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You are here: Home / Archives for Article topics / Naval history / History - WW2

History - WW2

HMS Vanessa North Atlantic 1941

Crockett, Davie, Sub-Lieutenant, RNVR · Jun 10, 2004 ·

A Lower Deck account of the misery at sea in an old destroyer during an Atlantic gale. WHEN I JOINED THE NAVY the probability of encountering dangerous weather did not ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

HMS Viscount 1940

Taylor, Buck, Lt. · Jun 10, 2004 ·

Lt. Taylor is a former Supply Assistant and this is  an account  of his service in a V&W destroyer. Contributed by Old Hands of Ballina Maritime Museum. I ‘VOLUNTEERED’ FOR ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Ping Wo’s Golden Secret

Eagles, James · Mar 30, 2004 ·

HMAS Ping Wo was not the most glamorous ship ever requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy. Described by at least one of her crew as a ‘rust bucket’, the 3105grt ...

Obituary: Captain W.F. (Bill) Cook, LVO, RAN Retd.

Milson, Scott · Mar 10, 2004 ·

The youngest officer to command an Australian destroyer during WW2, Bill Cook, has died aged 87, after a notable naval career and having forged a second equally distinguished career at the ...

German U-Boat Surrender 1945 – U-977

Schaeffer, Heinz · Mar 10, 2004 ·

A previous article described how surrendering German U-Boats were boarded and taken as prizes into captivity to remote lochs in Scotland and Northern Ireland. One wonders what the German Navy ...

Southwick House and D-Day: Events of 1944

Boxall-Hunt, Brian OBE, Commander, RN · Mar 10, 2004 ·

Previously published in the 2003 Annual Year Book of the Ex-Services Association of Singapore, and reproduced by kind permission of the author, Commander Brian Boxall-Hunt OBE RN, Royal Navy Liaison ...

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

Devotion to Duty in Darwin – Laurance Ernest Tozer RAN

Rosenweig, Paul A. · Sep 8, 2003 ·

ON TUESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2002, a commemorative service was held in Darwin to mark the sixtieth anniversary of the bombing of Darwin. Before the Cenotaph, former Governor-General Sir Zelman Cowen ...

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

Mediterranean Memories

Jarrett, Hugh · Jun 27, 2003 ·

Much the same as between the Wars, post WW2 saw the Royal Navy concentrated in the Mediterranean, based on Malta and Gibraltar. IN 1951 I WAS ON EXCHANGE SERVICE in ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Book Review: Lost but not forgotten – a bitter sweet victory

Book reviewer · Mar 18, 2003 ·

Lost but not forgotten – a bitter sweet victory HMAS Sydney II – in memory of the 645. by Keith Shegog Self-published Reviewed by Peter Colthorpe This book is no ...

Darwin’s Floating Dry-Dock

Betty, John G, Lieutenant, RANVR Ret’d · Dec 15, 2002 ·

John Betty submitted this article for the Naval Officer’s Club competition in May 2002. It was awarded second prize. Sadly, he did not live to collect it. Logistics: the art ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3

Book Review: Kill the Tiger

Book reviewer · Dec 9, 2002 ·

Kill the Tiger By Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin Published by Hodder Headline Australia. $29.95 Reviewed by John Jones “Kill the Tiger” is the story of Rimau, the special forces ...

Book Review: So Long Singapore

Book reviewer · Dec 9, 2002 ·

So Long Singapore by Hugh Campbell and Ron Lovell. Reasonably priced at $25.00 plus $7 postage and packing, this book is thoroughly recommended. Available from the author (Hugh Campbell) at: ...

Book Review: We Seemed To Get There

Downes, A.M., Captain · Sep 10, 2002 ·

Title: We Seemed to Get There Author: Captain Herbert W. Bolles, MN Ever wondered what the Merchant Navy did, both in War and Peace? This is a truly superb book – an ...

Book Review: Summary & Review – RAN in WW2

Fazio, Lieut. V. RANEM · Sep 10, 2002 ·

Title: Summary and Review of the RAN War Effort and Activities September 1939 to August 1945 Publisher: Naval Historical Society of Australia (Inc) [Ed: The Society recently published this book] ...

WW2 Coastal Defence on Christmas Island

Swinden, Greg · Sep 9, 2002 ·

During their recent Indian ocean deployment on anti-illegal immigration duties, members of the ship’s company of HMAS Kanimbla helped in the restoration of the WW II coastal defence emplacement on ...

Some Truths About Darwin and the Air Raid – 19 Feb 1942

Minto, Thomas, MN, Captain · Jun 9, 2002 ·

The Harbour The hospital ship Manunda arrived at Darwin on 14th January 1942. That day she received instructions that lighting was to be reduced as much as possible, i.e. this ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

Book Review: The Pirate of Tobruk – Biography of Commander Alfred Palmer RNR

Book reviewer · Mar 9, 2002 ·

THE PIRATE OF TOBRUK:A sailor’s life on the Seven Seas 1916-1946 Author: CMDR Alfred Brian Palmer, DSC, MBE, RNR, with Mary E. Curtis – originally published in a different form ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

HMAS Maryborough & Charles Moses-Escape from Java 1942

Ogle, Brian · Dec 9, 2001 ·

On March 6th 1942 the Captain of HMAS Maryborough sent the following signal by Aldis lamp: “Get all those bloody passengers into the stoke hole.” This is recorded in the ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Obituary: Admiral Sir Anthony Synnot KBE AO (1922-2001)

A.N. Other · Dec 9, 2001 ·

Born at Corowa, NSW and educated at Geelong Grammar School. Anthony Synnot joined the RAN as a cadet midshipman in 1939 as a Special Entry and trained in Britain with Prince ...

The Capture of Hong Kong in 1941 – The Naval Battle

A.N. Other · Dec 9, 2001 ·

Hong Kong had been the main China Fleet base for most of the early twentieth century with a small but efficient dockyard and drydock constructed on the north of the ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

I-52 – Japan’s Golden Submarine – Sunk in the Atlantic in 1944

Gregory, Mackenzie J. · Jun 8, 2001 ·

I-52, the Japanese submarine, was one of three Type C3 submarines that were built over 1943/1944. This class designed as cargo carriers were huge boats, 356.5 feet long, with a ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Remains of the Kriegsmarine Handed to the Allies – 1945

A.N. Other · Jun 8, 2001 ·

Of the heavy ships only the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and the light cruisers Nurnberg and Leipzig remained afloat (the latter a virtual wreck after being accidentally rammed by Prinz ...

Book Review: Nelson to Vanguard

Gillett, Ross · Mar 30, 2001 ·

Title: Nelson to Vanguard, Warship Design and Development 1923-1945 Author: D.K. Brown Publisher: Chatham Publishing Nelson to Vanguard, Warship Design and Development 1923-1945 is the final volume in a three ...

Book Review: Very Ordinary Officer

Book reviewer · Jun 19, 2000 ·

Very Ordinary Officer  describes itself on the cover as the social and naval story of a Yorkshire-born Australian called Geoff Feasey. The two strands of the story run side by ...

Splice the mainbrace – HMS Urania

NHSA Webmaster · Mar 19, 2000 ·

  In August 1945 HMS Urania had been at sea for 36 days. We were part of Task Force 37, commanded by Admiral Rawlings RN, the strike component of the ...

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