Captain Cook Graving Dock
The need for a naval graving dock in Australia became crucial with the deteriorating world situation in the 1930s. There was little doubt that Australia’s security would depend upon its commercial sea lanes. The country’s ability to maintain the rate at which its naval forces could be repaired and returned to sea would play a large part in its ultimate survival.
In 1938 federal cabinet responded to this situation by approving, in principle, the construction of an Australian naval graving dock. The Australian Government approached the British Admiralty with its assessment of the requirement and asked for its assistance. As a result, Sir Leopold Savile KCB, past President of the Institution of Engineers, a senior principal in the British engineering firm Sir Alexander Gibb and Partners, was invited to Australia to investigate and report on the most suitable site. As a former Civil Engineer- in-Chief of the British Admiralty and responsible for the Singapore Naval Base, Savile was eminently qualified for the task. He arrived in June 1939 for a tour of every state and an inspection of 16 possible sites located within eight principal ports in southern Australia.
He was to consider the strategic as well as the engineering aspects of the sites and was reminded that the dock would also need to be used for repairing large merchantmen acting as troop ships. After completing his investigation, Savile concluded that three sites would fulfil these requirements. One was at Adelaide while the other two were in Sydney Harbour. Construction of the graving dock between Garden Island and the foreshore would best fulfil all the requirements. It was already well protected, provided easy entry for the fleet, and would enhance the importance of the existing Garden Island Naval Depot. In a report dated 31 January 1940, Sir Alexander Gibbs and Partners advised the adoption of the Garden Island-Potts Point proposal.
The Naval Base in Sydney was the centre for naval activities that then encompassed all of Australia. The building of the Captain Cook Graving Dock involved:- engineering in quarrying; maritime works; civil engineering especially concrete formulation, mass concrete pours and accuracy for caisson slots; mechanical and electrical engineering for the pumps; naval architecture in the design and construction of the caissons to close the dock also the selection of special timber on the caissons to provide the sealing of the dock.
The different engineering discipline employed in the works included quarrying, marine engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and naval architecture. The Captain Cook Graving Dock was built under wartime conditions. The major imperative was the surrender of Singapore to Japanese Forces on 15th February 1942 and the loss of the dry dock there.
The work started in 1941 was conducted on 24-hour basis and to enable this to take place floodlight towers were erected so that the work, especially the concrete pouring was continuous even at night. In spite of the recognition that there was a real threat of a submarine based aerial attack on Sydney the importance of the construction meant that the floodlights had to stay on.
The two reconnaissance flights by submarine-based float planes over Sydney in February 1942 and then in May 1942 were aided by the floodlighting for construction of the dock. The subsequent attack on Sydney is directly linked to the construction of the dock.
To provide air raid protection to the workers tunnels were driven in late 1941 and early 1942 to house 2500 workers if bombing took place. The attack on Sydney by midget submarines on 31st May 1942 and the subsequent shelling of Sydney suburbs on 8th June 1942 clearly demonstrated the perils for those constructing the dock were real.
However, the importance of the work was such that the floodlighting was not removed. 12 days before the official opening the dock in 1945 it was used for the urgent repair of an aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. This ship, part of the British Pacific Fleet, was on its way to take part in the final assault on Japan.
Engineering Heritage Recognition Program
| Marker Type | Engineering Heritage National Marker (EHNM) |
| Award Date | 2021 |
| Heritage Significance | The Captain Cook Graving Dock is a national asset continuing to service the Royal Australian Navy and commercial vessels of Australia and New Zealand. The engineering achievement in building the dock at time of war underlies its significance as one of Australia’s major engineering achievements that provided the basis for further great engineering works. |
| Nomination Document | Available here. |
| Ceremony Booklet | Not Available |
| Plaque/Interpretation Panel | None Installed. |
