In November 2020 the Naval Historical Society was approached by colleagues from across the Tasman for help in finding a Mortar Mark 10 which was required for their museum. During ...
Publications
Naval Sub Lieutenant awarded the Distinguished Service Order
By Colin Randall Many years ago I was involved in the coal mining industry based in the Hunter region and became a member of the Newcastle Club. The club remembers ...
Occasional Paper 122: Royal Australia Navy 75th Anniversary Celebrations, 1986: Planning
By CMDR Ken Swain AM RAN Retd – Staff Officer RAN 75th Celebrations 1985/86 I was sitting in my real estate agency in Seaforth on Sydney’s Northern Beaches in July ...
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 ...
The First Duke of Edinburgh in Australia
The death of Prince Philip on 9 April 2021 at the age of 99 gave rise to considerable interest in his association with Australia. This was described in an article ...
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 ...
Occasional Paper 119: Darwin, 19 February 1942: a forgotten moment in the history of naval air operations
By Angus Britts The Japanese air attacks against Port Darwin in the forenoon of 19 February 1942 were a salient moment in Australia’s modern history. For the first time the ...
Occasional Paper 117: A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 2)
By Commander Neil Westphalen, Royal Australian Navy This paper was first published in the Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health, Volume 26 Number 3 in July 2018. Commander Westphalen is ...
Occasional Paper 118: In his own words: AE2’s skipper, H.G. Stoker
By Bob Hetherington Originally Published in the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) Volunteers’ Quarterly newsletter ‘All Hands’, Issue 114 in March 2021. Many readers will know something of the AE2 ...
Occasional Paper 115: A History of Australian Navy Health Sailor Uniforms and Ranks (Part 1)
By Commander Neil Westphalen, Royal Australian Navy This paper was first published in the Journal of Military and Veterans’ Health, Volume 27 Number 2 in April 2019. Commander Westphalen is ...
Occasional Paper 114: Rescue of Vietnamese Refugees (MG99) by HMAS Melbourne, 21 June 1981
On Sunday 21 June 1981 HMA Ships Melbourne and Torrens were participating in Exercise Starfish 81 in the South China Sea when they rescued 99 Vietnamese refugees, now known as ...
Occasional Paper 116: Navy Veterans Salute the ‘Forgotten War’
On Thursday 24th June 2021 the N.A.A. (Naval Association of Australia Queensland) highlighted the service of members of the Royal Australia Navy in the Korean War. At 4am on June ...
Book Review: Right Man, Right Place, Worst Time
Right Man, Right Place, Worst Time. By Betty Lee, Boolarong Press, Tingalpa, Queensland, 2019. Paperback, 318 pages, with sketch maps and photographs. Available from booksellers and publisher rrp $32.00. Along ...
A Warship named Bradman
By John Smith One would have thought that the Australian Fleet would have been proud to have a warship named BRADMAN to honour our most famous cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman. ...
HMAS Quickmatch to the Rescue
Also published as Occasional Paper 156, March 2023 By Max Hayles and R.C.H. Mason The first part of this story by Max Hayles appeared in the June 2007 edition of ...
Leonard Roy McLeod – Soldier and Sailor
A recent photograph of some veterans at the 75th anniversary celebrations of the great Battles of Leyte Gulf showed Rear Admiral Guy Griffiths and ex-Able Seaman David Mattiske who both ...
The Grounding of HMAS Adelaide (II) FFG01
By Phillip Hart with contribution from Greg Mapson This article is a personal recollection of the grounding of HMAS Adelaide that occurred nearly forty years ago. SBLT Phillip Hart was ...
Quarantine and the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020
The spread of Coronavirus and its worldwide impacts have brought home the need for quarantine as a means of segregating those with suspected infection from the general population. This paper ...
Letter: The World’s Deepest Shipwreck
One of our most senior members, David Mattiske, who served in HMAS Shropshire in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and who maintains a keen interest in news from this famous ...
Letter: Commander Frederick Campbell Darley RN: More News
An article by Greg Swinden appeared in the June 2017 edition of this magazine outlining the story of Commander Frederick Darley RN who played a significant part in the establishment ...
Book Review: Aus-Ships 2021: Fifth Edition
Aus-Ships 2021: Fifth Edition by Robert Fildes and Rex Cox. The previous edition was offered as a CD and now this revised and improved edition comes as a USB. This ...
Book Review: Mutineers – A True Story of Heroes and Villains
Mutineers – A True Story of Heroes and Villains. Paperback of 320 pages by Robert Hadler, published by Wilkinson Publishing Pty Limited, Victoria 3000. Available from booksellers, rrp $28.75. The ...
Book Review: Teddy Sheean VC – A Selfless Act of Valour
Teddy Sheean VC – A Selfless Act of Valour. Paperback of 379 pages by Tom Lewis. Big Sky Publishing, Newport NSW, 2021. Also available as an eBook. The author played ...
The Remarkable Cavaye family
A colleague from the United Kingdom conducting research into wartime submarine losses recently contacted the Society seeking information on the Australia- born captain of HMS Tempest which was lost in ...
Port Clearance Parties – the Australian Connection
By Hector Donohue Port Clearance Parties, or P Parties, were established in the Royal Navy (RN) in late 1943 and were trained to clear the ports and harbours of Northern ...