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HMAS ''Psyche'' (formerly HMS ''Psyche'') was a light cruiser built for the Royal Navy at the end of the 19th century. Initially operating on the North America and West Indies Station, the cruiser was transferred to the Australian Squadron in 1903, and remained there until the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) took over responsibility in 1913. After a stint in New Zealand waters and involvement in the Occupation of German Samoa, ''Psyche'' was paid off in 1915. At the recommendation of the Australian government, the ship was commissioned into the RAN in 1915, and assigned to patrol the coast of Burma, in response to the threat of a German-instigated uprising. ''Psyche'' operated in the Bay of Bengal and around Sumatra until 1916, when she was docked at Hong Kong for refit. During this, personnel from the ship were used to commission and man the river gunboat . After the refit's conclusion, ''Psyche'' patrolled in Chinese waters, before returning to the Bay of Bengal. ''Psyche'' returned to Sydney and was paid off in October 1917, but recommissioned a month later for patrols in Australia's northern waters. She was decommissioned for the final time in early 1918. The ship was sold for use as a timber lighter in 1922, and sank in 1940 at Salamander Bay, New South Wales following a storm. ==Design and construction== ''Psyche'' was a third-class protected cruiser of the nine-ship ''Pelorus''- or P-class.〔Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 116〕 She had a displacement of 2,135 tons, was long overall and long between perpendiculars, had a beam of , and a draught of .〔 Propulsion was supplied by inverted three-cylinder triple expansion steam engines, built by Keyham, providing to two propeller shafts.〔Cassells, ''The Capital Ships'', p. 117〕 ''Psyche'' was capable of reaching , although she normally operated at the more economical speedo of .〔 The cruiser was armed with eight single QF guns, eight single QF 3-pounder guns, two 4.7-inch guns, two field guns, three Maxim machine guns, and two torpedo tubes sited above the waterline.〔 Armour protection was limited to thick section of deck plating over vital areas.〔Bastock, ''Australia's Ships of War'', p. 50〕 The ship's company initially stood at 220, but this was later reduced to 188; 12 officers, and 176 sailors.〔 ''Psyche'' was laid down for the Royal Navy at HM Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth on 15 November 1897.〔 She was launched on 19 July 1898 by Miss E. Carr, sister of the dockyard's admiral superintendent.〔 The cruiser was completed on 28 April 1899, and was placed in reserve until her commissioning on 2 May 1899.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「HMAS Psyche」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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