By David Michael The majority of young men and women who join the Navy serve with great pride for careers of varying lengths and in their later years look back ...
Navies
Occasional Paper 205: Rear Admiral Rothesay Cathcart Swan AO CBE RAN (Ret’d)
The following eulogy for Rear Admiral Swan was delivered by Commander Stephen Moss CSC RAN (Ret’d) during the funeral service at the Naval Chapel Garden Island, Sydney on 22 January ...
Occasional Paper 204: THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY IN CAMBODIA 1992 – 1997
The United Nations Transitional Authority Cambodia (UNTAC) was established in 1992 and given the mandate to enforce a cease fire in the war-torn nation and deal with refugees and the ...
Occasional Paper 201: ‘Trouble in the Balkans’ The Royal Australian Navy in Yugoslavia
By Greg Swinden During the period 1992-2011 an estimated 150 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel served in one of the most bitter and brutal conflicts of the late 20th Century.[1] ...
Occasional Paper 29: Captain Frederick Melbourne Piggott RD RNR
Captain Frederick Melbourne Piggott RD RNR was born in the UK in April 1915 and moved to Australia in 1943 where he trained young men to handle a Dutch submarine. ...
Occasional Paper 6: Royal Australian Navy Ships Honour Roll
Given the 75th anniversary commemoration events taking place around Australia and overseas in 2017 to honour ships lost in the RAN’s darkest year, 1942 it is timely to reproduce the ...
Names and Numbers
by Dr. Joe Straczek They’re called hull numbers, others call them pendant numbers, some refer to them as pennant numbers. During the first one hundred years of the Royal Australian ...
Lower Deck Memories – 1908 to 1911
By L.H. Blakeney Mr. Blakeney wrote these memoirs in 1973 at the age of 83. He had previously served in the Navy for 49 years, beginning as a cadet in ...
QUITE a SIGHT – 101 years later : Melburnians come out in force
The city of Melbourne, then the nation’s capital, hosted the fleet, the Special Service Squadron, from 17 – 25 March 1924. The world’s largest and fastest capital ship, the one-of-a-kind ...
Occasional Paper 191: Aviation in the Royal Australian Navy, the first 65 Years, 1917 to 1982
The following story is based on a Royal Australian Navy News story first published on Friday 23 April 1982, page 4. Australian Naval aviation this month celebrated the 65th anniversary ...
Naval Art: Well Worth the Visit
This story was first published in the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM) Volunteers’ quarterly magazine, ‘All Hands’, Issue 129 in December 2024. The author, Geoff Barnes is a volunteer with ...
History of Australian Defence Landing Craft and the Balikpapan Class Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) 1971 – 2014
This Historical Booklet (Monograph 200) by Bjarne Kristensen was published by the Naval Historical Society of Australia in December 2024. This paper discusses the history of Australian Defence Amphibious vessels ...
The Thames Nautical Training College HMS Worcester (1862-1968)
By Ray Atkinson In the latter part of those long-gone times when Britain and its colonies ruled the waves, prospective ships’ officers were trained at a number of pre-sea training ...
Kongsberg Missile Systems
The following has been largely compiled from available media sources. Norway is a mountainous country in distant northern Europe, dominated by picturesque fjords with ready access to the sea. For ...
The World’s First Autonomous Vessel
In terms of Autonomous Vehicles, thoughts turn to new initiatives stemming from recent technology which significantly reduces manpower requirements and in the case of the armed forces also reduces potential ...
The Fastnet 1979 Yacht Race Disaster: Would It Have Occurred Today?
Cdr Mike Channon RN This article first appeared in the Royal Navy Instructor Officers’ Association magazine RNIOA No 24 dated 22 November 2023 and is reproduced by kind permission of ...
Australian Submarines in the Cold War — A force Multiplier in the West
This Historical Booklet (Monograph 199) by Dr Tom Lewis was published by the Naval Historical Society of Australia in September 2024. This paper discusses the role of the Royal Australian ...
Occasional Paper 188: Highlights of RAN History: Two Busy Decades 1950 to 1970
The following is adapted from the Royal Australian Navy News, 17 April 1970 edition, page 4. 1950 to 1960 From1950 onwards the post-war tempo Naval growth quickened. The outbreak of ...
Book Review: Admiral VAT Smith: The extraordinary life of the father of Australia’s Fleet Air Arm
Hardback by Graeme Lunn, fully illustrated with colour plates, published by Avonmore Books, 2024. RRP $49.95. While few of Australia’s naval leaders have attracted full biographies, Admiral Sir Victor Alfred ...
United States Naval Submarine School Groton
By Lauren Belknap Recently a group of Australian officers and sailors has undertaken training at the United States Naval Submarine School at Groton. Keeping us up to date with these ...
Occasional Paper 183: The RAN Bridging Train – Dry Land Sailors
The Bridging Train which existed as a small but highly effective unit of the RAN operated essentially on dry land as field engineers between 1915 and 1917. They served with ...
HMS Hood and the Special Service Squadron in Australia 20 February 1924 to 20 April 1924
By Graeme Lunn John Brown and Company laid down the keel for a battlecruiser in September 1916 that would become the Royal Navy’s epitome of firepower, speed and grace during ...
Book Review: The Yachties. Australian Volunteers in The Royal Navy 1940-45
The Yachties. Australian Volunteers in The Royal Navy 1940-45. By Janet Roberts Billett. Australian Scholarly Publishing Pty Ltd., North Melbourne Vic. 3051 In 1940 the Royal Navy anticipated a shortage ...
Occasional Paper 175: Which Fairmile is that?
by Dr Tom Lewis The wreck of the Ataluma is a sight unknown to the many visitors to Darwin’s popular East Point. This is not surprising, for the wreck of ...
Occasional Paper 171 : Tasmanian leads the African Naval Expedition 1915-18
By Ross Gillett Some of the most exotic campaigns of the Great War (1914 to 1918) were fought in Africa. All but forgotten today, they are fascinating stories in their ...