View source for HMAS Pioneer

{{other ships|HMS Pioneer}}
{{short description|Pelorus-class protected cruiser built for the Royal Navy at the end of the 19th century}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:HMAS Pioneer (AWM P01585009).jpg|300px|HMAS Pioneer off East Africa in 1916]]
|Ship caption=HMAS ''Pioneer'' off East Africa in 1916
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=''Pioneer''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Chatham Dockyard]], [[Kent]]
|Ship laid down=16 December 1897
|Ship launched=28 June 1899
|Ship completed= 23 January 1900
|Ship commissioned=10 July 1900
|Ship decommissioned=29 November 1912
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Transferred to Australia, 28 November 1912
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Australia
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Australia|naval-1913}}
|Ship name=''Pioneer''
|Ship acquired=28 November 1912
|Ship commissioned=1 March 1913
|Ship decommissioned=7 November 1916
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=*'''Battle honours:'''
*[[East African Campaign (World War I)|German East Africa]] 1915–16
|Ship fate=Scuttled, 18 February 1931
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{Sclass|Pelorus|cruiser}}
|Ship displacement={{convert|2200|LT|t}}
|Ship length=*{{convert|313|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
*{{convert|305|ft|m|abbr=on}} [[Length between perpendiculars|p/p]]
|Ship beam={{convert|36|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|15|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=[[Triple expansion engine]]s, 2 shafts, {{convert|5000|ihp|0|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed={{convert|19.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=225 as designed
|Ship armament=*8 × [[QF 4 inch naval gun Mk I - III|QF {{convert|4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} gun]]s
*8 × single QF [[3-pounder gun]]s
*2 [[field gun]]s
*3 × [[Maxim gun|Maxim machine guns]]
*2 × {{convert|14|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s
|Ship armour=*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{convert|1+1/2|-|2|in|mm|abbr=on}} [[Deck (ship)|deck]]
*Gunshields: {{convert|1/4|in|mm|abbr=on}}
*[[Conning tower]]: {{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''HMAS ''Pioneer''''' (formerly '''HMS ''Pioneer''''') was a {{sclass|Pelorus|cruiser|0}} protected cruiser built for the [[Royal Navy]] at the end of the 19th century. She was transferred to the fledgling [[Royal Australian Navy]] (RAN) in 1912. During [[World War I]], the cruiser captured two German merchant ships, and was involved in the [[East African Campaign (World War I)|East African Campaign]], including the blockade of the cruiser {{Ship|SMS|Königsberg|1905|6}} and a bombardment of [[Dar-es-Salaam]]. She returned to Australia in late 1916 and was decommissioned. ''Pioneer'' was used as an accommodation ship for the following six years, then was stripped down and sold off by 1926. The cruiser was [[scuttled]] outside Sydney Heads in 1931.

==Design and construction==
''Pioneer'' was a third-class [[protected cruiser]] of the nine-ship [[Pelorus-class cruiser|''Pelorus'' or P class]].<ref name=Cassells111>Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 111</ref> These ships had a displacement of 2,200 tons, were {{convert|313|ft|3|in|m}} [[Length overall|long overall]] and {{convert|305|ft|m}} long [[between perpendiculars]], had a beam of {{convert|36|ft|9|in|m}}, and a draught of {{convert|15|ft|m}}.<ref name=Cassells111/> Propulsion was supplied by inverted three-cylinder [[Triple expansion engine|triple expansion steam engine]]s, providing {{convert|5000|ihp}} to two propeller shafts.<ref name=Cassells112>Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 112</ref> Although designed to reach speeds of {{convert|20|kn|lk=in}}, ''Pioneer'' was only capable of {{convert|19.5|kn}}.<ref name=Cassells111/>

The cruiser was armed with eight single QF {{convert|4|in|mm|abbr=on}} guns, eight single QF [[3-pounder gun]]s, two [[field gun]]s, three [[Maxim gun|Maxim machine guns]], and two {{convert|14|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s sited above the waterline.<ref name=Cassells112/> The ship's company initially stood at 225, but this was later reduced to 188; 12 officers, and 176 sailors.<ref name=Cassells112/>

