Fairmile type HDML 1324 in foreground
In April 1941 the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) recognised the need for a vessel which could be built locally and used in the littoral waters of Australia, New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies and their surrounding islands. On 5 January 1942 the War Cabinet gave approval to construct Fairmiles in Australia. Between November 1942 and April 1944, thirty-five vessels were commissioned into RAN service.
The Royal Australian Navy Fairmile variant was the “B” type with a speed of approximately 20 knots, The ML’s complement varied from 17 to 23 (normally 3 officers), but up to 50 soldiers were frequently carried.
- About Phil Belbin
Phil Belbin was interested in art from a young age and a prolific drawer. He is said to have produced his first comic book at the age of eleven and had his first published work, a calendar for a metallurgist, at the age of thirteen. He studied art for two years at East Sydney Technical College. In 1942 Belbin had further training for one year at Sydney's The Sun newspaper as an intern in the art department.
In 1943 Belbin enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force and served as an armourer in the Pacific Islands. Following his demobilisation in March 1946, Belbin found work at Frank Johnson Publications as an illustrator. In 1947 Belbin went to work for K.G. Murray Publishing Company. He created cartoons, comic strips and artwork for the company over the next 30 years.
Throughout his time at the publishing house Belbin also worked as a freelance illustrator for other publications and illustrated campaigns for advertising agencies and numerous private commissions. Belbin's list of commercial art clients grew to include local and international engineering, aerospace, and transportation companies.
In 1974 Belbin was awarded a 'Citation of Merit' by the New York Society of Illustrator and in 1984 he was elected as a fellow by the Royal Society of Arts, London.
Throughout his life Belbin had maintained a keen interest in steam transport - ships and trains. In addition to his print illustrations, Belbin also painted scenes of shipping and steam trains whose accurate details were highly regarded.
Belbin was asked to illustrate the book “The Royal Australian Navy: the first seventy-five years”. This book contains twenty-six outstanding ship paintings and several drawings by Phil Belbin. The text was by Ross Gillett. It was published by Child & Henry in 1989.
Phil Belbin passed away in 1993, succumbing to motor neurone disease.
- About Fairmiles
Fairmile motor launches were small, fast, highly manoeuvrable, lightly armed craft designed in the United Kingdom. They were originally intended to be used for coastal anti-submarine and convoy protection duties but soon proved to be vessels capable of much broader operational tasking.
HMAS HDML 1324 also known as Nepean was built by A. McFarlane and Sons, Birkenhead, South Australia. After service in north Australian waters she was at Timor for the Japanese surrender in 1945. She was later reclassified as a Seaward Defence Boat.
More reading
- Additional resources for Phil Belbin
- Additional resources for Fairmiles
