Hundreds of well wishers contacted Australia’s only woman coast watcher, Ruby Boyes BEM, on her 98th birthday. Ruby operated on Vanikoro in the Solomons and saved thousands of Allied locals ...
HMAS Mermaid commissioned 4 Dec 1989
MERMAID, commissioned on December 4 , 1989 – Lieut. Cdr. Spencer,R AN – is the second ship in Her Majesty’s Service to bear the name and to work in Australian waters. The first ...
Seal and Porpoise – Minesweepers sold at auction
Finding a new home for two Royal Australian Navy minesweepers caused a few waves at a Sydney auction recently. More than 320 tonnes of steel and maple went under the ...
Dry Land Sailors – The Navy at Gallipoli
Table of Equivalent Ranks
KRIEGSMARINE UNITED STATES NAVY ROYAL NAVY Grossadmiral – – Generaladmiral Fleet Admiral Admiral of the Fleet Admiral Admiral Admiral Vizeadmiral Vice Admiral Vice-Admiral Konteradmiral Rear Admiral Rear-Admiral Kommodore Commodore Commodore ...
Queens Colours – The History of the Colours
Since the earliest times, warriors have carried standards or flags as a distinguishing mark and to serve as a rallying point during battle. To lose the standard often meant that ...
History of Service – HMAS Shropshire
This was a pictorial article published in September 1983. The format of the original article doesn’t lend itself to the conventional format, so a PDF-format copy of the article is ...
History of Service – HMAS Canberra
This was a pictorial article published in September 1983. The format of the original article doesn’t lend itself to the conventional format, so a PDF-format copy of the article is ...
History of Service – HMAS Australia
This was a pictorial article published in September 1989. The format of the original article doesn’t lend itself to the conventional format, so a PDF-format copy of the article is ...
Sailor’s Humour
A sailor rushed up to the Officer of the Deck in such great excitement that he stammered and stuttered. The Officer lost patience with him finally and said “Sing it ...
Why Knot?
The log is a device for measuring a ship’s speed through the water. An early log, said to have been invented about 1620, consisted of a float or chip designed ...
The Battle of the Coral Sea Remembrance service – May 1989
The old “Aussie” hands gave three cheers to honour Mrs Francomb and her late husband Rear Admiral H.B. Farncomb, C.B., D.S.O., U.S. Navy Cross. ...
HMAS Canberra and HMAS Shropshire Honoured
On the 4th April, 1989,a delightful ceremony took place in the precincts of the Naval Museum on Garden Island, Sydney, in the presentation of much treasured naval memorabilia. Firstly, a beautiful coloured ...
Order of Battle at Midway
The Fighting Tribals
DURING THE 1930S the Tribals were designed to lend heavier gun support to existing flotillas and were influenced by similar contemporary German (Type 1934), Japanese (Asashio Class) and the American ...
The Cruiser Choir
Anon AT THE OUTBREAK OF WAR I was organist and choir master at St Andrews Church, Wahroonga. I mention this fact because it has a bearing on the short story ...
Warramunga to the Rescue of SS Starr King
DURING 1943 several Japanese submarines operated off the east coast of Australia. In all about 14 ships were torpedoed by these subs. Surface escorts for ships operating off the coast ...
HMAS Waterhen – a history
Sydney – Emden Action: a short history
IN OCTOBER 1914, Sydney and her sister ship Melbourne detached from the Flagship (Australia) and returned to Australia to form a unit of the escort of the first Anzac convoy ...
FFG5 Builds in Two Dockyards 600 Miles Apart
A TECHNIQUE successfully employed by Germany for the building of U boats is being employed in the building of the two guided missile frigates building in Australia. The frigates FFG5 ...
When it all Began – the Arrival of the First Royal Australian Naval Fleet
Flag Officers Commanding Australian Fleet, 1913-1986
Vice-Admiral Sir George E. Patey, KCMG, KCVO, MVO 1913-1916 Rear-Admiral Sir William Christopher Pakenham, KCB, MVO 1916-1917 Rear-Admiral Arthur Cavenagh Leveson, CB 1917-1918 Rear-Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, KCMG, CB, CMG ...
Sirius, HMS – Wreckage Recovered from First Fleet Flagship
Out of the Past – HMS Cambrian
The 2nd class cruiser HMS CAMBRIAN was built at Pembroke Dock, England in 1893. She served on the Australia Station from 1903 and shared her time in Australia and New ...
HMAS Moresby, Survey Ship
HMS SILVIO was one of four World War I Royal Navy Minesweepers converted to Survey Ships in 1922-25. Sister ships were Iroquois, Ormonde and Herald. In 1925 Silvio was lent ...