This is part 3 of an hitherto unpublished personal account was given to the Editor shortly before the death of the author, together with several other brief accounts of his ...
Naval history
Commander J.M. Alliston DSO, DSC*, US Legion of Honour, Royal Navy
Commander John Alliston, who has died aged 94, was one of the Second World War’s most highly decorated destroyer captains, who afterwards brought up his family on a remote island ...
Helm Orders
HELM ORDERS GIVEN in British ships prior to 1934 were relative to tiller movement irrespective of whether steering was by tiller or wheel. The orders of the Officer of the ...
Torpedo Firings in Port Shelter, Hong Kong 1964
As a junior officer, the author enjoyed a great variety of memorable experiences in a destroyer of the Far East Fleet, including several live firings of torpedoes and A/S weapons. ...
The Great Amphibious Invasion: D-Day, 6 June 1944
One of the clearest demonstrations of sea power occurred on 6 June 1944, when the Allies landed in German-occupied Normandy in the greatest sea-borne invasion in history. Operation OVERLORD was ...
Book Review: The Royal Navy-An illustrated Social History
The Royal Navy – An illustrated Social History 1870 – 1982 By Captain John Wells ISBN 0-905-778-308. Sutton Publishing Ltd. rrp $49.95 or GBP19.99 Reviewed by A. M. Downes When ...
Book Review: The Global Reach of Empire
The Global Reach of Empire By Alan Frost The Miegunyah Press the University of Melbourne, 2003. ISBN 0 522 85050 2 rrp $59.95. Reviewed by Bob Nicholls This is a ...
Book Review: Minesweeper HMAS Hawk, Indonesia 1965-66
Hands To Boarding Stations: The Story Of Minesweeper HMAS Hawk, Confrontation With Indonesia 1965-66 By John Foster Published by Australian Military History Publications 13 Veronica Place Loftus NSW 2232 Available ...
Naval Officers’ Ceremonial Cocked Hat And Frock Coat
A photo, recalling a bygone age, of the late Captain Bill Cook in his full-dress uniform drew the attention of one of our dedicated volunteers, who produced the following newspaper article ...
Action off Endau
After the tragic loss of Force Z (HMS Prince of Wales and Repulse) the previous month, HMAS Vampire experienced a short, defiant action against the invading Japanese off the Malayan ...
A Short History of HMAS Albatross
Reprinted from a Welcome Aboard pamphlet (date unknown) The decision to build an airfield on the land now occupied by the Naval Air Station was taken soon after WWII was ...
HMAS Perth Part2 – Outbreak of war
This is part 2 of an hitherto unpublished personal account was given to the Editor shortly before the death of the author, together with several other brief accounts of his ...
Australians in Midget Submarines
A short account of British midget submarine operations during WW2 in which Australians participated with considerable success. Previously published in ANWM Wartime Issue 19 and the Naval Officers’ Club Newsletter ...
Book Review: Royal Navy Escort Carriers
Royal Navy Escort Carriers By Commander David Hobbs, MBE, Royal Navy Published by Maritime Books in UK Available at the Australian Maritime Museum bookshop at Darling Harbour. £19.95 (approx A$50 ...
The Amethyst Incident Recalled
Visit To HMAS Sheean – Garden Island 2003
The Editor managed to score an unexpected conducted tour of one of the RAN’s latest Collins Class submarines, HMAS Sheean, alongside the dedicated submarine berth in Fleet Base East. ON ...
By Dawn’s Early Light
Middle East Patrol (HMS Mermaid)
The Origin Of Port (Side To . .)
IN 1844 THE ADMIRALTY issued an order, stating: ‘The word ‘Port‘ is frequently substituted for the word ‘Larboard‘, and as the distinction between ‘Starboard‘ and ‘Port‘ is so much more ...
HMAS Hawkesbury and Singapore POWs return
With the unveiling by CDF General Cosgrove at Ballarat on 6 February 2004 of the memorial dedicated to 35,000 Australians who became prisoners-of-war in all conflicts, journalist and Navy veteran ...
HMS Vanessa North Atlantic 1941
HMS Viscount 1940
Chief of Naval Staff Visits HMAS Benalla
DURING WW2 we had commissioned the corvette HMAS Benalla as a survey ship and she was lying alongside Station Pier West, Port Melbourne, about to start acceptance and work-up. A ...
In Some Corner of a Foreign Field
ON 25TH APRIL 1915, Lieutenant Rupert Brooke RNVR of the Royal Navy Division was buried in ‘Some Foreign Field’ on the Greek island of Skyros to the south-west of Gallipoli. ...
The Commissioning of HMAS Perth, 1939
This is part 1 of an hitherto unpublished personal account was given to the Editor shortly before the death of the author, together with several other brief accounts of his ...