''Pioneer'' was laid down for the [[Royal Navy]] at [[Chatham Dockyard|HM Dockyard]], [[Chatham, Kent]] on 16 December 1897.<ref name=Cassells112/> She was launched 28 June 1899 by Miss Andoe, daughter of the dockyard's admiral superintendent.<ref name=Cassells112/> ''Pioneer'' underwent steaming trials on 2 September making 17.6 knots during six runs over the measured mile off Maplin Sands.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Technical Publishing Co Ltd| volume = XX, July-December| last = Technical Publishing Co Ltd| title = The Practical Engineer| location = Manchester| date = 1899|page=263}}</ref>  The cruiser was completed on 23 January 1900, and was placed in reserve until her commissioning on 10 July 1900.<ref name=Cassells112/>

==Operational history==
''Pioneer'' spent the majority of 1900 in British waters, before sailing for the [[Mediterranean Fleet]] under the command of Commander [[Hugh Evan-Thomas]] on 15 November.<ref name=Cassells112/> Commander [[George Hope (Royal Navy officer)|George Hope]] was appointed in command on 5 July 1902,<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=8 July 1902 |page=11 |issue=36814}}</ref> taking up the command later that month after a visit by the ship to [[Brindisi]].<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=10 July 1902 |page=10 |issue=36816}}</ref> In late December 1902 she was in Greek waters when she visited [[Astakos]] in the [[Ionian Sea]] with [[HMS Irresistible (1898)|HMS ''Irresistible'']] and [[HMS Bulwark (1899)|HMS ''Bulwark'']].<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |title=Naval & Military intelligence |date=1 January 1903 |page=4 |issue=36966}}</ref> The ship remained in the Mediterranean until returning to Chatham on 20 November 1904.<ref name=Cassells112/> ''Pioneer'' was decommissioned until 5 September 1905, when she was reactivated for service as a drill ship with the [[Australian Squadron]] of the Royal Navy.<ref name=Cassells112/>

On 29 November 1912, ''Pioneer'' was decommissioned and gifted to the Australian government, who commissioned the ship as part of the [[Royal Australian Navy]] on 1 March 1913.<ref name=Cassells112/> Initially used as a tender for the naval base at [[Garden Island, New South Wales]], ''Pioneer'' was refitted during the second half of 1913, and on 1 January 1914, was reassigned for [[reservist]] training.<ref name=Cassells112/>

At the start of [[World War I]], ''Pioneer'' sailed from Victoria to Western Australia, where she served as a patrol vessel.<ref name=Cassells112/> On 16 August, she captured the German merchant ship ''Neumunster'', which was taken by the Australian government as a [[prize of war]] and renamed ''Cooee''.<ref name=Cassells112/> Ten days later, the cruiser captured a second German ship, the [[Norddeutscher Lloyd]] liner ''Thuringen'', which was presented to the government of India for use as a troop transport.<ref name=Cassells112/> On 1 November, ''Pioneer'' joined the escort of the convoy transporting the [[Australian and New Zealand Army Corps]] to Egypt as a replacement for the Japanese cruiser [[Japanese cruiser Nisshin|''Nisshin'']], and with orders to check on the [[Cocos Islands]] during the voyage.<ref name=Cassells112/> However, as the Australian warship took up position, she suffered a major engine malfunction, and {{HMAS|Sydney|1912|6}} joined the convoy instead.<ref name=Cassells112/>

[[File:HMAS Pioneer Simonstown 1915 P01585.007.jpeg|thumb|left|''Pioneer'' undergoing refit in Simon's Town, South Africa during late 1915]]
In late December, the cruiser was assigned to the blockade of [[German East Africa]], and sailed for Zanzibar on 9 January 1915.<ref name=Cassells112/> On arrival, ''Pioneer'' was ordered to help contain the German cruiser {{Ship|SMS|Königsberg|1905|6}} in the [[Rufiji River]] and prevent German supply ships from arriving.<ref name=Cassells112/> ''Königsberg'' was scuttled on 12 July following shelling by two [[monitor warship|monitors]], although ''Pioneer'' remained in the region until 31 August, when she sailed to [[Simon's Town]] in South Africa for a six-week refit.<ref>Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', pp. 112–3</ref> ''Pioneer'' returned to uneventful patrols of German East Africa on 22 October, and continued until early February 1916, when the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] instructed the ship to return to Australia.<ref name=Cassells113>Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 113</ref> However, before she could leave, demands by General [[Jan Smuts]] for more Admiralty involvement in the [[East African Campaign (World War I)|East African Campaign]] saw ''Pioneer'' return to patrols on 24 February.<ref name=Cassells113/> On 30 July, the cruiser fired 100 4-inch shells during the bombardment of [[Dar-es-Salaam]].<ref name=Cassells113/>

