Cockatoo Island would require multiple docks able to receive ships as large as Hood, while Garden Island could expand berthing and dual-use waterfront facilities. Because damaged ships must travel farther from the front, Sydney needs deeper repair capacity and more replacement ships. Those yards could also receive Mediterranean casualties that historically crossed much farther to American repair facilities. Australian funding and ownership make unilateral British control implausible, so the scenario produces a senior joint command coordinating the Australia, New Zealand, China, and East Indies stations with land and air staffs.
Chapter · 1:30:10-1:40:58
Sydney's dockyards force a Far East joint command
Expanding Garden Island and Cockatoo Island into a fleet hub creates capital-ship repair capacity and a political need to coordinate British and dominion forces under one theater command.