By Richard Pelvin This paper by former RAN historian Richard Pelvin was first published in ‘Australia’s Navy 1990-91’. It is republished with the kind permission of the Director, Sea Power ...
Occcasional Paper 211: The Culture of the Royal Australian Navy ‘then and now’
The following is an address to the Victorian Chapter of the Naval Historical Society of Australia delivered 24 November 2025. By Lieutenant Commander Desmond Woods OAM RAN (RETD) Mr President, ...
Occasional Paper 210: Kunghah Maris – loss of a much loved local lady
By Commander David Jordan CSC RAN (Retd) Background and need During the late 1950s and well into the 1960s, the Royal Air Force (RAF) still had flying boats in service. ...
Occasional Paper 209: THE DARDANELLES – 1915 AND OPERATION EPIC FURY – 2026 (Why a Ship Is Still A Fool To Fight A Fort)
By Desmond Woods OAM During a period when a vital waterway is dominating the headlines, we may with profit recall that the entire amphibious campaign on the Gallipoli Peninsula was ...
Occasional Paper 200: Captain Ralph Frank Marston Lowe DSC, ADC, RAN (RTD)
By Dr John Carroll PhD This story by Dr Carroll was first published by the Naval Association of Australia in the White Ensign Magazine in the Red Watch Issue 25/1, ...
Occasional Paper 202: Mardsen Hordern – last of the Fairmile Motor Launch Commanders
By Walter Burroughs Recently we were saddened to hear of the death of Lieutenant Commander Marsden Hordern, OAM, VRD, RANR, Rtd who passed away peacefully in his sleep at home ...
Occasional Paper 199: BRACE YOURSELF!
By Lorraine and Robert Fildes Braces on square rigged sailing vessels were used to trim (adjust the angle) of a particular square sail. Hence you would have a port mainsail ...
TITANIC in the OUTBACK – A literary observation
by Walter Burroughs In the far west of New South Wales, near its border with South Australia, lies the city of Broken Hill. Being much closer to Adelaide than Sydney, ...
PORT JACKSON AND MANUKAU and Some ‘Fencibles’
By Walter Burroughs This story is a tribute to Gerald Ellott our New Zealand correspondent whom we unfortunately, never met. At the age of 99 he passed away on 6 ...
J CLASS SUBMARINES and their WONDERFUL MECHANISM
Intricate Machinery and its Use in War Talking to Ships at the Bottom of the Sea By A.C.C.S., ‘Sunday Times’ – 20 July 1919 “Just about the greasiest job I ...
FULL CIRCLE To hell, and then home by submarine
The story of Able Seaman Hilton (Harry) George Weigand, RAN by Tony Vine When Harry Weigand walked off the submarine HMAS Oxley in Malta in 1928 to return home to ...
Occasional Paper 41: SS William Dawes – A Ship is Burning (1942)
This account records an incident in the Japanese submarine campaign off Australia and the efforts of the RAAF and VAOC to protect coastal shipping. As the attractive blonde 17 year ...
Occasional Paper 29: Captain Frederick Melbourne Piggott RD RNR
Captain Frederick Melbourne Piggott RD RNR was born in the UK in April 1915 and moved to Australia in 1943 where he trained young men to handle a Dutch submarine. ...
Occasional Paper 28: Cockatoo Island – An Historical Account
Cockatoo Island has a long association with the RAN. The Island has World HeritageListing and some additional information can be found on our website at https://www.navyhistory.org.au/naval-heritage-sites/cockatoo-island. This article has been ...
Occasional Paper 27: Royal Naval House, ‘Johnnies’: Some Personal Reminisces
Royal Australian Naval House has always been known affectionately as ‘Johnnies’, although the origin of the name is hard to trace. From 1968 to 1970 a young Able Seaman Brian ...
Occasional Paper 26: Salvage of the German Seehunde Midget Submarine
Roger Buxton, an active member of the Society’s Victorian Chapter obtained the original, report of the 1945 recovery of a German Seehunde class midget submarine by Lieutenant V J Steele ...
Occasional Paper 25: Recovery of German Bieber class Midget Submarine and Torpedo
Roger Buxton, an active member of the Society’s Victorian Chapter has obtained two original, typed reports of the 1945 recovery of German Bieber and Seehund class midget submarines by Lieutenant ...
Occasional Paper 24: Sydney Harbour Minefield
Through the Society’s relationship with the Australian National Maritime Museum, stories are shared between the two organizations. The following is an Article from ‘All Hands’ December 2017 edition, the Australian ...
Occasional Paper 23: HMAS Darwin Decommissioning
On 8 December 2017 the guided missile frigate HMAS Darwin was decommissioned in a ceremony at Fleet Base East, Garden Island in the presence of former crew and hundreds of ...
Occasional Paper 22: Attack Class Patrol Boats
The following is an article from”All Hands” December 2017 edition of the Australian Maritime Museum Volunteers’ Quarterly Newsletter. By Wal Robson The museum’s popular patrol boat has a significant birthday ...
Occasional Paper 21: Battle of the Atlantic Memorial
In January 2018 advice was received from a Society member that a Battle of the Atlantic memorial is to be constructed in Liverpool, as there is no dedicated memorial to ...
Occasional Paper 20: Surgeon LCDR Jack Rupert Law Willis, RAN 1888-1971 MB BS Melb
Surgeon LCDR Jack Rupert Law Willis, RAN 1888-1971 MB BS Melb These biographical notes on LCDR Jack Willis who served in HMAS Prince of Wales during World War 1 were ...
Occasional Paper 19: Surgeon Commander Alexander Ruan Caw, RAN MB BS. Adelaide 1879-1924
Surgeon Commander Alexander Ruan Caw, RAN MB BS. Adelaide. 1879-1924 These biographical notes on CMDR Alexander Caw who served in HMAS Australia during World War 1 were provided by Surgeon ...
Occasional Paper 16: HMAS Australia and Atlantic rescue of Coastal CommandSunderland -1940
By LCDR Mac Gregory RANRetired On Monday 28th October 1940. I was serving as an eighteen year oldMidshipman in HMAS “Australia”, an 8 inch gun cruiser. At that time, ...
Occasional Paper 14: HMAS Canberra and the Battle of Savo Island
LCDR Mackenzie Jesse Gregory RAN Ret, (9/02/1922- 27/08/2014) was tomy mind a fine example of the qualities a Naval Officer needed to have. He could communicate well, wasa leader of ...