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{{Short description|Navy minesweeper converted to yacht}}
{{Infobox ship
|section1={{Infobox ship/image
|image=US Minesweeper MSC-121 Bluebird detail.JPG
|image_caption=Broadside view of {{USS|Bluebird|MSC-121|2}}, a minesweeper of the same class, taken off the south end of [[Mare Island]] on 29 September 1953.
}}

|section2={{Infobox ship/class overview
|name = [[Beemster-class minesweeper|''Beemster'']] class
|builders =
*[[Kneass Boat Works|George W. Kneass Co.]]
*[[San Francisco]], [[California]]
}}

|section3={{Infobox
|child=yes
|label1 = Naval architects
|data1 = [[Sparkman and Stephens]]
}}

|section4={{Infobox ship/class overview
|hide_header=yes
|class_before =
|class_after =
|subclasses =
|cost =
|built_range = 1951-1954
|in_commission_range = 1953-1976
|total_ships_building =
|total_ships_planned =
|total_ships_completed =
|total_ships_cancelled =
|total_ships_active =
|total_ships_laid_up =
|total_ships_lost =
|total_ships_retired =
|total_ships_scrapped =
|total_ships_preserved =
}}

|section5={{Infobox ship/characteristics
|hide_header =
|header_caption = (1954)
|type = [[Minesweeper]]
|displacement = {{cvt|384|t|LT}}
|length = {{cvt|43.94|m|ftin}}
|beam = {{cvt|8.5|m|ftin}}
|height =
|draught =
|draft = {{convert|2.28|m|ftin}}
|decks =
|deck_clearance =
|ramps =
|ice_class =
|power =
|propulsion = *2 propellers
*{{cvt|880|hp}}
*2 x [[General Motors]] [[diesel engine]]s
|speed = {{convert|13.6|kn}}
|range =
|endurance =
|boats =
|capacity =
|troops =
|complement =
|crew = 37
|time_to_activate =
|sensors =
|EW =
|armament = *1 x double 20 mm [[machine gun]]s
|armour =
|aircraft =
|aircraft_facilities =
|notes =
}}

|section6={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=
|country=USA
|flag={{USN flag|1992}}
|name=AMS/MSC-148
|laid_down=29 April 1952
|launched=11 April 1953
|commissioned=21 April 1954
|decommissioned=
|fate=Transferred to Royal Netherlands Navy
}}

|section7={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=title
|country=Netherlands
|flag={{shipboxflag|Netherlands}}
|name=''Breskens'' (M855)
}}

|section8={{Infobox
|child=yes
|label1 = Operators
|data1 = {{navy|Netherlands}}
}}

|section9={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=yes
|acquired=21 April 1954
|fate=*Returned to US custody 1976
*Sold to Harry Pound scrapyard,
*Portsmouth, England
}}

|section10={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=title
|country=Australia
|flag={{shipboxflag|Australia}}
|name=''Kalbarrie'' (Motor yacht)
}}

|section11={{Infobox
|child=yes
|label1 = Owner
|data1 = [[Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah|Mir Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah, Asaf Jah VIII]]
}}

|section12={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=yes
|acquired=1978
|fate=Seized by the Sheriff of Western Australia due to unpaid bills 1988
}}

|section13={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=title
|country=Australia
|flag={{shipboxflag|Australia}}
|name=''Kalbarrie'' (Motor yacht)
}}

|section14={{Infobox
|child=yes
|label1 = Owner
|data1 = Sheriff of Western Australia
}}

|section15={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=yes
|acquired=1988
|fate=Sold to Pax Scientific Inc.
}}

|section16={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=title
|country=Australia
|flag={{shipboxflag|Australia}}
|name=R/V ''Pax''
}}

|section17={{Infobox
|child=yes
|label1 = Owner
|data1 = PAX Scientific Pty Ltd
}}

|section18={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=yes
|acquired=1991
|fate=Donated to a not-for-profit organisation 2012
}}

|section19={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=title
|country=Australia
|flag={{shipboxflag|Australia}}
|name=R/V ''Pax''
}}

|section20={{Infobox
|child=yes
|label1 = Owner
|data1 = Project PAX for Veterans of Western Australia Inc.
}}

|section21={{Infobox ship/career
|hide_header=yes
|acquired=2012
|fate=Sank at her moorings June 2015. Raised July 2015 and scrapped December 2015.
}}
}}

