English: This image depicts the forecastle and forward well deck of SS Autolycus from wharf no. 2, eastern side Circular Quay, Sydney. Family and friends on the wharf are holding streamers to Autolycus. Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ratings are in the 'square rig' on the deck and chief petty officers appear on the forecastle deck.

At 11am on 13 May 1939, 234 RAN ratings and officers commissioned for HMAS Perth left Sydney aboard the Blue Funnel steamship Autolycus. The ship called at Hobart and Melbourne to pick up more men before arriving in Portsmouth, United Kingdom on 29 June. She had carried 500 men. One officer described the conditions on board the over-packed vessel, saying that despite the "grim quarters" many of the sailors "accepted the situation" and maintained a high morale in light of the fact that for some, it was their first voyage out to sea.
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. 00021057