Henry Dutton's luxury South Australian yacht 'Adele' sails into topsy turvy times in and out of the navy from 1915
Henry Dutton's former South Australian luxury yacht Adele as HMAS Franklin in the Royal Australian Navy in 1920.
The 44-metre luxury steam yacht, Adele, owned by Henry Dutton, the “squire” of Anlaby station, near Kapunda in South Australia’s mid north, sailed into eventful phases after being bought by the Australian government from his estate in 1915 for the first of two commissions by the Royal Australian Navy.
Dutton inherited Anlaby station and its wealth in 1890 from his uncle Frederick. Besides creating a mansion at Anlaby, Dutton, a member of the Royal South Australian Yacht Club, had Adele built in 1906 by Hawthorns & Co Ltd in Leith, Scotland.
Regarded as one of Australia’s finest pleasure yachts, the Adele had masts and bowsprit of Oregon pine and was rigged as a schooner. There were eight cabins panelled with polished hard woods, each with lockers and drawers, dressing tables and wardrobes, and wash basins with hot and cold water. Its guaranteed speed was 11.5 knots on a measured mile, and 11 knots for six hours.
Dutton’s godson and long-time yacht squadron commodore, Henry Wray Rymill cruising with Dutton on Adele for three months every year. Adele was also on the register of Royal Yacht Squdron at Cowes in England and Dutton, as a had the right to fly the white ensign.
In 1915, Adele was bought by the Australian government for £21,500 from Dutton’s estate and commissioned that year into the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Franklin and served as tender to the Royal Australian Naval College at Jervis Bay. The Franklin collided with the Sydney Harbor ferry Vaucluse in 1916, injuring two passengers. The Franklin’s sharp bow smashed through the wooden ferry’s hull, almost sinking her before she was towed to Garden Island.
The Franklin was paid off on March 1921, recommissioned in September, and then decommissioned a year later and given to the administrator of Papua New Guinea, serving there until 1929.
By 1930, she had reverted to the name Adele and returned home to Port Adelaide under the British flag although she was owned by the Australian government and operated by the home and territories department. Adele was powered at that time by a 68 horsepower (51kW) triple expansion steam engine.
In 1932, Adele was laid up at Rabaul in New Guinea. She was sold for £1,652 in December that year to Melbourne businessman William Buckland, who refitted her as a private yacht for cruising. Adele was later sold to C. H. Relph of Sydney and laid up at Rose Bay, Port Jackson.
In 1939, Adele was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Adele. She was armed with two .303-in Vickers machine guns and us as an examination vessel attached to HMAS Maitland from 1941. Adele struck the breakwater at Port Kembla in May 1943 and was declared a total loss. The wreck of Adele became protected under the New South Wales Heritage Act 1977.
Adele as HMAS Franklin was remembered in the names of two other sail training yachts associated with the Royal Australian Navy College: a 1960s/70s yacht that took part in several Sydney-to-Hobart races and a 25 metres Hunter yacht bought in 2005.
