The 32 Small Ship Squadron was raised in 1959 after it was acknowledged that the Army was restricted by sub-standard road and rail facilities in moving the Centurion tanks of the 1st Armoured Regiment from their base in Puckapunyal, Victoria. To overcome the transport problem the Army purchased four ex-World War II US Navy Landing Ships Medium (LSM) to be crewed and operated by soldiers of the Transportation Service of the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE).
It was also necessary to find a base for the squadron and in 1963 the Army purchased the former Mort’s Dock at Woolwich, N.S.W..
The purpose of a landing ship is to beach and allow tracked and wheeled vehicles to drive ashore via the ship’s bow ramp. General cargo can also be discharged this way. It had a steaming radius of 3500 nautical miles. Crew numbers varied from task to task but the normal complement was four officers and 47 soldiers during active service.
The LSMs were named after Australian generals: AV1353 “Harry Chauvel”; AV1354 “Brudenell White”; AV1355 “Vernon Sturdee”; AV1356 “Clive Steele”. A fifth ship was added in 1965 when a coastal cargo vessel, the MV Marra was purchased from the Adelaide Steamship Company and renamed AS3051 “John Monash”.
AV1355 “Vernon Sturdee” was the first LSM of the 32nd Small Ship Squadron to serve in South Vietnam. She sailed from Sydney to Vietnam via the Philippines on 11 April 1966, carrying equipment and troops of 17th Construction Squadron RAE and escorting the “John Monash” which was similarly loaded. AV “Vernon Sturdee” returned to Australia via Singapore, Manus Island and Rabaul at the end of June 1966, and was the only LSM to sail to Vietnam and back with the same crew.
The crossing the line ceremony on board AV1355 “Vernon Sturdee” midway between Manus Island and Subic Bay en route to Vietnam. One of the crew is dressed as King Neptune. AS3051 “John Monash” can be seen in the background.
