SS John Oxley

John Oxley in July 2018, undergoing restoration at the Sydney Heritage Fleet shipyard in Rozelle Bay
History
Australia
Name	SS John Oxley
Owner	Queensland Harbours and Marine Department (1927–1968) Sydney Heritage Fleet (1997–present)
Operator	Royal Australian Navy (World War II)
Builder	Bow, McLachlan & Co, Paisley, Scotland
Yard number	464
Launched	20 July 1927
In service	1927
Out of service	1968
Homeport	Moreton Bay (active service) Sydney (preservation)
Identification	IMO number: 5174234
Status	Undergoing restoration
General characteristics
Type	Pilot boat[1]
Tonnage	544 GRT 760 DWT 212 NRT
Length	168 ft (51 m)
Beam	32 ft (9.8 m)
Draught	11 ft (3.4 m)
Installed power	1,400 IHP
Propulsion	triple expansion steam engine supplied by two Scotch boilers
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)
Capacity	14 pilots
Crew	15 crew
Armament	One Oerlikon 20 mm cannon (naval service)

SS John Oxley is a steamship that previously was a pilot boat and lighthouse and buoy tender.^[2] The ship was built in Scotland in 1927 for the Queensland Government. The vessel was requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. Returned to her duties after the war, John Oxley remained active until 1968 when her deteriorating condition made her unusable. In 1970, the ship was donated by the Queensland Government to the Lady Hopetoun and Port Jackson Marine Steam Museum (now the Sydney Heritage Fleet) for preservation, but due to other projects, work was sidelined until 2004. The ship has undergone restoration for the past 20 years at Rozelle Bay on a floating dock. In April 2022 she was towed to dry dock at Garden Island, re-floated successfully and returned to Rozelle Bay for further restoration work afloat.^[3]