==Decommissioning and fate==
''Pioneer'' was ordered to return to Australia on 8 August 1916, and was paid off on 7 November 1916.<ref name=Cassells113/> Despite being "obsolete and decrepit" she saw more actual combat than any other Australian ship of World War I.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.awm.gov.au/units/unit_12590.asp |title=HMAS Pioneer: Australian War Memorial |work=awm.gov.au |access-date=2 July 2010}}</ref> ''Pioneer'' returned to Garden Island and was used as an accommodation vessel until 1922.<ref name=Cassells113/> She was handed to [[Cockatoo Island Dockyard]] for stripping in May 1923, was passed to the control of the Commonwealth Shipping Board in 1924, who then sold the hulk to H. P. Stacey of Sydney, in 1926.<ref name=Cassells113/> The ship was scuttled off Sydney Heads on 18 February 1931.<ref name=Cassells113/>

==Wreck==
The location of the wreck was lost until March 2014, when it was rediscovered by wreck-hunters analysing data taken from the research vessel [[RV Southern Surveyor|''Southern Surveyor'']].<ref name=wrecksinfo>{{cite web |title=Current News: Discovery of the Light Cruiser HMAS Pioneer off Sydney |work=NSWwrecks.info |url=http://www.nswwrecks.info/Current%20News.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415161901/http://www.nswwrecks.info/Current%20News.html |archive-date=15 April 2014 |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> ''Pioneer''{{'}}s wreck sits {{convert|67|m|ftin}} below sea level, at {{coord|33|51.850|S|151|19.844|E|type:landmark_region:AU-NSW|display=inline}}, approximately {{convert|4|km|nmi mi}} east of [[Vaucluse, New South Wales|Vaucluse]].<ref name=wrecksinfo/> The wreck lies with the bow towards the south-east, and is intact in places, with structures rising up to {{convert|5|m|ftin}} from the sea floor.<ref name=wrecksinfo/>

==Honours and awards==
Following a reorganisation of the RAN [[battle honour]]s system, completed in March 2010, ''Pioneer'' was retroactively awarded the honour "German East Africa 1915–16" in recognition of her wartime service.<ref name=newhonours>{{cite news |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/Navy_Marks_109th_Birthday_With_Historic_Changes_To_Battle_Honours |title=Navy Marks 109th Birthday With Historic Changes To Battle Honours |date=1 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613184920/http://www.navy.gov.au/Navy_Marks_109th_Birthday_With_Historic_Changes_To_Battle_Honours |archive-date=13 June 2011 |publisher=Royal Australian Navy |access-date=23 December 2012}}</ref><ref name=honourslist>{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Units_entitlement_list.pdf |title=Royal Australian Navy Ship/Unit Battle Honours |date=1 March 2010 |publisher=Royal Australian Navy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614064156/http://www.navy.gov.au/w/images/Units_entitlement_list.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2011 |access-date=23 December 2012}}</ref>

==Citations==
{{reflist}}

==References==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Cassells |first=Vic |title=The Capital Ships: Their Battles and Their Badges |year=2000 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=East Roseville, NSW |isbn=0-7318-0941-6 |oclc=48761594}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite journal|last=Pelvin|first=Richard|title=The Second Team: The P Class Cruisers of the RAN and the Exercise of Sea Power, 1914–1918|journal=Sabretache|publisher=Military Historical Society of Australia|location=Garran, Australian Capital Territory|volume= LVIII|issue= 3, September|date=2017|pages=4–17|issn=0048-8933}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|HMAS Pioneer (ship, 1899)}}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-pioneer |title=HMAS Pioneer |publisher=Royal Australian Navy |access-date=11 January 2013}}

{{Pelorus class cruisers}}
{{1931 shipwrecks}}{{Navbox shipwrecks of New South Wales|Scuttlednsw}}

{{coord|33|51.850|S|151|19.844|E|type:landmark_region:AU-NSW|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pioneer}}
[[Category:Pelorus-class cruisers of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Chatham]]
[[Category:1899 ships]]
[[Category:Pelorus-class cruisers of the Royal Australian Navy]]
[[Category:World War I cruisers of Australia]]
[[Category:Scuttled vessels of New South Wales]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Tasman Sea]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1931]]