CONTENTS

Osborne House - North Geelong - proposal that it be a Victorian Campus of a National Naval Museum.
Osborne House 1919-1922 - First Submarine Base for "J" Class

OSBORNE HOUSE (1858)
Existing NAVAL & MARITIME MUSEUM
Swinburne St., North Geelong

'Osborne House' was erected for Robert Muirhead in 1838, the first mention of the fact being made in the 1858 Geelong City's Ratebook, where his name is attached to the following record in the Villamenta Ward section - "Empty (unfinished), on the bay front (12 acres); stone, 2 storeys, 11 rooms."
This description fits the southern verandahed section of the building. Rooms that were used as the Council's Council Chamber and Reception Hall were added at a later date. Robert Muirhead emigrated to Tasmania, from Leith, Scotland in 1838, later settling in Victoria and acquiring property, as a Squatter, on the Yarram Yarram run in the Grampians. He married in Geelong in 1846.
The fact that Muirhead had pastoral interests could well point out to the origin of the name "Osborne House" for the pastoral Orders in Council of 1847 were issued by Queen Victoria's authority from Osborne blouse, her home on the Isle of Wight. Muirhead resided with his wife and three daughters at "Osborne House" for some years and used the title in his correspondence. He died there on the 13th March 1862, followed by his wife on the 26th August the following year. Both are buried in the Eastern Beach Cemetery.
In early 1864 the building, on the Geelong Western Beach, was advertised for sale as "opposite Geelong West railway station". There were no purchasers and the property, which was listed in the 1871 Shire Rate Book as Mansion and 22 acres value £3,000, was leased out by Muirhead's Executors until 1878 when a Mr. J.F. Maguire bought it.
In 1898 a Phillip Russell purchased "Osborne House".
In 1900 the mansion was bought by the State of Victoria for the Premier's Country Residence, but it was never used as such.
On the formation of the Geelong Harbour Trust in 1903, the Commissioners paid the State Government £6,000 for "Osborne House".
During 1910 a dining room and seven additional bedrooms were added and in March 1911, after it had been offered to the Navy with no result, a tenant was secured and the building became a guest house.
In 1912 the Navy reconsidered the Trust's offer and decided to occupy the premises as a Royal Australian Naval College. £10,000, was spent on improvements and equipment.
It was officially opened by Governor-General Lord Denman, in March 1913 accompanied by Prime Minister, The Rt. Hon. Andrew Fisher. 200 guests travelled from Melbourne, by special train, motor cars and boats. Lord Denman arrived in a Naval torpedo boat, with a naval escort, in mid-afternoon.
In 1915 the Navy shifted the Naval College to Federal Territory at Jervis Bay and the proerty was used for a time as a convelesing hospital in the 1914-1918 war years and in 1919-1922 served as the Commonwealth's first Submarine Base for "J" Class, with the old colonial turret ship 'Cerberus' as a tender and renames HMAS PlatypusII.
In 1929 "Osborne House" reverted to the Harbour Trust's control and the Federal Government paid the sum of £7,500 as compensation for their time of occupation.
C.P.O. L.W.Starting, R.N. (Rtd.) was appointed caretaker and remained in occupation until 1937 when the house and two acres of land was sold to the Shire of Corio for £4,100 who, in the next year, transferred its offices from Lara. Municipal business was conducted there until 1941 when, during the war years, the building was taken over by the Department of the Army and operated as a training establishment.
"Osborne House' was re-occupied by the Corio Shire in December 1943.
Finally in 1948, the Shire purchased the adjacent Stables (Coach House) building and adjacent land from the Geelong Harbour Trust, thus re-uniting under one ownership the original house and stables buildings.
In 1970, the Naval Historical Society placed a plaque at Osborne House to commemmorate the fact that it was the site of the first Royal Australian Naval College in 1913.
The real beginning of training and developing our own Australian Naval Officers to command our own Naval fleet started here. It wasn't until Vice-Admiral Sir John Collins, an original 1913 College entry, became Chief of Naval Staff in 1948, that this was finally achieved 35 years later.

'OSBORNE HOUSE' & "J" Class SUBMARINES IN PORT PHILLIP BAY 1919-22 (revised from the research by Dr.David Legg.)

Several hulks of R.A.N. "J" Class submarines still survive in Port Phillip Bay after 50 years of service as breakwaters.
The "J" class submarines were the only triple screwed British submarines built and when completed for the Royal Navy in 1916-17 were the fastest submarines afloat.
Shortly after World War 1 the British Government offered as a gift to the Australian Government the six surviving "J" Class submarines ("J" 1-5, 7) from the Royal Navy. The submarines left Portsmouth in April 1919 and arrived in Sydney in June and July where they were refitted at Garden Island Dockyard.
In 1920 the vessels moved to Corio Bay, Geelong where a submarine base was established at Osborne House, still leased by the Department of the Navy. Submarine Tenders were HMAS 'Cerberus' and then HMAS 'Platypus'. During their service with the R.A.N. the submarines spent little time at sea taking part in local exercises, from time to time, with a visit to Tasmania in 1921.
In 1922 the Government decided to pay the submarines off owing to the great expense involved in maintaining the flotilla and the worsening economic conditions of the period. Submarines "J1", "J2", "J3", "J4", and "J3" were sold in 1924 and after being stripped of their fittings they were scuttled in Port Phillip and off Barwon Heads.
"J7" lasted longer, being used as an auxiliary power plant at Flinders Naval Depot (HMAS Cerberus) until 1929, when she too was finally scrapped.
The hulks of two of these submarines "J3" and "J7" can still be seen today in Port Phillip Bay.
The "J3" after being dismantled in 1926, was used as a breakwater at Swan Island. Unfortunately, the "J3" can only he seen from the sea as it lies just off the Department of Defence land at Swan Island, which is inaccessible to the public.
The other vessel "J7" was sunk as a breakwater at Hampton and can easily be visited as it now lies exposed under the boat marina at Sandringham Yacht Club (In the early 1980's the Victoria Chapter, Naval Historical Society of Australia was responsible for placing a plaque near to the submerged hulk; which may he clearly seen at low tide. Ed,)
Both hulks are heavily rusted and only "J3" still retains remnants of her conning tower.
Brief specifications of the R.A.N. "J" class submarines are as follows:
"Jl--5" (and "J6" which was sunk in error in the North Sea while in R.N. service in 1918)
1210 tons surface,
1820 tons submerged;
"J7" 1760 tons submerged;
length 275 feet;
beam 22 feet;
draught 14 feet;
machinery diesel engines,
triple screws:
speed 19 knots,
submerged 9-15 knots:
complement 44;
range 4,000 miles at 12 knots,
armament: six 18 inch torpedo tubes and one 4 inch gun.
During R.A.N. service "J7" differed in appearance from the other vessels in that her conning tower was placed further aft and the 4 inch gun mounted in a lower position.
Source.. 'Sabretache' M.H.S.A. July-September 1980.

Complied by Navy League of Australia - Victoria Division - 2001