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You are here: Home / Naval Heritage Sites / Cockatoo Island / Dockyard People

Cockatoo IslandDockyard People

· Sep 18, 2017 ·

Between 1857 and 1992, many thousands of people worked on Cockatoo Island. They brought many skills, and trained thousands of young Australian apprentices who went on to other industries throughout Australia. There are few records of the number of people who worked on the island before 1913, but between 1913 and 1992 the workforce represented some 142,000 man-years of total effort. The highest number of people employed in the dockyard was 4,085 on 31 December 1919. Through their efforts the workers of Cockatoo Dockyard made an enormous contribution to the Nation, the Royal Australian Navy, Australia’s merchant marine and the development of national infrastructure.

The shipwright launching crew for HMAS Vampire, 1956
The shipwright launching crew for HMAS Vampire, 1956

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Cockatoo Island

  • Early History — The Penal Era
  • The Dockyard Era
  • The Commonwealth Naval Dockyard
  • Shipbuilding
  • Ship Repair
  • Submarines
  • General Engineering
  • Other Activities
  • Dockyard People
  • Cockatoo Island Today
  • Dockyard Timeline
  • Dockyard Records

Additional reading for Cockatoo Island

  • I Name this Ship….
  • HMS Australia and the William Droudge Mystery
  • Occasional Paper 28: Cockatoo Island – An Historical Account
  • Cockatoo Island - An Historical Account
  • Cockatoo Dockyard and the American Fleet Cruisers
  • First of the Line - HMAS Albatross, first aircraft carrier
  • Spectacle Island Command 1894 - 1900

World & National Heritage Sites

  • Cockatoo Island
  • HMAS Sydney II and the HSK Kormoran Shipwreck Sites
  • HMVS Cerberus

Commonwealth Heritage Sites

  • Chowder Bay Naval Facilities
  • Royal Australian Naval Transmitting Station ACT
  • Royal Australian Naval College ACT
  • Garden Island WA
  • Naval Offices QLD
  • HMAS Cerberus
  • Admiralty House, Garden and Fortifications
  • Beecroft Peninsula NSW
  • Spectacle Island Explosives Complex NSW
  • HMAS Penguin
  • HMAS Watson

The NHSA acknowledges support provided by the Australian Department of Environment and Energy which made these pages possible.
Greater detail on building history, the natural and Indigenous significance to these sites is available by accessing the National Heritage List.

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