HMAS Torrens
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DESCRIPTION
Accession NumberP377Title (extended title only)HMAS TorrensDescriptionRoyal Australian Navy plaque – HMAS Torrens
This plaque has a wooden base with a painted clay centrepiece depicting the badge of the HMAS Torrens. In the middle of the badge is a magpie inside a yellow circle which is surrounded by a gold knot. Below is a boomerang behind two pieces of what appear to be primitive weaponry crossing. Above the circle is a ribbon with the word “TORRENS” written in gold colouring. Above this ribbon is the naval crown which features a ship with sails flanking it. At the bottom of the piece is another ribbon which reads “FAITH AND FORTITUDE”.
The back of the plaque features a hole to help frame it and a sticker from the maker of the plaque. It has an old Australian Made logo which is a blue circle with some white stars to the right and a red boomerang in the middle of the circle and the words “AUSTRALIAN MADE” towards the bottom. The rest of the sticker reads “Townsend Productions” in a red old English font (Townsend Productions), it then reads “BADGES AND CRESTS”, “546 HOMER STREET EARLWOOD, N.S.W. 2206 TELEPHONE: 78-4757”, “Protected by Crown or Copyright Act”, “Correspondence to P.O. Box 35, Bexley North, N.S.W. 2207”. It is presented as follows. There is another sticker added after the fact which has written in permanent marker “CE 079 Torrens”.
DateBetween 1st January 1970 and 31st December 1986ProvenanceThe HMAS Torrens (DE 53) or HMAS Torrens II was a River-class destroyer escort used by the Australian Royal Navy. HMAS Torrens was also used for a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer, HMAS Torrens (D67), a ship commissioned 3 July 1916 and used by the RAN during WWI. It was also used as a name for a naval base in Birkenhead, South Australia from August 1940 until 1965 where the name was changed to HMAS Encounter. The namesake of all three is the River Torrens, a river in Adelaide. The HMAS Torrens (DE 53) was ordered along with HMAS Swan as a replacement for HMAS Voyager, a destroyer sunk 10 February 1964. It was laid down 18 August 1965 by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company on Cockatoo Island in Sydney. The Cockatoo Docks and Engineering was founded 1 March 1993 and closed 31 December 1992. The ship was launched 28 September 1968 and commissioned 18 January 1971 before being decommissioned in 1998. On 14 June 1999 during combat system trials for submarine HMAS Farncombe the HMAS Torrens (DE 53) was sunk by a live torpedo just under 100km from the coast of Fremantle, or approximately 70km from Rottnest (31°47'00.0"S 114°47'00.0"E). In terms of the manufacturer of the plaque there is not much information about the company but its assets were purchased by Presentos, the ABN of which was registered 2 June 2014. The HMAS Torrens made numerous trips to
Western Australia and from September 1991 was based at HMAS Stirling. Given this and the fact there is no date on the plaque means the exact date of the visit cannot be pinpointed, however the Australian Made logo used by Townsend Productions was used as the logo from 1961 until 1986 so the timeframe of the visit can be shortened. There are at least three visits the ship took to Fremantle before 1986; two visits evidenced by photos and one visit evidenced by a Department of Defence press release. One photo is from November 1976 of the ship docked in Fremantle alongside the HMAS Stuart and HMAS Stalwart (a 1976 Department of Defence press release corroborates that the HMAS Torrens was in Western Australia around this time), and the other photo is of the ship docked in Fremantle alongside the HMAS Swan in 1983. The press release states that the HMAS Torrens will depart from Sydney to Fremantle on 27 April 1981. The Commanding Officer during these visits is unclear, however the mayor of the City of Fremantle during all three of these visits would have been William A. McKenzie, who held office from 1972-1984.
1976 visit. Photo provided by John Kent – https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/794576 1976 press release. Barge Capsize – Parliament of Australia Media – System Id – media/pressrel/HPR10016526 – Source: Minister for Defence – https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/media/pressrel/HPR10016526/upload_binary/HPR10016526.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22HMAS%20Torrens%201970s%201976%22
1981 press release. HMAS Melbourne Deployment– Parliament of Australia Media – System Id – media/pressrel/HPR08009155– Source: Minister for Defence – https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/media/pressrel/HPR08009155/upload_binary/HPR08009155.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22HMAS%20Torrens%20Fremantle%22
1983 visit. Photo provided by Horatio J. Kookaburra via RAN Historical, Navy Collection Heritage. Image ID 02257 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/6331357039/
Relevance to the CityHigh relevance due to Royal Australian Navy ship and the fact the ship was sunk off the coast of WA adds some significance.
