On Wednesday, 1 October 1913 the Sydney Mail newspaper featured the following detailed report on early naval recruiting and training. Just three days later, on 4 October, Sydney Harbour would ...
History - general
Emperor to General: the last days of Napoléon Bonaparte
By Fairlie Clifton In 2021 at the time of the 200th anniversary of the death of Napoleon, the author of this article was reminded that Napoleon’s surrender to England had ...
Presentation and Dedication of an Australian White Ensign at St Johns Church Birchgrove on Sunday 19 June 2022
With kind permission of the Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral M.J. Noonan AO RAN, the Naval Historical Society of Australia presented an Australian White Ensign to St John’s Church Birchgrove, ...
Occasional Paper 142: Spectacle Island – Historical Viewpoints
Janice Haworth contacted the Naval Historical Society about family photos relating to Spectacle Island early in the 20th century, Circa 1905 to 1919. These photos led to more interesting research ...
Australian White Ensign Replacement Service, St Johns Church, Birchgrove, 19 June 2022
On Sunday 19 June 2022 a ceremony to present and dedicate a new White Ensign at St Johns Church in Birchgrove, NSW, was conducted to replace one originally presented to ...
Letter: RAN ships launched in Australia
The Reverend Arthur Rix and ship launching ceremonies. The March 2022 edition of the NHR contained a story I Name this Ship which states that the Rev. Arthur Rix officiated ...
Book Review: On Contested Shores
On Contested Shores. The Evolving Role of Amphibious Operations in the History of Warfare. This large paperback of 452 pages edited by Timothy Heck and B. A. Friedman was published ...
Cruising into Calm Waters or Stormy Seas
By Walter Burroughs Until the viral pandemic of the 2020s cruising was the wonder of the travel industry; starting in earnest in the 1960s it became a worldwide phenomenon with ...
The Boatshed
This story may serve as a small tribute to Robin Stone who for many years was an invaluable volunteer at the Boatshed. In fact, she ran the place, being responsible ...
Letter: Enderby Island
Having read about the Enderby family in the Journal (NHR March 2023) I feel I must let you know that I have visited Enderby Island. In 2005 I joined a ...
Occasional Paper 135: Was Heihachiro Tōgō Japan’s Horatio Nelson?
In this paper Richard Broinowski makes an interesting comparison between Admiral Lord Nelson and Japan’s Heihachiro Tōgō born in 1847 to a samurai family and hero of the battle of Tsushima Strait during which the fledgling Japanese Navy achieved a Trafalgar like victory over the Russian Fleet. ...
End of an Era: Sail Training at Royal Australian Naval College
By LCDR David Jones RAN Changing Times From 2022, sailing has been removed from the initial training curriculum for new entry officers at RANC. Non-motorised small boat handling, sailing and ...
Letter: Exmouth Gulf – Submariners’ Haven – Onslow
Dear Editor, With reference to the Fuel Storage Tanks segment of the Exmouth Gulf – Submariners’ Haven article by Colin Randall published in the December edition of the Naval Historical ...
A Brief History of the Australian Hydrographic Service
By Kevin Slade, PSM & John Perryman, CSM This article first appeared in the 2020 edition of Navy Outlook and is reproduced by kind permission of the editor of that ...
Weather Islands
By Malcolm Riley1 This article first appeared in the September 2020 edition of Afloat and is reproduced with the kind permission of the editor of that magazine and of the ...
The Queensland Maritime Museum
The Queensland Maritime Museum (QMM) is facing an uncertain future as a number of recent unfortunate events have conspired to undermine the credibility of this important institution which until recent ...
The Australian Antarctic Territory and the Australian Antarctic Research Survey Ship Nuyina
With the arrival of the new Australian Antarctic ship Nuyina at her home port of Hobart it is appropriate to look back to the beginning of our association with the ...
Occasional Paper 127: Commitment, Persistence and Science; Behind the Search for HMAS Sydney II
By Commodore Bob Trotter OAM RAN & FIEAust (Retd)© Bob Trotter is an engineer and submarine specialist. He retired from the RAN in 1998 and after a period with ...
Occasional Paper 126: A New Crane for Sydney’s Skyline
By John Jeremy Cranes are a regular feature of Sydney’s skyline, particularly the many construction cranes which, at a glance, reveal the state of the construction industry in Australia’s largest ...
Occasional Paper 124: Arctic Sea Routes: From Dream to Reality
By Bob Hetherington The following story was first published in the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) Volunteers’ Quarterly newsletter ‘All Hands’, Issue 112 in September 2020. Some dreamers always maintained ...
Occasional Paper 121: Captain Morton Henry Moyes, OBE, RAN 1896-1981
By Martin Linsley Morton Moyes was a man to admire. ‘He was a true leader – a simple man – a modest man – in very truth a gentle man.’ ...
Occasional Paper 123: Royal Australian Navy 75th Anniversary Year: 1986
By Ross Gillett During 1986, more than any other time since the formation of the RAN, the focus of public and media attention was directed at events both naval and ...
Occasional Paper 120: A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 3)
By Commander Neil Westphalen, Royal Australian Navy Reserve Purpose More than a century after its establishment, many Royal Australian Navy (RAN) uniforms and ranks continue to reflect those used by ...
The Willis Islands
By Walter Burroughs This article continues a story from Weather Islands published in the March 2021 edition of this magazine. The first article told us a lot about the weather ...
Two wrecks linked by one Family
By John McGrath Given that the front cover of this magazine depicts a recent postage stamp with a magnificent image of HMVS Cerberus, this story by one of our contributors ...