'''RV ''Pax''''' built in 1952-54 as AMS/MSC148 a wooden minesweeper, was one of 160 of the [[USS Bluebird (AMS-121)|''Bluebird'']] class, 14 of which were given to the Royal Netherlands Navy under the [[Mutual Defense Assistance Act|Mutual Defense Assistance Program]] (MDAP), where they were known as the [[Beemster-class minesweeper|''Beemster'']] class and where she was known as MS855, ''Breskens''. In 1976 when she was no longer required as a minesweeper she was offered for sale at Harry Pound's scrapyard{{r|Last Nizam|p=286}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/threads/pounds-scrapyard-portsmouth.5126/|title=Pounds scrapyard, Portsmouth|website=Derelict Places - Urban Exploring Forum}}</ref> in Portsmouth, England. Her later activities included suspected gold, jewellery,<ref name="Saga">{{cite news |last1=Zubrzycki |first1=John |title=The saga of a yacht, a prince and an ex-Rajneeshi |url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/the-saga-of-a-yacht-a-prince-and-an-exrajneeshi-20140925-10doqa.html |access-date=23 January 2023 |issue=Weekend |publisher=Sydney Morning Herald |date=September 27, 2014}}</ref> and drug<ref name="Last Nizam">{{cite book |last1=Zubrzycki |first1=John |title=The Last Nizam |date=2006 |publisher=Pan Macmillan Australia Pty Ltd |isbn=978 0 3304 2321 2 |pages=263–4, 286–7, 309, 314 |url=https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781742626109/ |access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref>{{rp|p=286}} smuggling.

== Conversion to luxury yacht ''Kalbarrie'' ==

In 1978 the former minesweeper was purchased from Harry Pound by Prince [[Mukarram Jah]], the titular Eighth [[Nizam of Hyderabad]], with a view to her conversion to a luxury yacht. Similar conversions of former minesweepers had been carried out for [[Jacques Cousteau]]'s research vessel [[RV Calypso|''Calypso'']] in 1950 and [[John Wayne]]'s yacht [[USS YMS-328|''Wild Goose'']] in 1962.

According to the [[Guinness World Records|Guinness Book of Records]], Prince Jah's inheritance from the Seventh Nizam of Hyderabad in 1967 made him the world's richest person at that time, with a fortune estimated in 2023 terms to have been equivalent to $4.25 billion.<ref name="MWI">{{cite journal |last1=Sharma |first1=Shalini |title=Mukkaram Jah: The Last Nizam And His Vanishing Wealth |journal=Man's World India |date=20 March 2002 |url=https://www.mansworldindia.com/currentedition/from-the-magazine/mukkaram-jah-last-nizam-vanishing-wealth/ |access-date=31 January 2023}}</ref>

In 1972 Prince Jah left [[Hyderabad]] to live at a [[Murchison House Station|half-million-acre sheep station]] in [[Western Australia]]. He had a penchant for tinkering with machinery<ref name="Saga" /> {{r|Last Nizam|p=260}}<ref name="WAN840224">{{cite news |last1=Schmitt |first1=Hugh |title=The Two Lives of the Nizam of Hyderabad |url=https://cvxmelody.50webs.com |access-date=30 January 2023 |publisher=The West Australian newspaper |date=24 February 1984}}</ref> and the minesweeper's big twin stainless steel diesel engines formed part of his attraction to the vessel. The ''Kalbarrie'', as she would later be named, was sailed via India to Singapore for conversion, including the creation of dozens of secret compartments that could be used to smuggle jewellery and priceless antiques from the Prince's palaces in India to his mansion in [[Perth]], Western Australia.{{r|Saga}}<ref name="FSN">{{cite journal |last1=Harman |first1=Jay |title=The Research Vessel "Pax" - What a Story! |journal=Fremantle Shipping News |date=5 December 2021 |url=https://fremantleshippingnews.com.au/2021/12/05/the-research-vessel-pax-what-a-story/ |access-date=28 January 2023}}</ref>

