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You are here: Home / Archives for Article topics / Naval history / History - general

History - general

Book Review: Dark Victory

Book reviewer · Jun 18, 2003 ·

Dark Victory By David Marr and Marian Wilkinson Allen and Unwin: Sydney, 2003 Pp 350. Price $29.95 pb Reviewed by Tigger Wise One man’s singleminded determination to preserve the integrity ...

Cockatoo Island – An Historical Account

Ward, Samantha · Jun 17, 2003 ·

Reprinted by kind permission of the Surface Force Element Group at Garden Island and originally published in their brochure ‘Birds Away’ Cockatoo Island is Sydney Harbour’s largest. It was named ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Coastal Defence Forts at Albany, Western Australia

Francis, Richard · Jun 17, 2003 ·

19th century Australia was perceived to be coming under increasing threat from foreign powers in the lead up to WWI, and efforts were made to fortify strategic ports, some of ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Lloyds Patriotic Swords – further information

A.N. Other · Mar 16, 2003 ·

LLOYDS PATRIOTIC FUND SWORD AT LADY DENMAN MARITIME MUSEUM Further research in the Library of NHSA has discovered a little more of the story behind the presentation of this sword ...

The Raid on Limbang – 1962

Francis, Richard · Mar 16, 2003 ·

The opening engagement by the Royal Navy in the long drawnout Borneo campaign known as Confrontation 1962 – 66, which marked the attempt of Indonesia’s President Sukarno to smother the ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

The Lorcha from Macau

Francis, Richard · Mar 16, 2003 ·

THIS TYPE OF VESSEL was once common in the South China Sea during the colonial period of the 19th century, particularly around Macau. The type meant a vessel of hybrid ...

American Plans for Invading New Zealand & Australia – Part2

Nicholls, Bob · Mar 14, 2003 ·

The first part of this article, which appeared in the December 2002 edition, reviewed American plans for the invasion of Auckland and Sydney. This part considers plans for Melbourne and ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Letters: Lloyds Patriotic Fund Sword

A.N. Other · Dec 15, 2002 ·

LLOYDS PATRIOTIC FUND SWORD AT LADY DENMAN MARITIME MUSEUM  Dear Sir, Engraving on the sword reads: “From the Patriotic Fund at Lloyds to Mr Wm. Pitt Bowler, Midshipman of HM Sloop Swift ...

Lloyds Patriotic Fund Presentation Swords

Francis, Richard · Dec 15, 2002 ·

PRESENTATION SWORDS AS GIFTS OF ESTEEM to deserving officers for brave conduct in the defence of trade and the realm had been a custom in many countries prior to the ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

American Plans for Invading New Zealand & Australia – Part1

Nicholls, Bob · Dec 14, 2002 ·

Preposterous, you say. Not necessarily so. It sometimes seems that the ‘Special Relationship’ between Great Britain (and thus, until quite recently, by extension, Australia) and the United States has existed ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Book Review: The Royal Navy in Australia 1900-2000

Book reviewer · Dec 9, 2002 ·

The Royal Navy in Australia 1900-2000 By Ross Gillett and Vic Jeffrey Published by Maritime Books, Lodge Hill, Liskeard in Cornwall, PL14 4EL, United Kingdom Recommended Retail Price is not ...

Figureheads – A Short History

Nicholls, Bob · Sep 10, 2002 ·

A figurehead (or more correctly figure head was a carved figure, usually human but quite often animal, fixed to a ship’s stem high in the box, just beneath the bowsprit. ...

The Australian White Ensign

A.N. Other · Jun 9, 2002 ·

From its inception in 1911 the Royal Australian Navy flew as its distinguishing flag the White Ensign featuring the red cross of St. George handed down to it by the ...

Obituary: Captain Brian de Courcy-Ireland RN (1900-2001)

A.N. Other · Mar 9, 2002 ·

Joining the Royal Naval College at Osborne on the Isle of Wight in 1913 at the age of 13, Brian de Courcy-Ireland was subjected to the spartan naval discipline of ...

Former HMAS Nirimba Site – Memorial Garden

Fazio, Lieut. V. RANEM · Mar 9, 2002 ·

On Saturday 3rd of November 2001, in overcast conditions, the Memorial Garden at the former HMAS NIRIMBA site, was formally dedicated. The service was conducted in front of some 150 ...

HMS Cossack

Stevens, Errol · Jun 8, 2001 ·

The name COSSACK, to many people, means a fierce sabre-wielding horseman from southern Russia. To most World War II naval veterans it reminds them of the exploits of the Tribal ...

Letters: Navy forgotten in Centenary Stamps

Stevens, Errol · Mar 30, 2001 ·

It is with some concern that I read in the January-February 2001 Australian Stamp Bulletin that Australia Post is releasing a set of stamps commemorating 100 years of service by the ...

Portuguese Carronades – 16th Century Explorers to Australia?

A.N. Other · Mar 30, 2001 ·

An extract from “A Short History of Garden Island” Volume 2 by Chaplain V.W.Thompson RAN, followed by some comments by a Mr H.V.Howe Garden Island possesses a number of pieces of ordnance, ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

1901-Australian Federation & the Royal Tour

Ogle, Brian · Mar 30, 2001 ·

Events of one hundred years ago when the first Commonwealth Parliament was opened by George, Duke of Cornwall and York, in Melbourne, on a stopover during the Royal Tour around ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Royal Australian Naval College

Lewis, Tom, AOM, Lieutenant RAN · Dec 30, 2000 ·

The establishment of the Royal Australian Naval College’s buildings was begun early this century after the House of Representatives decided a naval college should be built on federal land. Jervis ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Salutes – Why 21 Guns for Royalty?

Periodical, The Legionary · Sep 7, 2000 ·

I was intrigued to see the great interest which was aroused in the Montreal press over the firing of the 21 gun salutes to welcome the Princess Royal on her ...

The 1956 Melbourne Olympics and the RAN Participation

William F. Cook, MVO, Captain, RAN (Rtd) · Sep 7, 2000 ·

The recent controversy about the use of foreign marching bands at the Opening Ceremony (accent on the first syllable!) of the Sydney Games took me back in time to the ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Book Review: Australian Fighter Aces 1914-1953

Book reviewer · Jun 20, 2000 ·

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, ...

Heaven’s above – A yarn with Harv

Letter Writer · Jun 20, 2000 ·

At one period in my existence afloat in one of pusser’s corvettes it appeared that the way home was a bit of a lottery with Tojo in charge of the ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

The Gin Pennant – The signal for all celebrations

Letter Writer · Jun 20, 2000 ·

  The origins of the Gin Pennant are uncertain, but it seems to have been used since the 1940s and probably earlier. The distillery manager of Plymouth Gin was quoted ...

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