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

Ship histories and stories

Occasional Paper 112: The Hollywood Fleet in Sydney Harbour

Editorial Staff · Jun 5, 2021 ·

How four luxurious gin palaces became hard-working heroines of the Battle of Sydney Harbour. By Neale Philip                              ...

Occasional Paper 111: HMAS Australia I – Post WWI and Scuttling

Editorial Staff · May 6, 2021 ·

After returning home to Australia on 15 June 1919 after an absence of 1775 days HMAS Australia I resumed the role of RAN flagship. A year later she played the ...

Occasional Paper 109: First Command

Editorial Staff · May 6, 2021 ·

A recollection of a first submarine command experience by Captain Goodwin Felton Gower of the South African Navy was provided by his son Allen Gower who lives in Sydney. ...

Occasional Paper 108: Royal Navy Brig HMS Sappho

Editorial Staff · Mar 31, 2021 ·

By Angus Britts Angus Britts is a member and volunteer with the NHSA. He is a qualified historian and has authored two published books: ‘Neglected Skies: The Demise of British ...

Occasional Paper 107: Dutch Submarine K IX, Netherlands East Indies Naval Forces, Under US Navy Operational Control, then RAN Control as HMAS K9 In SWPA During WWII

A.N. Other · Mar 31, 2021 ·

By Peter Dunn OAM The Dutch submarine K IX is known to many who are familiar with the Japanese midget submarine attack in Sydney Harbour on the night of 31 ...

Occasional Paper 104: Changi and the HMAS Perth Survivors

Editorial Staff · Mar 4, 2021 ·

By Max Thomson HMAS PERTH survivors were the subject of a special request tabled to authorities when Changi prisoners of war were released in Singapore following Japan’s surrender in 1945. ...

Occasional Paper 99: HMAS Tarakan fire 71 years ago

David Stratton · Feb 2, 2021 ·

With Australian’s focussed on celebrating Australia day and long weekends the anniversary of the tragic explosion and fire in HMAS Tarakan (I) on 25 January 1950 passes relatively unnoticed most ...

Trouble with the Neighbours

A.N. Other · Dec 19, 2020 ·

By Colin Randall Garden Island has always had trouble with the neighbours. The earliest recorded was in 1788 and the latest in January 2020. Over the intervening 232 years neighbours ...

The HMAS Parramatta Memorials

Editorial Staff · Dec 19, 2020 ·

In this our 50th year it is well to reflect on some of the more important projects undertaken by the Society and none is perhaps more worthy than conceiving a ...

Occasional Paper 97: The Lost Patrol

A.N. Other · Dec 4, 2020 ·

By Eric Deshon  The following story was first published in the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) Volunteers’ Quarterly newsletter ‘All Hands’, Issue 103 in June 2018. It is based on ...

Occasional Paper 96: RAN Encounters with Papua New Guinea’s Big Rivers

Editorial Staff · Nov 18, 2020 ·

By David Michael The passing of Commodore Sam Bateman RAN, (Rtd) in October 2020 reminded many people of his Command of the PNG based patrol boat, HMAS Aitape and its ...

Book Review: Wyatt Earp – The Little Ship with Many Names

Book reviewer · Sep 20, 2020 ·

Wyatt Earp: The Little Ship with Many Names. By Trish Burgess. Connorcourt Publishing, Cleveland, Queensland. Paperback, 124 pages. rrp $29.95 This book review follows closely in the wake of the ...

RFA Bishopdale

Swinden, Greg · Sep 20, 2020 ·

By Greg Swinden RFA Bishopdale was a Royal Fleet Auxiliary Dale class freighting tanker that saw service during the period 1939-1959. As a freighting tanker her main role was to ...

MV Ramses – Blockade Runner

A.N. Other · Sep 20, 2020 ·

By Alan Bourne  This paper was prepared by Alan Bourne, son of Herbert (Bill) Thomas Bourne. Herbert was christened Hubert, which he disliked, and he enlisted in the RAN under ...

Occasional Paper 80: The Early Years (1970-1971) of HMAS Brisbane (DDG-41)

A.N. Other · Jun 24, 2020 ·

The following paper was delivered by Captain Ralph T Derbidge MBE RAN (Retired) at a reunion (mostly of commissioning crew members and those who deployed to the Vietnam War in ...

Occasional Paper 79: The Loss of HMAT Ballarat

Editorial Staff · Jun 24, 2020 ·

The following are personal accounts by soldiers embarked in the transport ship HMAT Ballarat on 25 April 1917. Both stories were published on Thursday 19 July 1917 in the Bendigonian ...

Occasional Paper 78: Two Proud Ships: HMAS Brisbane (I) and HMAS Brisbane (II)

Editorial Staff · May 21, 2020 ·

The following is an address given by Captain Ralph T. Derbidge MBE RAN (Retired) on Monday 19 October 2015 at the Australian War Memorial.  The occasion was the dedication of ...

Occasional Paper 77: HMAS Assault. WWII Combined Operations Directorate Establishment – Port Stephens NSW

A.N. Other · Apr 14, 2020 ·

By Dennis J Weatherall JP TM AFAITT(L) LSM – Volunteer Researcher HMAS Assault, also known as the Amphibious Training Centre to American personnel, was a combined operations establishment for training ...

Occasional Paper 73: Ballarat or Ballaarat? Badges and Flags: Divisive or Not?

Editorial Staff · Mar 30, 2020 ·

March 2020 This paper is based on a 2017 Royal Australian Navy FaceBook post and correspondence with the well known Vexillographer and Society member, John Christian Vaughan.  John has provided ...

Book review: Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Royal Australian Navy in Vietnam 1965-72

Book reviewer · Mar 28, 2020 ·

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Royal Australian Navy in Vietnam 1965-1972. Second Edition. By John R. Carroll. First published in 2013, this second edition has been revised with ...

Last Voyage of the Ayesha

A.N. Other · Mar 27, 2020 ·

By A. C. B. Mercer Stranded on Direction Island, in the Cocos Keeling Group, 50 German sailors and their commander from the cruiser Emden, which had been engaged by HMAS ...

Occasional Paper 64: HMCS Protector – 1900 to the Present

Kingsley Perry · Oct 30, 2019 ·

October 2019 By Kingsley Perry, Committee member, Naval Historical Society of Australia Occasional Paper Number 62 about the navy in South Australia from colonial days included reference to the acquisition of ...

HMAS Kiama 1944 – 1946, HMNZS Kiama 1952 – 1976

Haken, J.K., Dr · Sep 29, 2019 ·

By Dr J. K. Haken The development of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) was restricted by financial constraints, exaggerated by the onset of the Great Depression and Recovery Years. The ...

Escape from Singapore – the Last Boat Leaves

Editorial Staff · Sep 2, 2019 ·

The June 2019 edition of this magazine contained an article The Naval Evacuation of Singapore – February 1942 which lists MV Kembong amongst forty-five vessels that escaped. Her captain is ...

HMS Australia and the William Droudge Mystery

Editorial Staff · Sep 2, 2019 ·

We know much about the WWI vintage battlecruiser HMAS Australia (I) and the WWII vintage heavy cruiser HMAS Australia (II) but very little about the first warship to carry our ...

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