By Commander Rebecca Jeffcoat RAN Distinguished Guests, Ladies andGentlemen First I would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people, the Traditional Custodians of this Land on which we are gathered, and ...
The Sydney International Exhibition and a French Guest
By Walter Burroughs After the gold rushes of the 1850s the Australian colonies had prospered and the population had dramatically increased, with a corresponding building boom. New streetscapes appeared in ...
The Thames Nautical Training College HMS Worcester (1862-1968)
By Ray Atkinson In the latter part of those long-gone times when Britain and its colonies ruled the waves, prospective ships’ officers were trained at a number of pre-sea training ...
Coast Watchers Light
A beacon to mariner and pilot alike, the lighthouse at Madang Harbour is a unique memorial to 36 gallant men. By Walter Brooksbank We have previously met LCDR Walter Hugh ...
City of Adelaide – HMS Carrick The World’s oldest Clipper Ship
By Peter Christopher Fast clipper ships with fine lines and handsome appearance, such as the Cutty Sark, have pride of place in famous museums. Well on her way to restoration, ...
The Rise and Fall of ‘Nukey Poo’: Lessons for Today’s Nuclear World
By Zuhal Sharifee In the pre-Chernobyl and Three Mile Island world of 1962, nuclear power was widely regarded as a cost-effective, efficient, and relatively safe way to supply energy. This ...
The Fastnet 1979 Yacht Race Disaster: Would It Have Occurred Today?
Cdr Mike Channon RN This article first appeared in the Royal Navy Instructor Officers’ Association magazine RNIOA No 24 dated 22 November 2023 and is reproduced by kind permission of ...
The Loss of HMS Manchester and the Dilemma of Command
By Walter Burroughs Visitors to London flock to see an ancient Tower safekeeping the Crown Jewels; close by is the famous Tower Bridge and just beyond, moored safely in the ...
Occasional Paper 188: Highlights of RAN History: Two Busy Decades 1950 to 1970
The following is adapted from the Royal Australian Navy News, 17 April 1970 edition, page 4. 1950 to 1960 From1950 onwards the post-war tempo Naval growth quickened. The outbreak of ...
A Non-Combatant at War: Palestine, Greece and Crete 1941 – Pt III
Dr. Richmond Jeremy OBE MB ChM FRCP FRACP 1899 – 1995 Parts I and II of this series are contained in the March and June 2024 editions of this magazine. ...
Two Naval Dogs of the 1930s
By Robert Curran Everyone loves a dog, particularly sailors. In the Australian War Memorial’s collection there are many photos of ships’ mascots of the canine variety to testify to this. ...
Troubled Guardians
By Zuhal Sharifee Overview The Guardian-class Patrol Boats are a class of small patrol vessels developed by the Australian shipbuilding company Austal. The patrol boats are delivered under the Pacific ...
Captain William Cromarty: Mariner and Pioneer
By Leslie Kilmartin ‘What’s an Orkney lad, whatever, if he’s not to have a taste o’ the dangers of the sea? Robert Leighton (2004) William Cromarty arrived to settle in ...
After two centuries Matthew Flinders finally returns home
By Walter Burroughs The June 2019 edition of this magazine contained an article on Matthew Flinders which summarised the great mariner’s life and revealed that his long-lost coffin was rediscovered ...
United States Naval Submarine School Groton
By Lauren Belknap Recently a group of Australian officers and sailors has undertaken training at the United States Naval Submarine School at Groton. Keeping us up to date with these ...
LCDR Walter Brooksbank MM RANVR at the Admiralty
The December 2023 issue of this magazine introduced LCDR Walter Brooksbank RANVR and the start of his involvement with Naval Intelligence. His grandson Tim Proust provided this article which continues ...
Daniel Solander: a Linnaean disciple on HMS Endeavour
By Emily Osterloff This article, which is available on the Natural History Museum website, is reproduced by kind permission of the Trustees of the Natural History Museum in London as ...
The Man with Two Swords
By Murray Davies The Challenge My initial thought was, ‘Well, this should be easy…’ I collect swords and I usually do a fair amount of background research on them when ...
Occasional Paper 185: Fiji Coup 1987 – RAN on the ground
By Commander David Jordan CSC RANR On 14 May 1987 the Military of Fiji took control of the country in a bloodless coup d’état. In response to the coup, the ...
HMS Hood and the Special Service Squadron in Australia 20 February 1924 to 20 April 1924
By Graeme Lunn John Brown and Company laid down the keel for a battlecruiser in September 1916 that would become the Royal Navy’s epitome of firepower, speed and grace during ...
The Secret of the Battle of Sunda Strait: Secret Japanese Ship Sunk by Friendly Fire
By Rohan Goyne The Battle of Sunda Strait is remembered for the loss of the allied cruisers USS Houston and HMAS Perth in a confused night action in the Sunda ...
A Non-Combatant at War: Palestine, Greece and Crete 1941 – Pt 1
Dr. Richmond Jeremy, OBE MB ChM FRCP FRACP 1899 – 1995 Notes made by Dr. Jeremy were transcribed and published in 1998 by his son Richmond Jeremy. With permission of ...
Captain Jack Bolton Newman RAN – The Grandfather of Information Warfare Officers and RAN Communications
By SBLT Cináed Finall RAN We are pleased to publish this essay, which was written in 2023 in support of the inaugural Information Warfare Officer Course dux award. Cináed joined ...
The Last National Serviceman – Part 3
Part II of this series appeared in the December 2023 edition of this magazine. By Robert Stephenson In 1952, after the acquisition of HMAS Sydney III, the Royal Navy lent ...
The Army’s Defence of Merchant Shipping 1939-45
By Adrian Rose In 1644 the Duke of York and Albany’s Maritime Regiment of Foot was raised to protect the crews of Royal Navy warships from attack by French sharpshooters. ...
