Harman
Vessel numberHV000354
Vessel Registration Number1640S
Previous owner
Royal Australian Navy
(Australian, founded 1913)
Owner
Sydney Heritage Fleet
Builder
Storey and Keers
Previous owner
Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company
(Australian, 1933 - 1992)
Date1944
DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 14.4 m x 1.1 m (47.25 ft x 3.61 ft)
DescriptionHARMAN was built of Oregon planking on Australian hardwood frames and supporting structure. It is 14.4 metres long and powered by a 5 cylinder Gardner diesel. Storey and Keers had yards in Sydney and elsewhere along the coast, however it is not known which yard built the craft.
HARMAN was attached to the naval communications establishment HMAS Harman. Naval establishments were termed 'Stone Frigates' and it was once a tradition that all naval shore establishments were allocated their own vessel carrying the establshment name. In this case the connection was unusual. HMAS Harman was a shore base in the ACT from 1943 onwards and located well inland from the sea, while its vessel HARMAN was operated on Sydney Harbour.
HARMAN transported Navy personnel from ship to shore, and between the many RAN establishments from Balmoral to the Parramatta River in Sydney Harbour. After decommissioning by the RAN in 1957 it transferred to Cockatoo Island Dockyard where it worked as a passenger and general duties launch. To improve visibility for the helmsman a new higher wheelhouse with a raised sole was fitted in the 1970s.
In 1992 HARMAN was acquired by the Sydney Heritage Fleet, and in 2009 it was continuing its role as a working harbour launch. In 2007/2008 it was extensively overhauled. Rot in the carlins and deck beams was removed and replaced. A number of joinery items were also replaced, a new engine room hatch was built, a plywood layer added over the existing cabin top, and new fuel tanks installed.
SignificanceHARMAN is a Royal Australian Navy wooden motor launch built in 1944 by the firm Storey and Keers. It has been an unobtrusive workhorse representative of many other working craft around Sydney Harbour. HARMAN has never worked in any other location. In 2009 it remained on the Harbour as a passenger vessel still in an original configuration after more than 60 years of service.
c 1934
