USN Torpedo Repair Shop

Benedict Stone Factory

Naval/port facility
Brisbane City

Light Street, Bowen Hills 4006

US Naval Base, Navy 134 Brisbane operated the main torpedo supply depot for US submarines in Australia. The establishment of a torpedo Repair Unit was requested by Commander US Seventh Fleet, to enable the local servicing of torpedos.

History

The Benedict Stone Factory was owned by the Catholic Church in Brisbane, and had been used to manufacture cast stone. The building, approximately 160′ x 45′, was timber framed and lined with galvanised iron. It was obtained through the Australian Army Hiring Service for the US Navy, which took possession from 22 September 1942, and converted into a Torpedo Repair and Conditioning Shop.

The navy added a 75′ extension to the building, new crane-rails, a compressor and generator shed, toilet facilities, and a second floor over the workshop. Electric power and lighting were also installed. The torpedo shop could hold seventy-two torpedos on two racks. Reinforced concrete retaining walls were constructed around more than half the perimeter of the property to prevent the movement of the earth upon which the buildings were located. An additional two-story building 31′ x 60′ was built on the site to house barracks, mess hall and galley for personnel working there.

The US Navy ceased operations on the site from 6 April 1945, after which it was occupied by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Wing.

Source/comments

United States Navy Bureau of Yards and Docks Section, Defense Aid - Reciprocal and Review Board Report US Naval Base, Navy 134, Brisbane, (1946).