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You are here: Home / Archives for Article topics / Naval history / Ship histories and stories

Ship histories and stories

HMS Belfast – The Missing Spadrem

Whitehouse, John · Jun 3, 2006 ·

Come the end of the War, someone in the Supply Department, doubtless with an eye to promotion, decided to hold a massive Stores Audit throughout the Fleet, presumably to discover ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

HMAS Bass: The Thin White (and Buff-coloured) Line

Howland, Tony · Jun 3, 2006 ·

It was early 1964. I recall it was a Sunday. Darwin dozed through a typical Wet Season day – humidity ‘off the clock high’, stinking hot, ‘suicide weather’ the locals ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Rushcutter Graduates in the Battle of the Atlantic

Worledge, Ray · Jun 3, 2006 ·

Editor’s Note:  The full text of Ray’s article described the evolution of HMAS Rushcutter as the Australian A/S School in 1938/39, and the training of both officers and sailors in A/S Warfare equipment ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

The Kelly Story

Wright, Ken · Mar 3, 2006 ·

2 April 1937 Kelly began her life as Job number 615 at the R. & W. Hawthorn/Leslie & Company Limited shipyard at Hebburn-on-Tyne, Newcastle. She and her sister ship 614 ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Submarine in the Bush – Holbrook NSW

Wahlquist, Gilbert · Mar 3, 2006 ·

I suppose it is the fantasy of every submariner – up periscope, a quick circuit and there, a cable’s length away – is the local pub. Dreams are about to ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Book Review: The Voyage of HMS Herald 1861

Book reviewer · Dec 3, 2005 ·

The Voyage of HMS Herald 1861. By LCDR Andrew David RN. Miegunyah Press, (The Miegunyah Press is an imprint of Melbourne University Press).  This is the authoritative account of one ...

Book Review: Warship 2005

Jeffrey, Vic · Dec 3, 2005 ·

Editor John Jordan. Conway Maritime Press, London W10 CSI’, UK. Sadly the founding editor of this excellent series, Antony Preston, passed away as this edition, the 27th volume, was going ...

Submarines of the British Pacific Fleet

A.N. Other · Dec 3, 2005 ·

Although largely unseen except on setting out and returning to base at Fremantle WA, British submarines of the BPF mainly T and S classes, achieved a great deal through their ...

SS William Dawes – A Ship is Burning (1942)

Wright, Ken · Sep 1, 2005 ·

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 ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

HMAS Pioneer – Blockading German East Africa, 1915-16

A.N. Other · Sep 1, 2005 ·

The wardroom of the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) premier training establishment, HMAS Cerberus, is home to many fine treasures reflecting Australia’s naval heritage. Perhaps the most curious of these is ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

HMS Nabob – Survival after U-Boat Attack in the Arctic 1944

Mackinlay, Gordon Angus · Sep 1, 2005 ·

HMS Nabob started life in Tacoma, Washington shipyard as a merchant vessel, converted to a Lease-Lend escort carrier, and the first flat-top to be manned by Canadians. On August 22, ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Offensive Minelaying – Pacific 1944 (Part 1)

Dowle, Ron · Sep 1, 2005 ·

After surviving the sinking of the aircraft carrier HMS Glorious in the Norwegian campaign in 1940, and a long and painful recovery from acute exposure, the author was posted to a ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

HMAS Adelaide 1918 – 1949

Andrews, Grahame, (Honorary Life Member) · Jun 30, 2005 ·

Although this obsolete light cruiser was not sent to the front line of any war zone in WW2, she was kept active and must be considered a lucky ship, as ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6

Tsingtao Incident China Fleet – 1937

Ashmore, Edward, Sir, Admiral of the Fleet, RN · Jun 10, 2005 ·

The following account, taken from the memoirs of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Ashmore RN, is an inspiring story of his experience as a midshipman at the time of ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

HMS Britannia at the Battle of Trafalgar 1805

Grose, Kelvin · Jun 10, 2005 ·

ON RENEWAL OF THE WAR in 1803, Rear Admiral Lord Northesk was immediately appointed to HMS Britannia ((Name of the last Royal Yacht 1953-2001, and the Roman name for Britain)) ...

RAN Minelaying Effort during WW2

Calder, Norman, OBE, Commander, RAN · Mar 30, 2005 ·

This extract is taken from NHSA Monograph No. 179 ‘HMAS Bungaree – Australia’s only Minelayer’ – which was published in 2003, but has not been widely circulated. The Admiralty suggested ...

HMAS Castlemaine a ship re-born

Wahlquist, Gilbert · Mar 30, 2005 ·

Sixty years on, there it was. The unmistakable motion of the moving deck of an Australian Navy corvette under my feet. I always knew they could roll on wet grass. ...

HMAS Success 2004 – A year in perspective

Kelly, WO Simon · Dec 31, 2004 ·

A summary of the deployments and achievements of HMAS Success in 2004 With 2004 rapidly coming to a close, the keener eyed observer may have noticed a regular absentee from ...

Book Review: The Royal Navy in Australia 1900-2000

Book reviewer · Dec 27, 2004 ·

Title: The Royal Navy in Australia 1900-2000 Author: Ross Gillett and Vic Geoffrey Publisher: Maritime Books, Lodge Hill, Liskeard in Cornwall PL 14 4EL, United Kingdom. This is a remarkable pictorial history ...

The Sinking of HMS Glorious – Evacuation From Norway 1940

Doyle, Ron, Leading Seaman · Dec 10, 2004 ·

By Leading Seaman Ron Dowle – one of the very few survivors, and the last one living. A member of the Naval Association at Ballina, NSW, he has granted permission ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Special Service

Worledge, Ray · Sep 30, 2004 ·

You could say it all began when I pounded on the desk of the elderly Commander at the Admiralty. I was a young officer with a great grievance. Looking back, ...

HMAS Australia – Kamikaze Attack 1944

de Lisle, Roger · Sep 30, 2004 ·

This year (2004) marks the 60th anniversary of the first kamikaze attack on HMAS Australia. As Roger de Lisle reports, Japanese suicide pilots hurled their aircraft onto Allied ships with ...

Book Review: Minesweeper HMAS Hawk, Indonesia 1965-66

Book reviewer · Sep 18, 2004 ·

Hands To Boarding Stations: The Story Of Minesweeper HMAS Hawk, Confrontation With Indonesia 1965-66 By John Foster Published by Australian Military History Publications 13 Veronica Place Loftus NSW 2232 Available ...

Action off Endau

Sinfield, Peter · Jun 30, 2004 ·

After the tragic loss of Force Z (HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse) the previous month, HMAS Vampire experienced a short, defiant action against the invading Japanese off the Malayan ...

HMAS Perth Part2 – Outbreak of war

William F. Cook, MVO, Captain, RAN (Rtd) · Jun 30, 2004 ·

This is part 2 of an hitherto unpublished personal account was given to the Editor shortly before the death of the author, together with several other brief accounts of his ...

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