When ''Kalbarrie'' arrived in [[Fremantle]], Western Australia in September 1981, customs officials threatened to seize her because she had been imported without permission. She was allowed to remain in Fremantle until repairs had been completed in August 1982, then sailed for [[Port Moresby]], [[Papua New Guinea]]. En route, she was intercepted by customs off [[Broome, Western Australia|Broome]], who searched the boat for drugs and charged one crew member with possession of cannabis.{{r|Last Nizam|p=286}} She returned to Fremantle via [[Townsville]], where she remained until August 1984.

After sailing from Townsville for Fremantle on August 15 ''Kalbarrie'' lost a man overboard off the Western Australian coast on September 9.{{r|Last Nizam|p=286}}

In following years ''Kalbarrie'' was a luxurious venue of many Perth society parties, especially during the [[1987 Defender Selection Series|defence of the America's Cup]] off Fremantle, held from January 31 to February 4, 1987.{{r|FSN}}

Shortly afterwards in 1987 ''Kalbarrie'' was hoisted onto a slipway in Fremantle for repairs to its hull and to fix a damaged keel. A year later she remained there, as the company completing the repairs – Franmarine<ref>{{cite web |title=Franmarine |url=https://www.franmarine.com.au |website=Franmarine Underwater Services Pty Ltd |access-date=23 January 2023}}</ref> – refused to release her until the AU$100,000 it was owed had been paid. Prince Jah refused to pay, claiming he had been overcharged, but in reality was unable to do so through inability to access funds due to a freezing of his assets by Swiss bankers.{{r|Saga|}} After prolonged dispute and lack of settlement the vessel was seized by the Sheriff of Western Australia. Desperate to regain her, Prince Jah sold some remaining assets including a two-door Rolls-Royce car and arrived to pay the debt only to find that just two hours earlier an offer for a reputed AU$66,000{{r|Saga}} had been accepted and paid.{{r|Last Nizam|p=287,314}}

== Service as a research vessel ==

In January 1991 Western Australia-born [[biomimetics]] engineer Jay Harman was looking for a suitable boat to serve as a base for marine research focusing on the drag and friction reduction strategies of sea creatures and seaweeds{{r|FSN}}<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jay |first1=Laura |title=Nature-inspired innovation: Pax Water Technologies |url=https://toolbox.biomimicry.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Outreach-Toolkit-PAX-Scientific-Case-Study.pdf |website=biomimicry.org |publisher=Terrapin Bright Green |access-date=27 January 2023}}</ref> when he discovered the ''Kalbarrie'' on Franmarine's slipway in Fremantle. Prince Jah had not paid the outstanding bill for her repairs and Harman was able to negotiate a scrap value{{r|Last Nizam|p=314}} purchase price with ''Kalbarrie''{{'s}} custodian, the Sheriff of Western Australia.

Renaming her R/V ''Pax'', Harman set about adapting her as a floating biomimicry laboratory,<ref name="WBPax">{{cite web |title=RV Pax |url=https://www.woodenboat.com/boat-launchings/rv-pax |website=woodenboat.com |publisher=Wooden Boat |access-date=30 January 2023}}</ref> which service she performed for the next twenty years, playing an important role in what has now become Pax Scientific Pty Ltd and its associated subsidiary companies. During this time Harman says "The exciting thought of finding [smuggled jewellery] was never far from my mind. I searched high and low with no luck, though I did find a number of empty secret compartments."{{r|FSN}}