This plaque has a wooden base with a painted clay centrepiece depicting the badge of the HMAS Torrens. In the middle of the badge is a magpie inside a yellow circle which is surrounded by a gold knot. Below is a boomerang behind two pieces of what appear to be primitive weaponry crossing. Above the circle is a ribbon with the word “TORRENS” written in gold colouring. Above this ribbon is the naval crown which features a ship with sails flanking it. At the bottom of the piece is another ribbon which reads “FAITH AND FORTITUDE”.
The back of the plaque features a hole to help frame it and a sticker from the maker of the plaque. It has an old Australian Made logo which is a blue circle with some white stars to the right and a red boomerang in the middle of the circle and the words “AUSTRALIAN MADE” towards the bottom. The rest of the sticker reads “Townsend Productions” in a red old English font (Townsend Productions), it then reads “BADGES AND CRESTS”, “546 HOMER STREET EARLWOOD, N.S.W. 2206 TELEPHONE: 78-4757”, “Protected by Crown or Copyright Act”, “Correspondence to P.O. Box 35, Bexley North, N.S.W. 2207”. It is presented as follows. There is another sticker added after the fact which has written in permanent marker “CE 079 Torrens”.
DateBetween 1st January 1970 and 31st December 1986ProvenanceThe HMAS Torrens (DE 53) or HMAS Torrens II was a River-class destroyer escort used by the Australian Royal Navy. HMAS Torrens was also used for a River-class torpedo-boat destroyer, HMAS Torrens (D67), a ship commissioned 3 July 1916 and used by the RAN during WWI. It was also used as a name for a naval base in Birkenhead, South Australia from August 1940 until 1965 where the name was changed to HMAS Encounter. The namesake of all three is the River Torrens, a river in Adelaide. The HMAS Torrens (DE 53) was ordered along with HMAS Swan as a replacement for HMAS Voyager, a destroyer sunk 10 February 1964. It was laid down 18 August 1965 by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company on Cockatoo Island in Sydney. The Cockatoo Docks and Engineering was founded 1 March 1993 and closed 31 December 1992. The ship was launched 28 September 1968 and commissioned 18 January 1971 before being decommissioned in 1998. On 14 June 1999 during combat system trials for submarine HMAS Farncombe the HMAS Torrens (DE 53) was sunk by a live torpedo just under 100km from the coast of Fremantle, or approximately 70km from Rottnest (31°47'00.0"S 114°47'00.0"E). In terms of the manufacturer of the plaque there is not much information about the company but its assets were purchased by Presentos, the ABN of which was registered 2 June 2014. The HMAS Torrens made numerous trips to
Western Australia and from September 1991 was based at HMAS Stirling. Given this and the fact there is no date on the plaque means the exact date of the visit cannot be pinpointed, however the Australian Made logo used by Townsend Productions was used as the logo from 1961 until 1986 so the timeframe of the visit can be shortened. There are at least three visits the ship took to Fremantle before 1986; two visits evidenced by photos and one visit evidenced by a Department of Defence press release. One photo is from November 1976 of the ship docked in Fremantle alongside the HMAS Stuart and HMAS Stalwart (a 1976 Department of Defence press release corroborates that the HMAS Torrens was in Western Australia around this time), and the other photo is of the ship docked in Fremantle alongside the HMAS Swan in 1983. The press release states that the HMAS Torrens will depart from Sydney to Fremantle on 27 April 1981. The Commanding Officer during these visits is unclear, however the mayor of the City of Fremantle during all three of these visits would have been William A. McKenzie, who held office from 1972-1984.
1976 visit. Photo provided by John Kent – https://www.shipspotting.com/photos/794576 1976 press release. Barge Capsize – Parliament of Australia Media – System Id – media/pressrel/HPR10016526 – Source: Minister for Defence – https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/media/pressrel/HPR10016526/upload_binary/HPR10016526.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22HMAS%20Torrens%201970s%201976%22
1981 press release. HMAS Melbourne Deployment– Parliament of Australia Media – System Id – media/pressrel/HPR08009155– Source: Minister for Defence – https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/media/pressrel/HPR08009155/upload_binary/HPR08009155.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf#search=%22HMAS%20Torrens%20Fremantle%22
1983 visit. Photo provided by Horatio J. Kookaburra via RAN Historical, Navy Collection Heritage. Image ID 02257 – https://www.flickr.com/photos/41311545@N05/6331357039/
Relevance to the CityHigh relevance due to Royal Australian Navy ship and the fact the ship was sunk off the coast of WA adds some significance.
RELATED
SubjectRoyal Australian NavyCollectionCivic Collection
INTERNAL
LocationCivic Collection
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HMAS Torrens (Between 1st January 1970 and 31st December 1986). City of Fremantle Local History Centre, accessed 04/04/2026, https://history.fremantle.wa.gov.au/nodes/view/45179