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 ...
Ship histories and stories
Tokyo Bay – 1945
With the surrender signed and whilst waiting for the first run ashore, a half dozen or so sailors from the Australian cruiser Shropshire (including myself) were granted permission to take out ...
The Loss of the SS Ceramic – December 1942
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 ...
The Salvage of the USS New Orleans – 1942
Ships arrive off Sydney Heads under steam, under sail, under tow and even underwater in the case of submarines. But one ship arrived backwards! Amid dramatic circumstances, it was ...
The WW1 Troopship SS Suevic – A Short History
The above interesting photo of the troopship S.S. SUEVIC, which appears to have been taken in SydneyHarbour, was held by George Hancock, formerly of SydneyHigh School and who was probably ...
HMAS Westralia – A brief summary of WW2 Service
One of our Destroyers: HMAS Norman journeys to Russia
Services Reconnaissance Department Memorial
Perhaps the least known of service memorials in Australia is that to the Services Reconnaissance Department which is located on Garden Island, Western Australia. It is appropriate the memorial has ...
Vampire in the Med.
The Tragedy of the Centaur
MAY 14 1988 marks the 45th anniversary of the sinking of the Australian hospital ship Centaur, with the loss of 268 lives. Tony Stephens, who was three years and eight ...
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 ...
Island Traders – Four and Twenty Dutchmen
HMAS Waterhen – a history
HMAS Swan (Sloop) 1937-38
HMS Driver – First Paddlewheel Ship to Circumnavigate the World
HMS DRIVER, a 180 foot paddlewheel sloop, was the first steam vessel to circumnavigate the world. The voyage took five years and commenced from Portsmouth in 1842. Her record, despite ...
HMAS Platypus & The Darwin Raid – 1942
RAN Formation – A Personal Memory
HMAS Condamine in Korea 1952-1953
CONDAMINE, one of four modified river class frigates (the others being Shoalhaven, Murchison and Culgoa) was built by the State Dockyard at Newcastle, NSW. Laid down on the 3rd of ...
Night of Shipboard Terror – HMAS Nizam
The Day the Emden Came A-Calling
(Reprinted by permission of Penang New Sunday Times, October 28, 1984) On October 28, 1914 – exactly 70 years ago today – most of the people of Penang were still ...
Sailing Ship Apprentice to Captain of the ‘Queens’
Sirius, HMS – Wreckage Recovered from First Fleet Flagship
ML 817’s New Guinea Operations
New Meaning put into the word Camouflage WARSHIP CAMOUFLAGE came in some weird and wonderful forms during WW II. But for one of the smaller ships of the RAN it ...
Messages from the Clouds Highlighted a Night of High Drama
FOR COUNTLESS GENERATIONS seamen have navigated by the stars. But it was a ‘Message from the Clouds’ that held the key to the rescue of several hundred servicemen after a ...