by Lieutenant Commander Terry Feltham RAN Ret’d “Just because something ends doesn’t mean it never should’ve been. Remember, you lived, you learned, you grew and you moved on”. Anon. Why ...
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 21: Battle of the Atlantic: Appeal for £2.5m memorial
Artists Impression of the monument The charity needs to raise £2.5m for the planned monument on the Pier Head A campaign to build a national memorial to the estimated ...
Occasional Paper 36: HMAS Sydney (III) Delivery to Australia 1949
Our thanks go to Debbie Irwin for the letter by her uncle, Stoker Mechanician James (Jim) Ashwood of HMAS Sydney (3) to his sister Nancy dated 8 May 1949 about ...
Royal Navy Colours of World War Two – Standard Camouflage Colours
Author James Duff Introduction In the final months of and in the years after World War Two, many resources, documents and records relating to Royal Navy camouflage were purposely destroyed. ...
Royal Navy Colours of World War Two – The Patterns 507, G10 and G45
Collaborative works by: Michael Brown, Sean Carroll, James Duff, Lindsay Johnson Introduction In the final months of and in the years after World War Two, many resources, ...
Life on HMAS Shropshire by Stan Nicholls
Part One Part Two Published on Sep 25, 2017 These videos are a reflection by Stan Nicholls on his experiences serving in HMAS Shropshire during World War 2 including the ...
Battle of the Java Sea
Netherlands Institute for Military History Published on Apr 3, 2017 Animation of the battle on February 27 1942 when an Allied squadron, under command of the Dutch admiral Karel Doorman, ...
Australian Naval History on 5 May 2011
Death of Chief Petty Officer Claude Choules at age 110. Born on 3 March 1901 Choules was at the time of his death was the oldest combat veteran of the ...
Australian Naval History on 27 March 2006
A Kalkara (aboriginal for storm bird) unmanned aerial target successfully flew mission 100 on 27 March 2006 (from Gilbert Point at HMAS Stirling) and despite having been in use for ...
Australian Naval History on 1 September 1991
The term WRAN in female rank titles was abolished. (*Actual day of month unknown) ...
Australian Naval History on 1 January 1985
Position of Director WRANS abolished ...
Australian Naval History on 3 August 1984
All women joining the RAN became liable for sea service ...
Australian Naval History on 14 May 1984
The first of six Aerospatiale AS350BA Squirrels Helicopters arrived at HMAS Albatross for naval service. The Squirrels were initially acquired to provide an interim embarked capability for the RAN’s Adelaide ...
Australian Naval History on 19 November 1983
The Wessex celebrated 21 years of service in the RAN and the occasion was marked with a flypast of RAN Wessex, Iroquois and Sea King helicopters as well Royal Navy ...
Australian Naval History on 1 July 1983
Commander June Baker appointed as Executive Officer HMAS Penguin (the first woman to be appointed as a RAN Executive Officer—Second in Command. (*Actual day of month unknown) ...
Australian Naval History on 17 December 1982
HMAS Banks ceased to be a commissioned ship of the RAN , but this was not the end of her sea going career as she was retained in service, performing ...
Australian Naval History on 14 August 1982
HMAS Barbette temporarily changed her pennant number from 97 to 83 for her role as the fictional RAN patrol boat, HMAS Ambush, in the second series of the popular ABC ...
Australian Naval History on 4 September 1981
HMAS Swan becomes the first RAN ship to visit China in 32 years, docking at Shanghai ...
Australian Naval History on 20 July 1980
HMAS Adroit hosted a reception for NOCNA, Captain R McKenzie, ADC, RAN, and nine guests including Rear Admiral Shapiro, USN; and Miss Australia 1980, Miss Eleanor Moreton. The guests were ...
Australian Naval History on 9 October 1979
HMAS Vendetta was decommissioned. In her 21 year career, she had steamed 670952 nautical miles. She subsequently served as a source of spare parts for Vampire (II), the last Australian ...
Australian Naval History on 1 July 1979
The WRAN officer rank titles were replaced with male officer rank titles. The Navy began training its WRAN officer cadets at RAN College at Jervis Bay with their male counterparts. ...
Australian Naval History on 11 January 1978
During squadron exercises on 11 January involving HMA Ships Barbette, Barricade and Bombard, an Aztec Piper aircraft on charter to the RAN and assisting with the exercise collided with Bombard’s ...
Australian Naval History on 23 October 1977
HMAS Duchess decommissioned, one day after the 25th anniversary of her original Royal Navy commissioning. DUCHESS had been loaned to the RAN in 1964, as a replacement for the destroyer ...
Australian Naval History on 13 July 1977
Westland Wessex Mk.31A, N7-213, 823 ditched in the Sea. The helicopter was performing plane guard duties from HMAS Melbourne on Exercise Highwood in the Irish Sea with Lt(P) Phil Pinniger ...