Commonwealth Marine Engine Works located at Port Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, in Australia durig WWII

COMMONWEALTH MARINE ENGINE WORKS
LOCATED AT PORT MELBOURNE, MELBOURNE
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WWII

In 1940, as part of wartime considerations, the Australian Shipbuilding Board, responsible for the building and repair of merchant ships, as well as for the supply of engines, boilers and equipment, established the Commonwealth Marine Engine Works, to build two marine engine annexes – one in Brisbane, and the other in Melbourne which was established in 1943.

It was also known as the Commonwealth Government Engine Works (CGEW). Ian Johnson, who served his apprenticeship at the engine works after the war, told me that the Port Melbourne CGEW built reciprocating engines up to 3730 kW for use in "River", "B", and "D" class ships.

There was a slack period where winches etc were built. The Doxford engines were then built there from about 1949, and the Napier Deltics of the Bass Trader were serviced there. They later built a range of Sulzer engines from about 1961 before the Engine Works was finally shut down.