By Tom de Voil Introduction I recently had a brief article about HMAS MELBOURNE, the aircraft carrier, published and consequent on that I was asked to give this talk. It ...
Aviation
Occasional Paper 191: Aviation in the Royal Australian Navy, the first 65 Years, 1917 to 1982
The following story is based on a Royal Australian Navy News story first published on Friday 23 April 1982, page 4. Australian Naval aviation this month celebrated the 65th anniversary ...
The Treloar Centre and Big Things in Store
The following report has been compiled by Mark Meredith, one of our members, following a recent visit to the Treloar Centre. The Australian War Memorial (AWM) has a conservation and ...
Kingfishers over the Shoalhaven
There is a fascinating small book by Barry Pattison titled Kingfishers in the Antipodes which was published in 1998 and later serialised in News & Views, the magazine of the ...
The Australian GAF Nomad aircraft
By Steve Chaplin In this article the author continues the history of Skywest Aviation which appeared in the December 2022 edition of this magazine. The Australian designed and manufactured Nomad ...
Skywest Aviation in the Coastwatch Role
By Steve Chaplin Background As an island continent, Australia has an extensive coastline, not only to patrol, but also to protect. As a result of a number of events occurring ...
My Father’s Service in the RNZAF during WWII: Airman Pilot Ian Speedy RNZAF
By Max Speedy This article first appeared in the June 2022 edition of the RAN Fleet Air Arm magazine Slipstream Vol 33 No 2 and is reproduced by kind permission ...
The Remarkable Story of the Naval Heritage Flight (NHF) and the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS)
By Carl Robinson1 and Terry Hetherington2 Created in early 1985 at HMAS Albatross, the RAN Historic Flight was an ambitious project to keep a representative core of Australia’s classic navy ...
Navy Birds Return to their Nest – Navy News Paper article August 1958.
After a glamorous six months’ cruise in H.M A.S. Melbourne, the Air Group returned to its nest at Albatross on July 20. At 7.30 in perfect weather, 11 Sea Venoms, ...
Navy Chopper Rescues RAAF Sabre Jet Pilot
Navy Chopper Rescues RAAF Sabre Jet Pilot Navy News March 1963 Another Royal Australian Navy “first” was recorded last week when one of the Navy’s new Westland Wessex helicopters went ...
Occasional Paper 119: Darwin, 19 February 1942: a forgotten moment in the history of naval air operations
By Angus Britts The Japanese air attacks against Port Darwin in the forenoon of 19 February 1942 were a salient moment in Australia’s modern history. For the first time the ...
Finding of Akagi and Kaga focuses attention on Japan’s formidable aircraft carriers and the Darwin raid
By Tom Lewis Dr. Tom Lewis OAM is a retired naval officer, and the author of 14 books. Some of this text was drawn from Carrier Attack, published in 2013 ...
Occasional Paper 72: Spitfires in the RAN
The Supermarine Spitfire was the most well-known of the World War II era fighter aircraft but by the late 1940’s was quickly becoming obsolete. In October 1948, 15 ex-RAAF Spitfires ...
Occasional Paper 68: Bristol Sycamore HR50/51
This paper, first published by the Sea Power Centre – Australia provides an overview of the service history of the Bristol Sycamore rescue and training helicopter operated by the RAN ...
Occasional Paper 44: The Fairey Gannet A/S1
By CMDR (P) R. V. Morritt, RAN Rtd The Fairey Gannet A/S 1 aircraft was introduced into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Fleet Air Arm (FAA) in 1955. When embarked ...
Book Review: Carriers at War 1939 -1945
Carriers at War 1939 -1945 by Adrian Stewart. Published by: Pen & Sword, Barnsley, 2013. Paperback of 224 pages with numerous photographs. rrp about $30 but reductions now available. Barely ...
Book Review: A Century of Carrier Aviation
A Century of Carrier Aviation: The Evolution of Ships and Shipborne Aircraft. By David Hobbs. Seaforth Publishing (2009). ISBN 978-1-84832-019-2. Reviewed by Commodore (P) John Da Costa RAN (Rtd) This large ...
Book Review: A Bloody Job Well Done
A Bloody Job Well Done The History of the Royal Australian Navy Helicopter Flight Vietnam 1967-1971. Available from HMAS Cerberus 03 59315750. rrp $29.95 Reviewed by Steve Eather One of ...
Book Review: Fairey Gannet in Service with the RAN Fleet Air Arm
Book Review: Royal Navy Escort Carriers
Royal Navy Escort Carriers By Commander David Hobbs, MBE, Royal Navy Published by Maritime Books in UK Available at the Australian Maritime Museum bookshop at Darling Harbour. £19.95 (approx A$50 ...
Book Review: War in a String Bag
Title: War in a String Bag – Autobiography of WW2 Fleet Air Arm Pilot Charles Lamb Author: Charles Lamb Publisher: Cassell ISBN:0 -304-35841-X This is an autobiographical account of Charles Lamb’s exploits in ...
Book Review: Australian Fighter Aces 1914-1953
AUSTRALIAN FIGHTER ACES 1914-1953, by A.D. Garrison (Published and distributed jointly by Air Power Studies Centre and Australian War Memorial 1999, 250x175mm, 117 b&w photos, 10 tables/lists, ix/188pp, card cover, ...
Book Review: The Third Brother
Chris Coulthard-Clark, 533 pages, illustrated, Allen and Unwin, Australia. In the spate of 50th Anniversary war books it comes as rather a surprise to have a book celebrating the 70th ...
Book Review: Seagulls, Cruisers, and Catapults
By Ray Jones, 134 pages, Illustrated, Pelorus Publications, Tasmania – 1989 This fascinating book is not only a history of the amphibian aircraft used by the Royal Australian Navy but a ...