AH 1733 Krawarree
Vessel numberHV000399
(not assigned)AH1733
Previous owner
Australian Army
Builder
EA Jack
Date1943
DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 24.38 m x 4.88 m x 1.6 m (80 ft x 16 ft x 5.25 ft)
DescriptionAH 1733 KRAWARREE was built by EA "Ned" Jack in Launceston and probably launched around August 1945 . The Ambulance Launches built in Tasmania were made by either Purdon and Featherstone in Hobart who made three, or EA 'Ned' Jack in Launceston who made two. Neither firm kept exact records to confirm who built the craft which were numbered AH 1730-1734, however an image in the Hobart Mercury 28 August 1945 shows the vessel AM 1733 undergoing trials on the Tamar River. Another undated historic image of AM 1733 shows it undergoing trials on the Derwent River.
The 24.38 metre long craft were adapted from the 80 Ft HDML hull design, with a raised aft deck over the rear third of the hull to give headroom and space for stretchers. They were fitted out with 33 stretcher berths, 30 in the main ward and three in a special ward. The layout was an effective use of the space and compartments, and the arrangement to lift stretchers aboard was simple and shows how basic facilities and treatment was in this wartime period. Wounded soldiers would be hoisted aboard on a stretcher, and lowered through a long hatch directly onto a table for assessment and initial treatment.
The craft had wooden double diagonal planked hulls and were powered by 2 Hercules diesel engines, giving a cruising speed of 12 knots, and a top speed of 16 knots. They were lightly armed for defence with one 20mm machine gun, and two twin Vickers 303 in guns.
The building process was slow and held up by the lack of suitable engines. Of the eight originally ordered around the end of 1943, only five were completed. The first three saw service late in the war in the PNG area. KRAWARREE did not see active service as it was completed at the end of the war. The log books held in National Archives Canberra begin in August 22 1945.
The craft also had the capacity to be modified as a headquarters for senior commanders, and AM 1734 KURUNDA was noted as being used as a command craft after the end of the war in September 1945.
KRAWARREE's history after 1945 is not well documented. It became a recreational vessel at an unknown date, and was once called EVITA. Only two recent owners are known. In 2010 it now belongs to the Krawarree Project Inc, who maintain the craft as a static display at Sanctuary Cove Queensland. They have refitted stretchers, armament and other items from its military days and restored the green army colour scheme to interpret how the craft was originally fitted out and used.
SignificanceAH 1733 KRAWARREE is a wooden 80 foot Ambulance Launch built in Tasmania in 1945 by EA Ned Jack, and was intended for service in World War II. It was built as an Army Hospital launch based on the hull of a fast patrol boat often designated as Harbour Defence Motor launches (HDML). It is the only surviving example of five such craft that were all built in Tasmania, and remains in its original configuration. It is a rare example of the huge number of working craft built for servcie and rescue operations, and one of the very few examples of the larger adapted fast supply and patrol boat craft still extant in Australia.
c 1934
c 1900
