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

History - WW2

Ships attacked/sunk – WW2 enemy action on east coast of Australia

Letter Writer · Jun 29, 1990 ·

  SHIP DATE HOW ATTACKED/SUNK CAMBRIDGE* 07.11.40 STRUCK GERMAN MINE NE COAST VIC. CITY OF RAYVILLE* 08.11.40 STRUCK GERMAN MINE NE COAST VIC. NIMBIN* 29.11.40 STRUCK GERMAN MINE OFF PT. ...

Cockatoo Dockyard and the American Fleet Cruisers

A.N. Other · Jun 21, 1990 ·

Cockatoo Dockyard Chief Executive (Mr J.C. Jeremy) has unearthed some fascinating insight into the unique job of work done at Cockatoo Island to provide a new stub bow for the ...

The RAN’s Forgotten War Dead

Swinden, Greg · Jun 21, 1990 ·

In 1987 while posted to Canberra, I visited the Australian War Memorial on several occasions. On one visit I noticed what appeared to me to be several omissions on the ...

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Book Review: Silencing debate on Shropshire

Book reviewer · Mar 28, 1990 ·

Mr Stan Nicholls wants to silence debate on what did and did not happen to HMAS Shropshire during World War II. So he has written a 330-page hard-cover book on ...

Westralia – Appleleaf

Ramsay, George · Mar 19, 1990 ·

It was interesting recently, when the ex RFA APPLELEAF was acquired and joined the ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY, to be renamed WESTRALIA, (the Second Ship of that name in the RAN ...

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British Destroyer Losses in WW II

Hill, Roger, DSq DSC, Lieut Cdr, RN (Ret.) · Mar 15, 1990 ·

British Destroyer losses  – Royal Navy Ships only Blanche 13.11.39 Mined in Thames estuary by acoustic mine Gipsy 21.11.39 Mined off Harwich by acoustic mine. Duchess 12.12.39 Rammed and sunk ...

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Cedric Ashton

Date, John C., RANVR (Rtd) · Mar 1, 1990 ·

At the meeting of The Naval Historical Society of Australia, members have enjoyed the magical effervescence of fine art, music and naval jottings by esteemed member Cedric Ashton. In the ...

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The Mystery of Australia’s Forgotten Son – Was He Lost from HMAS Sydney in 1941?

Clark, Bryan · Dec 24, 1989 ·

On a steep, scrubby hillside at Flying Fish Cove, on Christmas Island, washed by the waves of the Indian Ocean, is the neglected grave of an unknown sailor who, some ...

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HMAS Perth – A Brief History 1936-1942

Ramsay, George · Dec 22, 1989 ·

HMAS Amphion, a 6″ modified ‘Leander’ Class Cruiser, was commissioned into the Royal Navy in June 1936, under Captain R. L. Burnett, OBE, RN. Of 6,980 tons, 72,000 hp, giving ...

Rear Admiral Farncomb 1899-1971

Zammitt, Alan · Dec 22, 1989 ·

On September 29, 1989, Major General Peter Day, A.O., Commandant at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) at Canberra invited Mrs J. R. Farncomb, OBE, to officially open Farncomb House ...

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Vice Admiral Sir John Collins, KBE, CB

Newspaper, London Daily Telegraph · Dec 19, 1989 ·

Vice-Admiral Sir John Collins, who has died in Sydney aged 90, was Australia’s most celebrated sailor of the 1939-45 War.  His destruction of the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni at the ...

Letters – Operational Snakecraft

Letter Writer · Dec 19, 1989 ·

On reading the recent publication “Fair Winds to Australia”, author Mr Lew Lind, and subsequent article regarding Services Reconnaissance Department in Naval Historical Review (December 1988), I feel obliged to inform Mr ...

The Loss of the SS Ceramic – December 1942

Gordon, John · Sep 16, 1989 ·

This account is written from memory, after reading it in “We Captured a U-Boat” by Rear Admiral Gallery, USN. First published in about 1960. The Ceramic was sunk about 400 ...

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The First Battle of Savo Island 8/9 August 1942 – A Correction to the History

Date, John C., RANVR (Rtd) · Sep 16, 1989 ·

On the 8/9 August, 1942, a controversial naval battle took place in the Solomon Islands, South West Pacific. It was a rebounding success for the Japanese and a tragic loss ...

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Order of Battle at Midway

A.N. Other · Dec 13, 1988 ·

Japanese Forces 1. Battle Fleet (Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto) Battleships Yamato (flagship), Negato, Mutsu Light aircraft-carrier Hosho Light cruiser Sendai and 9 destroyers Seaplane-carriers Chivoda and Nisshin (transporting midget-submarines) Covering force ...

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Services Reconnaissance Department Memorial

Lind, L.J. · Dec 10, 1988 ·

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 ...

Changi and the HMAS Perth Survivors

Thomson, Max · Mar 16, 1988 ·

HMAS PERTH SURVIVORS probably never got to hear about it! Even today, they are probably still unaware. But they were the subject of a special request tabled to authorities when ...

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Leyte: HMAS Shropshire and HMAS Arunta in the Battle of Surigao Strait

Date, John C., RANVR (Rtd) · Mar 13, 1988 ·

IN THE GREATEST SEA BATTLE of all time, near the Philippine Island of Leyte in 1944, overmatched ships fought desperately against three Japanese fleets to keep the hard-won beachheads open. ...

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Man Overboard! Warramunga Saga

Whyte,Sam · Dec 13, 1987 ·

A DREADED CRY, which all sailors hope and trust that they never hear. However it does happen and when it does, all crew members try their hardest to help and ...

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Island Traders – Four and Twenty Dutchmen

Thomson, Max · Sep 13, 1987 ·

THEY WERE NOT WARSHIPS. They were not even Australian. Yet the contribution they made to Australia’s survival in the dark years of 1942 and 1943 when Japanese forces swept so ...

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HMAS Waterhen – a history

A.N. Other · Sep 13, 1987 ·

THE LATTER STAGES of the Great War saw the introduction into the Royal Navy of a number of capable and high performance destroyers. To operate with these destroyers the Admiralty ...

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HMAS Platypus & The Darwin Raid – 1942

Gale, Lieutenant Commander M.B. , VRD, RANR (Retd.) · Jun 11, 1987 ·

THE PLATYPUS (Plats) was a WWI submarine depot Ship which, together with five ‘J’ class submarines, was presented by the RN to the RAN in 1919. She was later paid ...

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Wartime Submarine Service

Piggott, Lieut. Cdr. F.M., RD, MNI, RNR. Rtd., · Mar 11, 1987 ·

Recollections of Lieut. Cdr. Piggott of his wartime service in submarines. PRIOR TO WORLD WAR II and general hostilities I had been serving as an officer in the Merchant Service ...

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HMAS Perth POW – Moji Maru Incident

Bee, W.A. ("Buzzer") · Mar 11, 1987 ·

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TWO MONTHS since our group arrived in Singapore from Java when the news was received that we were on the move again. Although rumours were strong ...

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Perth and the Aftermath

Noble, SBA A.M. · Jun 9, 1986 ·

SBA Noble joined HMAS Perth three months before she sunk. His story is simple and frank but reflects the hardships suffered by her survivors. For his work in attending the ...

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