While part of the stern is part of the original HMAS Parramatta, it has been reinforced - with concrete, so as to be a lasting Memorial. There are quite a few Interpretative Signs here, for other (subsequent) HMAS Parramatta's.
There is a bronze plaque for the Memorial, which reads:
This Memorial was erected by the council of
The City of Parramatta in conjunction with
the Naval Historical Society of Australia to
commemorate the service of all ships to bear
the name "Parramatta" in the Royal Australian Navy
HMAS Parramatta - Torpedo Boat Destroyer 1910 - 1928
HMAS Parramatta - Sloop 1929 - 1941
HMAS Parramatta - Destroyer Escort 1959 -
The stern of the Torpedo Boat Destroyer, first ship built for the
Royal Australian Navy, is embodied in this Memorial.
It was the last class of British warship designed with an outboard
rudder.
Unveiled by Admiral Sir Victor Smith, A.C., K.B., C.B., D.S.C. on June 13, 1981
S.C. Dickson R.C. Muddle L.J. Lind
Mayor Town Clerk President
The Council of the The Council of the The Naval Historical
City of Parramatta City of Parramatta Society of Australia
Another sign nearby expands on the specific of the first HMAS Parramatta, with the following narrative:
HMAS Parramatta 1
HMAS Parramatta I was the first ship built for the fledgling Commonwealth Naval Forces - later becoming the RAN. She was a River Class Torpedo Boat Destroyer displacing 700 tons, capable of a top speed of 28 knots. She was launched on 9 February 1910 in Glasgow, Scotland, and arrived in Melbourne in December of the same year. On 4 October 1913, Parramatta entered Sydney Harbour on the occasion of the arrival of the Australian Fleet Unit.
Parramatta served with distinction in World War I, most notably in the destruction of German signal stations at the outbreak of the war and during the hunt for the German Far East Fleet. She was also present at the formal surrender of German New Guinea to Australian forces at Rabaul in September 1914.
After consolidating the occupation of New guinea and New Britain, Parramatta was based in Sandakan, Malaysia, and was employed patrolling Malayan, East Indies and Philippine waters.
In July 1916 she returned to Sydney and spent the next 10 months on patrol in Australian waters.
On 10 May 1917 Parramatta was despatched to the Mediterranean with her five sister ships to detect and hunt German submarines in the Adriatic and Black Seas. Several attacks were made on enemy submarines but no confirmed kills were credited.
Later war services included visits to Piraeus, Constantinople, Sebastapol and brief period off Gallipoli before sailing for Australia on 6 arch 1919.
After the war, Parramatta was used in a variety of training roles until she was retired from naval service on 20 April 1928.
The bow and stern sections of Parramatta were salvaged from the Hawkesbury River in 1973 and later unveiled as memorials to the ship at Garden Island (bow) and here in Queens Wharf Reserve, Parramatta (stern).
The remains of the hulk, the bow and the stern are all included on the State Heritage Register as a mark of their national significance.
Displacement: 700 tons, normal (760 tons, deep load).
Armament: One 4-inch, Three 12-pdr (3 x 1) guns,
Three 18-inch (3 x 1) torpedo tubes.
Dimensions: 246-ft. o.a. x 24-ft. 3-in. x 9-ft. 3-in. (deep)
Machinery: Three Yarrow 3-drum boilers.
Three-shaft Parsons turbines. 13,000 SHP =
27 knots.
Oil Fuel: 189 tons.
Radius of Action: 2,410 miles at 15 knots.
Builders: Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Co. Ltd.
Laid Down: 17 March, 1909.
Launched: 9 February, 1910.
Commissioned: 1 September, 19190.
Fate: Handed over to Cockatoo Dockyard for
dismantling, 17 October, 1929. Hull sold
as scrap to G. Rhodes, Cowan,
NSW, 1930.
The Naval Historical Society of Australia, has a mention of the HMAS Parramatta (I), and this Memorial in their June 1981 publication: HMAS Parramatta Memorial
Visited: 0831 - 0835, Sunday, 20 August, 2017