HMAS Biloela

HMAS "Biloela" was a fleet collier operated by the Royal Australian Navy from 1920 to 1927. "Biloela" was built at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney and was the first ship to be entirely built from Australian materials to an Australian design. She was completed on 5 July 1920 and supported the RAN's coal burning warships during peacetime training cruises. These warships were decommissioned in the second half of the 1920s and "Biloela" was decommissioned into reserve on 14 November 1927. While the RAN considered converting "Biloela" to a seaplane tender these plans did not eventuate and the ship was sold to a commercial company in March 1931. Renamed "Cree" the ship was sunk by a German submarine on 21 November 1940.

References

* Seapower Centre - Australia [http://www.navy.gov.au/HMAS_Biloela HMAS Biloela ship history]