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. ...
In Some Corner of a Foreign Field
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This is part 1 of an hitherto unpublished personal account was given to the Editor shortly before the death of the author, together with several other brief accounts of his ...
Cerberus in Wartime
The transit from peacetime tempo to the demands of wartime training left strong impressions on the many trainees during their introduction to the Navy in WW2. We were all Acting ...
Ping Wo’s Golden Secret
HMAS Ping Wo was not the most glamorous ship ever requisitioned by the Royal Australian Navy. Described by at least one of her crew as a ‘rust bucket’, the 3105grt ...
Book Review: Roughers: Photographs of warships fighting the elements
Roughers: Photographs of warships fighting the elements Compiled by Mike Critchley and Steve Bush Published by Maritime Books Lodge Hill, Liskheard PL 14 4EL, Cornwall, England. E-mail: orders.marbooks@virgin.net. ; Website: www.navybooks.com; Price: ...
Book Review: The Kellys
The Kellys – British J, K & N Class Destroyers of World War II By Christopher Langtree Published by Chatham Publishing, Kent, England Distributed in Australia by Peribo 58 Beaumont Street, ...
Australian Naval History on 16 March 2004
While on a goodwill visit to Wellington, New Zealand, the HMAS SUCCESS, (tanker), had graffiti spray painted on her hull. The slogan “J. Howard US bootlicker” was spray painted in ...
Obituary: Captain W.F. (Bill) Cook, LVO, RAN Retd.
The youngest officer to command an Australian destroyer during WW2, Bill Cook, has died aged 87, after a notable naval career and having forged a second equally distinguished career at the ...
German U-Boat Surrender 1945 – U-977
A previous article described how surrendering German U-Boats were boarded and taken as prizes into captivity to remote lochs in Scotland and Northern Ireland. One wonders what the German Navy ...
The Great Storm of 1953 – Sheerness Dockyard
The winter of 1953 was marked by severe storms and flooding over vast areas of Kent and the Thames estuary, causing heavy loss of sheep and other livestock, after sea ...
Southwick House and D-Day: Events of 1944
The Loss of HMS Ambuscade
Australian Naval History on 10 March 2004
The frigate HMAS STUART, (CMDR. P. Spedding, OAM, RAN), departed Sydney for service in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Catalyst. In keeping with tradition the ship, nicknamed the ...
Australian Naval History on 9 March 2004
The frigate HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (CMDR J Vandyke, RAN), assists in transferring a critically ill passenger from the P&O cruise liner ADONIA, to the hospital at Christmas Island. WARRAMUNGA was conducting ...
Australian Naval History on 24 February 2004
VADM Chris Ritchie, AO, RAN, (Chief of Naval Staff), released a signal to the RAN concerning the safety of Anthrax injections issued to RAN personnel who were involved in the ...
Australian Naval History on 7 February 2004
The first of 11 RAN personnel sent to Iraq to assist with the creation of the new Iraqi Coastal Defence Force arrived at Umm Qasr. The RAN personnel under the ...
Australian Naval History on 6 February 2004
The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial was dedicated at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens by the Chief of the Defence Force (General Peter Cosgrove, AO, MC). Among the 35,000 names on ...
Australian Naval History on 26 January 2004
CDRE J. P. V. Goldrick, CSC, RAN, and CAPT A. K. Du Toit, RAN, were awarded the AM for their services to the Commander Task Group, (CTG), during Operation Slipper ...
Australian Naval History on 23 January 2004
HMAS WARRAMUNGA, (frigate), intercepts the illegal fishing vessel MAYA V near Heard Island. Due to bad weather and heavy seas a Navy boarding party was fast roped, from a Seahawk ...
Australian Naval History on 21 January 2004
The patrol boat, HMAS GLADSTONE, (LCDR M. Moore, RAN), apprehended the illegal fishing vessel SUMUT SAKHON in the Gulf of Carpentaria. GLADSTONE was forced to fire rifle shots across the ...
Australian Naval History on 19 January 2004
The submarine HMAS DECHAINEAUX becomes the first RAN vessel to use the new Naval Ammunition Wharf at Twofold Bay, NSW. The facility was built to replace the previous ammunition storage ...
Australian Naval History on 28 December 2003
The patrol boat HMAS CESSNOCK, (LCDR R. Stevenson, RAN), rescued 13 Taiwanese and Vietnamese fishermen from the long-liner vessel PACIFIC TARKER, which had run aground on Roncador Reef, (200 miles ...
Australian Naval History on 22 December 2003
Sea King helicopters from 817 Squadron were involved in water bombing to fight several fires burning near HMAS CRESWELL, Jervis Bay, NSW. Over 100 campers, from nearby Green Patch, also ...
Melbourne Cup
ONE CANNOT HELP remembering that in days long past our Fleet always managed to be in Melbourne for the Cup and our ships and men were definitely a part of ...