Young Endeavour Replacement

Author

Editorial Staff

Subjects

Ship design and development, History - post WWII

Tags

Training ship, STS Young Endeavour

RAN Ships

None noted.

Publication

December 2023 edition of the Naval Historical Review (all rights reserved)

A new sail training ship will be built in Australia over the next three years, to replace STS Young Endeavour. The original brigantine is now 35 years old, and has been delivering sail training voyages in Australia since 1988.

The new ship will be a barquentine rig, with square sails rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft sails rigged on the fore, main and mizzen masts (yes, three masts!). It will accommodate up to 42 youth crew on each voyage. It will also be able to undertake more voyages per year, meaning more young Australians will be able to access this unique development program.

Over a thirty-year life the new ship will have the capacity to embark tens of thousands of youth to participate in the world-recognised Young Endeavour Youth Development Program, and a similar number of youth to participate in Community Day Sails around Australia.

Australian shipbuilder Birdon will construct the replacement ship in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, to a state-of-the-art barquentine design by the experienced team at Dykstra Naval Architects.

Birdon will be working with Dykstra on the core vessel design, and will also have responsibility for the design, engineering, and integration of the vessel’s systems, including mechanical, electrical, propulsion, communication and navigation systems.

Like Young Endeavour, the new ship is expected to be steel hulled, have timber deck covering, and be rigged with aluminium masts and spars. The Young Endeavour staff crew are also looking forward to additional features, including increased endurance at sea, and air conditioning throughout the ship!

The Young Endeavour Program is an investment in Australia’s youth, helping participants develop life skills and reach their full potential. Since 1988 the Royal Australian Navy has operated, maintained and crewed the sail training ship Young Endeavour on behalf of the Commonwealth, ensuring that voyages, while physically and mentally challenging, are conducted with the highest regard for safety.

The acquisition of a replacement for Young Endeavour is part of the Australian Government’s continuous naval shipbuilding program. Young Endeavour will remain in service until delivery of the replacement vessel.

Navy will continue to operate the new vessel under the Australian White Ensign, with a larger, dedicated staff crew, delivering the highly acclaimed Young Endeavour Youth Development Program for the next generation of Australian youth.

Message from the Governor General, David Hurley

STS Young Endeavour was constructed in 1986-87 in Lowestoft, England, and embarked on her maiden voyage to Australia on 3 August 1987. Crewed by 12 young Australians, 12 British youth and a merchant navy crew, the ship arrived in Perth late that year, then sailed around the southern coast of Australia to Sydney. Young Endeavour was formally gifted to the Australian people on 25 January 1988.

Since then, Young Endeavour has delivered a world class sail training program developed by the Young Endeavour Youth Scheme, embarking crews of 24 young Australians for each voyage along the Australian coast. The ship has circumnavigated Australia four times, and has twice sailed around the world.

Sail training voyages provide experiential learning at sea, focused on personal development. The Young Endeavour Youth Development Program builds skills and attributes to develop each participant into a better team player, a more effective communicator and a leader – skills which are readily transferable to everyday life and career settings. The program has long-lasting benefits for both individual participants and their communities.

Media Release from the contractors: Birdon, Port Macquarie

Birdon has been awarded the contract to design and build the replacement for the brigantine Sail Training Ship (STS) Young Endeavour, which has been operated by the Royal Australian Navy for more than three decades providing youth development and sail training to Australian youth under The Young Endeavour Youth Scheme.

Birdon will work with Dykstra on the core vessel design, and will also be responsible for the design, engineering, and integration of all the vessel’s systems, including mechanical, electrical, propulsion, communication and navigation systems.

The replacement vessel design is testament to over 18 months of hard work from the Dykstra and Birdon engineering teams, and this new contract is a recognition of the team’s ingenuity and capacity.

‘It’s an honour to have been selected to design and build the Young Endeavour replacement tall ship. It is a unique vessel, providing leadership opportunities to young Australians that we are proud to be able to ensure continues. It is an important step in Birdon’s vision, as an Industry Partner, to deliver increasing sovereign capability in support of the Australian Naval Shipbuilding Plan’ Birdon CEO Jamie Bruce said.