HMAS Australia (ll) at Bear Island
HMAS Australia (1928-1954), was based at Scapa Flow attached to the Royal Navy’s Home Fleet. She joined HMS Norfolk in an operational task which took the ships well inside the Arctic Circle, to capture German trawlers reported to be working in waters off Bear Island, between the north coast of Norway and Spitsbergen. Although the icy and menacing waters of the Arctic Sea around Bear Island were thoroughly searched no trace was seen of the enemy trawlers. The cruisers then set course for base. On the way home they passed close to the coast of occupied Norway where Australia’s aircraft was catapulted off to make a reconnaissance and bomb attack on military installations at Tromso. Cloud intervened over the fiords, however, and the mission was aborted. From this fruitless but interesting assignment in the Arctic HMAS Australia steamed almost immediately to join operations off West Africa – only fifteen degrees north of the equator.
- About Dennis Adams
Dennis Adams was born in Sydney but when his father, a marine engineer, retired from the sea the family moved to a sheep farm in Queensland. Stories of adventures at sea gave him a desire to experience life on the oceangoing sailing vessels. When the family visited Sydney Dennis was taken to see the magnificent windjammers enter the Heads – linking Australia with ‘the rest of the world’.
Adams demonstrated that he was a gifted draftsman and when he finished school was accepted as a student at the Julian Ashton School of Art in Sydney. After completing his Art studies, the 20-year-old Adams lived in Sydney and worked as a commercial artist with artists such as William Dobell and Lloyd Rees.
Adams had two desires. One was to continue his art studies at the Royal Academy of Art in London - the other was to sail on one of the windjammers that he had seen entering Sydney Harbour when he was a lad.
By the 1930s many of the windjammers coming to Australia now only visited South Australian ports so in 1935 Adams moved to South Australia and signed on as an ‘able-bodied passenger’ on the Herzogin Cecilie.
Adams, joined the port watch and lived and worked in the fo’c’s’le. He made a pictorial record of life on a windjammer. His quick oil sketches chronicled the crew as they set or reduced sail as well as completing important maintenance tasks on board.
Adams arrived in Falmouth in 1935 with his oil sketches on sail canvas and headed for London to enrol at the Royal Academy of Arts. He spent several years studying art at the Royal Arts School, with its emphasis on life drawing and figurative work.
Iin 1939 Adams returned to Australia on Erikson’s Lawhill. Like when he was on Herzogin Cecilie he made many quick oil sketches of the crew at work on the ship.
On his return to Australia Adams enlisted as a solider in the 18th Battalion and was later seconded to the Department of Home Security for camouflage work. In 1942 he was appointed an official war artist to represent the activities of the Australian and US Navies and the merchant marine in the South Pacific.
After WWII Adams established a career as an artist specialising mainly in maritime and war art. Adams also taught art at the East Sydney Technical College. He completed numerous public works of sculptural art, many in bronze.
In 1989, Dennis Adams was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his contributions to the arts.
- About HMAS Australia (II)
HMAS Australia was one of two 10,000 ton County Class Heavy Cruisers ordered by the Australian Government as part of a five year naval development program begun in 1924. She was built to the Kent Class design of County Class cruisers, her Australian sister ship being HMAS Canberra. She was paid off into Reserve on 24 April 1938 and then recommissioned at Sydney on 28 August 1939. HMAS Australia served with distinction in the battles of The Coral Sea, Leyte Gulf and Lingayen Gulf, suffering heavy damage and many casualties on two occasions.
More reading
- Additional resources for Dennis Adams
- Additional resources for HMAS Australia (II)
