The launch of HMAS ALBATROSS I at Cockatoo Island Dockyard

This photograph depicts the launch of the Royal Australian Navy's first seaplane carrier HMAS ALBATROSS I on 23 February 1928 at Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney. The woman at the centre of the photograph wearing the white hat and holding flowers is Lady Ethel Stonehaven, wife of Lord John Lawrence Baird Stonehaven, the Governor-General of Australia. Lady Stonehaven launched the vessel and performed a ceremonial christening by releasing a bottle of Australian wine. The Reverend A G Rix is also visible in the photograph, preparing for the religious service also conducted from the launching platform...This photo is part of the Australian National Maritime Museum’s Samuel J. Hood Studio collection. Sam Hood (1872-1953) was a Sydney photographer with a passion for ships. His 60-year career spanned the romantic age of sail and two world wars. The photos in the collection were taken mainly in Sydney and Newcastle during the first half of the 20th century. ..The ANMM undertakes research and accepts public comments that enhance the information we hold about images in our collection. This record has been updated accordingly. ..Photographer: Samuel J. Hood Studio Collection..Object no. 00035173