== Acquisition by not-for-profit organisation ==

Madeleine Whitburn, whose husband Norm was a Royal Australian Navy veteran suffering [[post-traumatic stress disorder]] as a result of post naval experiences serving as a fireman for many years, was watching television one Sunday evening in 2012 when there was a feature on a former research vessel in need of renovation being offered free to a worthy cause.<ref name="Manspace">{{cite web |last1=Broadhurst |first1=Zach |title=Restoration Therapy |url=https://manspacemagazine.com.au/restoration-therapy/ |website=manspacemagazine.com |access-date=30 January 2023}}</ref> She immediately thought of its possible use as a floating [[men's shed]] and mentioned it to Norm. Together, they devised a proposal for the vessel's use as a project and meeting place for ex-servicemen and women, and [[first responder]]s, and received support from the vessel's owner, Jay Harman, and regulatory approval for the formation of Project PAX for Veterans of Western Australia Inc.<ref name="ACNCPP">{{cite web |title=Registration of Project Pax for Veterans of Western Australia |url=https://www.acnc.gov.au/charity/charities/cbbbb7f0-39af-e811-a963-000d3ad244fd/profile |website=acne.gov.au |publisher=Australian Government |access-date=29 January 2023}}</ref>

Following media publicity,<ref name="ABCPP1">{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Lucy |title=Navy veterans helping to restore RV Pax to its former glory are patching themselves up too |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-12-31/rv-pax-feature/5180090 |access-date=29 January 2023 |publisher=ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) |date=31 December 2013 |ref=PPforV1}}</ref> Project Pax quickly recruited many retired navy servicemen including engineers and shipwrights, together with former firemen, and contact was established with several European groups that had undertaken restoration of similar ex-minesweepers.

On a Sunday in July 2014 a social gathering was held on board ''Pax'' that was attended by three visitors to Perth with strong connections to her history – Jay Harman and his wife Francesca Bertone, who had owned ''Pax'' for twenty years, and John Zubrzycki, author of ''The Last Nizam'', a comprehensive biography of [[Mukarram Jah]], the prince who had owned ''Pax'' for a decade and brought her to Australia from the other side of the world.{{r|Saga}}

== Ultimate fate ==

In May 2015 it became necessary to move ''Pax'' from a jetty to a mid-harbour mooring, where a month later she started taking on water at her buoy during heavy weather and was pushed to the shoreline to prevent her sinking. She was later deemed beyond further attempt at economic repair and restoration, and scrapped at [[Australian Marine Complex|Henderson]]<ref name="ScrapPP">{{cite web |last1=Department of Transport |first1=WA Government |title=Dismantling, Removal from Site, Sale and Disposal of the Salvaged Wooden Hull Vessel PAX from the Australian Marine Complex Common User Facility, Henderson, WA |url=https://www.australiantenders.com.au/tenders/238385/dismantling-removal-from-site-sale-and-disposal-of-the-salvaged-wooden-hull-vessel-pax-from-the-australian-marine-complex-common-user-facility-henderson-wa/ |website=australiantenders.com.au |access-date=30 January 2023 |ref=238385}}</ref> in December 2015.

== See also ==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite news |title=Mukarram Jah, Nizam of Hyderabad |work=Obituaries |publisher=The Daily Telegraph |date=24 January 2023 |page=25}}
*{{cite news |title=Mukarram Jah |work=Obituaries |publisher=The Times |date=31 January 2023 |page=47}}
*{{cite news |last1=Traub |first1=Alex |title=Mukarram Jah, 89, Heir to an Opulent Throne He Abandoned, Is Dead |work=Obituaries |publisher=The New York Times |date=9 February 2023 |page=A25}}
*{{cite news |last1=Zubrzycki |first1=John |title=Indian prince fell for WA station life |work=Obituaries |publisher=The West Australian |date=9 February 2023 |page=46}}
{{refend}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://classiccountrymusic.com/a-closer-look-at-john-waynes-custom-yacht-wild-goose/ John Wayne's yacht ''Wild Goose'' (converted minesweeper)]
* [https://johnwayne.com/journal/heritage/dukes-wild-goose-days/ A closer look at John Wayne's yacht ''Wild Goose'']
* [https://www.boatsnews.com/story/20129/the-epic-of-calypso-from-minesweeper-to-captain-cousteau "The epic of ''Calypso'', from minesweeper to Captain Cousteau"]
* [https://www.jsme-fed.org/events/2011/AJK2011/documents/ "Biography_Mr.J.Harman"]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pax, RV}}
[[Category:1953 ships]]

RV Pax - Revision history

RosemaryBrifman: Put Up First Article Needs Work...