Images(2)

Lianna

Vessel numberHV000182

Vessel Registration Number02-113

Vessel Registration Number928

Vessel Registration Number750

Builder Lars Halvorsen Sons Pty Ltd (1924 -)

Previous owner Royal Australian Air Force

Previous owner Royal Australian Navy (Australian, founded 1913)

Date1957

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 19.2 m x 4.65 m x 1.22 m, 39.37 tonnes (63 ft x 15.25 ft x 4 ft, 40 tons)

DescriptionLIANNA was launched in 1957 as RAAF No 02-113, and was commissioned as an Air-Sea Rescue launch. It was one of 21 Miami class anti-submarine vessels that were modified and to be operated by the RAAF as air-sea rescue craft. Twenty were built in the the United States and were delivered to Sydney from July 1944 onwards. No 02-113 which was then built in 1957 in Australia may have been built to replace an earlier vessel.

The hull was designed by American DM Long from the Miami Boat Company in 1941.The primary American builders were Fellows & Stuart who were based in Willmington, California. Their moulded construction was quite contemporary for the period, with an internal diagonal layer of cedar and an external layer fore and aft of mahogany. The stem, keel and chines are made of Honduran mahogany, and ¾ inch fir plywood was used for the decks.

Halvorsens used local timbers for the construction and the hull is triple-planked in Queensland mahogany with canvas between the layers. The single-chine, vee-bottom hull has a twin engine installation, and the two General Motors diesels currently in use were the original engines installed. This enabled it to operate at high speeds in rough water conditions whenever required.

Records show 02-113 was called AIR-LOUD or AIR SEEK following the names of the other vessels in the class which all began with AIR as the first of a two-part name. Their main role was rescuing airman from planes that had come down at sea, and they were equipped with a sick bay in the aft cabin. They also performed patrol work during the war. The crew comprised one officer, usually a Sub Lieutenant, and six or seven ratings.

The vessel served with the RAAF and the RAN in its air-sea rescue role before it was decommissioned and sold. The craft was then converted to become a high-speed motor cruiser. The original hull and deck, showing the quality construction by Halvorsens, remained intact in 2008, but with a new layout, for the cabin and flying bridge.
SignificanceLIANNA ii a wooden motor launch built in NSW in the 1950s. It is an American designed military search and rescue boat, and the only one of its type built in Australia. It was built by Lars Halvorsen Sons at their Ryde yard in 1957. The original hull shows the high quality of their craftsmanship. As a motor cruiser it shows how miltary and other workcraft can be adapted to other uses.