The Australian government’s 1924 five-year plan for the Royal Australian Navy included orders for new cruisers. Australia and Canberra were based on the British Kent design but incorporated modest Australian modifications. HMAS Australia was launched in March 1927 by Dame Mary Cook, wife of Australian High Commissioner and former prime minister Sir Joseph Cook. Her launch tied the new warship to an interwar national programme and the imperial procurement structure that built it.
Notable Point · 49:38-50:27
Australia’s five-year naval plan and County order
Australia’s 1924 five-year naval plan produced locally adapted County-class orders and tied the cruiser programme to national policy.