Gippsland Times (Vic. : 1861 - 1954), Monday 26 May 1947, page 1


"FOUR-IN-ONE" SHIP Freakish and Efficient A ship which has enough rudders and propellers for at least four normal types of craft is squatting in the Yarra waiting for a buyer. "AV2767"'-also known as the "Cru-sader"-was commissioned by the Australian Army at Williamstown (Vic.) in 1945 for the transportation of tanks and other heavy equipment. Shipping men were, to put it mildly, astonished when they first saw the strange ship. She was underpowered but only because Australian diesel en-gines of greater than 220 h.p. were not available when she was built. Actually 2000 h.p. was needed to push her farfrom-streamlinied shape through the sea, but there was only room for six 200 h.p. engines across her hull. Con-sidering -that the ship's width is a quarter of her length, she could hardly have, been built any beamier. Despite her ugly-duckling appearance which was not improved by a forest of derricks, the' "Crusader" did much useful work in the islands during the war. Her master, a former Sydney ferry skipper, claimed that she was the most manoeuvreable ship in Australia. Though a strictly utilitarian piece of marine architecture, the "Crusader" cost £124,000 to build. Practically all the steel work, every piece of which had to be specially designed, was fab-ricated at the South Melbourne works of Australian Iron & Steel Ltd. Since returning to home waters from Lae, Rabaul, Torikina and Aitape, the vessel has been in the service of the Australian Shipping Board. Her last job, before being laid up for sale was to freight 800,000 super feet of timber from Tasmania. "A ship that can almost look around corners" was how a Commonwealth Disposals official described the "Cru-sader" last week.-Geoff. Taylor.