By MIDN Mollie Burns, RAN – NEOC 54 Naval Historical Society Prizewinning Essay Introduction The collision of HMAS Melbourne and HMAS Voyager remains the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) worst peacetime disaster. Occurring ...
RAN operations
The Swimmer/Sapper Attack at Vung Tau 23 May 1969
By Hector Donohue and Jake Linton The following article describes the first swimmer/sapper attack involving CDT3 in Vietnam and is drawn mainly from the recently published book United and Undaunted ...
Book Review: United and Undaunted – the First 100 Years 1911-2011
United and Undaunted – the First 100 Years 1911-2011, by E. W. Linton and H. J. Donohue. Grinkle Press, Canberra, 2015. 376 pages, illustrated, with appendices and index. Cost $70 ...
Operation DAMASK: RAN Operations Against Iraq During The Gulf War
By SBLT Nathan Willrow, RAN Following completion of secondary education at Melbourne High School Nathan gained entry to the University of Melbourne where he graduated as a Bachelor of Science ...
Book Review: Not a Real War – A Sailor’s Experiences in a Soldier’s War
Not a Real War – A Sailor’s Experiences in a Soldier’s War by Paul Longley. Published by Book Pal, Brisbane, 2015. Paperback, 224 pages with b & w photos. Available ...
The Royal Australian Navy at Leyte Gulf October 1944
By Kingsley Perry The series of sea battles at and around Leyte Gulf in October 1944 marked a turning point in the Pacific war. Despite together representing the greatest sea ...
HMAS Yarra (II) Unit Citation for Gallantry
By LCDR Desmond Woods, RAN On 4 March this year the Governor General Her Excellency the Honourable Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO awarded a retrospective Unit Citation for Gallantry to HMAS ...
Book Review: They Sang Like Kangaroos: Australia’s Tinpot Navy in the Great War
They Sang Like Kangaroos: Australia’s Tinpot Navy in the Great War. By Anthony Delano: Australian Scholarly Press, Melbourne, Dec 2012. rrp $34.95 As his title may suggest, Doctor Delano has ...
HMAS Hobart – The Skilful Survivor
As told to our Editor by Cyril Rayner The Australian Navy started the war with three relatively modern Modified Leander Class light cruisers. Of these fine ships much has been ...
The Importance of Defence Strategy following the Battle of Sunda Strait
By Sub-Lieutenant G. Bateman, RAN Garry Bateman was born in Plymouth on 23 July 1980. His father was a Chief Petty Officer in the Royal Navy serving in submarines. This ...
Manus Memories
By David Mattiske A recent article in the June 2013 edition of the NHR brought back memories to the author who served in HMAS Shropshire during an important shore bombardment ...
Royal Australian Navy Border Protection: A focus on illegal immigration since 1975
By Sub Lieutenant R.E. Whitby, RAN Rian Whitby was born in Bowen and spent his childhood in rural Queensland. There is a strong family tradition of service in the ...
HMA Ships Kuru and Vigilant
The Patrol Vessel Vigilant was a prototype built by Cockatoo Island Dockyard. She was a handsome vessel and the first ship in Australia built with an aluminium hull and superstructure; ...
Bomb Disposal with Victor (Vic) Turner
By Leyland Wilkinson Victor Turner, who on account of his winning ways and fiery temperament, was always known as Paddy, was born to a WW I soldier settler family who farmed ...
Letter: Piper Report and Dangers to Navigation
Dear Sir, Well done for the September issue of the Naval Historical Review. Another good read. May I say that as far as my service with the Royal Australian Navy ...
The White Ensign in the Middle East
By Greg Swinden Having recently returned from a second deployment to the Middle East a colleague suggested that I put down in writing some of my thoughts and recollections of ...
The Sea Swapping Captain
Number 1 RAN Pilots Course in Korea
By Fred Lane The story of the RAN’s first pilots course in Korea starts with a workup that began in earnest in late April 1951. The 21st Carrier Air Group ...
A History of the Royal Australian Navy Fleet Air Arm, the Present and the Future
We are honoured to publish this keynote Address given to the Fleet Air Arm of South Australia Division following an RAN Fleet Air Arm Commemorative Service at the Adelaide Repatriation ...
HMAS Australia at Dakar 1940
To the current generation Australia being at war with France is unthinkable but this account of events during the early days of WW2 shows the role HMAS Australia played in ...
