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You are here: Home / Archives for Article topics / Battles and operations

Battles and operations

HMAS Reserve in the Liberation of the Philippines and the Not-so-Little Tug that Could

A.N. Other · Jun 6, 2019 ·

By Paul Baker On Christmas Day 1944, just as the 34 members of the crew of HMAS Reserve celebrated the occasion aboard their ship in San Pedro Bay in the Philippines, ...

The Admiralty Islands

A.N. Other · Mar 26, 2019 ·

By David Mattiske Recent announcements that the United States will partner Papua New Guinea and Australia on an initiative to further develop a naval base on Manus Island has aroused ...

Occasional Paper 45: HMAS Adelaide – Boarding Party, Persian Gulf 2004

Editorial Staff · Feb 12, 2019 ·

The following story was first published in the June 2007 edition of the Naval Historical Review. At the time, very little news about the RANs day to day activities was ...

Occasional Paper 46: Lieutenant Kenneth Robert Hudspeth DSC, RANVR

A.N. Other · Feb 12, 2019 ·

Lieutenant Kenneth Robert Hudspeth, Distinguished Service Cross and 2 Bars, RANVR, WWII Lieutenant Kenneth Robert Hudspeth, RANVR was one of many Royal Australian Naval personnel whose service in Royal Navy ...

Big wave of destruction

David Stratton · Dec 24, 2018 ·

A voyage from Fremantle to Cocos Islands to farewell the Royal Yacht SS Gothic at the successful end of Queen Elizabeth II’s first visit to Australia ended badly when two ...

Occasional Paper 41: SS William Dawes – A Ship is Burning (1942)

Wright, Ken · Dec 14, 2018 ·

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 ...

Scapa Flow Revisited

A.N. Other · Dec 13, 2018 ·

By Walter Burroughs The name Scapa Flow was synonymous with naval operations in both world wars as a safe anchorage for vast fleets seeking to control access to the seaborne ...

Letter: Hospital ships

Letter Writer · Dec 10, 2018 ·

Dear Editor As always, lots of interest in the September edition but one item has caught my attention. In the article about the hospital ships, on page 43 you show ...

Book Review: THE LAST CRUISE OF A GERMAN RAIDER   –  THE DESTRUCTION OF SMS EMDEN

Book reviewer · Dec 10, 2018 ·

THE LAST CRUISE OF A GERMAN RAIDER   –  THE DESTRUCTION OF SMS EMDEN by Wes Olson. Seaforth Publishing, Pen and Sword Books, Barnsley, United Kingdom, 2018. Hard Cover, 274 Pages, ...

The Emden Guns

A.N. Other · Dec 10, 2018 ·

By Wes Olson When the small German cruiser SMS Emden was destroyed by HMAS Sydney at the Cocos-Keeling Islands on 9 November 1914 the British Admiralty was presented with a unique opportunity ...

RAN controlled minefields in World War 2

A.N. Other · Dec 10, 2018 ·

By Mike Turner and Hector Donohue Very little has ever been reported about the controlled minefields laid at ports along Australia’s east coast in 1942 as part of Australia’s defence ...

Occasional Paper 39: The Story Of Commander Paul Hugill Hirst RAN 1899-1963

A.N. Other · Nov 14, 2018 ·

November 2018 Compelled to Resign: The Story Of Commander Paul Hugill Hirst RAN 1899-1963 by Lieutenant Commander Terry Feltham RAN Ret’d “Just because something ends doesn’t mean it never should’ve ...

Occasional Paper 35: Loss of HMAS Parramatta (II): First Hand Accounts

David Stratton · Oct 29, 2018 ·

September 2018 Recently the Naval Historical Society of Australia was favoured with two handwritten letters from survivors of the sinking of HMAS Parramatta (II) off Tobruk overnight 27 November 1941.  ...

Occasional Paper 34: Paddle Steamer Weeroona

Thomson, Max · Oct 29, 2018 ·

September 2018 Recently the attention of the NHSA was drawn to the possibility of a paddle-steamer serving in the RAN.  It appears that the closest was PS Weeroona built as ...

Occasional Paper 32: HMAS Voyager (I) or What’s in a Coat of Paint?

David Stratton · Oct 29, 2018 ·

August 2018 During WWII ships of the RAN were painted in a number of different colour schemes as these photos of Voyager illustrate and information on both peacetime and wartime ...

Occasional Paper 30: HMAS Hobart

David Stratton · Oct 29, 2018 ·

Several events concerning the three HMA Ships Hobart come together with a memorial and commemoration service at the Garden Island Chapel on Sunday 22nd July starting at 10.00am. HMAS Hobart ...

Occasional Paper 29: Captain Frederick Melbourne Piggott’s Submarine Service

Piggott, Lieut. Cdr. F.M., RD, MNI, RNR. Rtd., · Oct 29, 2018 ·

June 2018 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 ...

Occasional Paper 26: Salvage of the German Seehunde Midget Submarine

A.N. Other · Oct 29, 2018 ·

May 2018 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 ...

Occasional Paper 25: Recovery of German Midget Submarine and Torpedo, Dover, January 1945

A.N. Other · Oct 29, 2018 ·

April 2018 Report by LEUT J.V.Steele RNVR, DTM(I) Roger Buxton, an active member of the Society’s Victorian Chapter has obtained two original, typed reports of the 1945 recovery of German ...

Occasional Paper 24: Sydney Harbour Minefield

A.N. Other · Oct 29, 2018 ·

April 2018 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, ...

Occasional Paper 21: Battle of the Atlantic: Appeal for £2.5m memorial

David Stratton · Oct 29, 2018 ·

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

David Stratton · Sep 29, 2018 ·

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 ...

The Unit Citation for Gallantry of the Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight Vietnam Extraordinary and Gallant

A.N. Other · Sep 24, 2018 ·

By CDR Ian (Max) Speedy, DSC, RANR With the passing of the years, we tend to forget just how defining the Vietnam War was in so many aspects. It was ...

HDML 1321 and what she represents

A.N. Other · Aug 1, 2018 ·

Java is heaven, Burma is hell but you never come back alive from New Guinea – Japanese wartime saying An eagle-eyed member of our Society drew attention to this short ...

Royal Navy Colours of World War Two – Standard Camouflage Colours

David Stratton · Jul 30, 2018 ·

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. ...

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