Courageous, Invincible, Lion