Graeme Andrews, one of our long serving members with a sharp wit and fine pen, wrote an excellent article Cam’s Trawlers first published in the May 2006 edition of Afloat magazine. After ...
HMAS Kuru
Simply a Question of Duty: A Coastwatcher in North Australia Part 2: Coastwatching on Groote Eylandt during WWII
By John Harris Japan’s sudden entry into WWII, threatening the whole Pacific region, galvanised Naval Intelligence into immediate action to formalise and expand the old pre-war Coastwatcher program in coastal ...
‘Simply a Question of Duty’ A Coastwatcher in Northern Australia Part 1: Coastwatching Before World War II
By John Harris Around Australia’s northern coast and islands before and during World War II a small band of civilians in remote locations was asked to volunteer as official Coastwatchers. ...
Letter: HMAS Kuru
Dear Sir, I was very interested to read the article concerning the above ship which was included in the September 2013 issue of the Review. My father was Commanding Officer ...
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; ...
Letter – Timor 1942
I read with interest John Leggoe’s report in the June edition of Naval Historical Review of the naval operations in support of the Australian commandos fighting in Timor 1942-43. To ...
The Loss of HMAS Armidale
Australian Naval History on 22 October 1943
HMAS KURU, (auxiliary patrol vessel), which played an important role in supplying the Australian Commandos operating in occupied Timor, was paid off. The vessel later sank at her moorings in ...
Australian Naval History on 29 January 1943
HMAS KURU, (patrol vessel), rescued 16 survivors of HMAS PATRICIA CAM from Marchinbar Island in the Arafura Sea. ...
Australian Naval History on 22 January 1943
The Japanese submarine I-21 torpedoed the merchant ship PETER H BURNETT 420 miles east of Sydney. The destroyer USS ZANE, and corvettes HMAS DELORAINE and HMAS GYMPIE, were sent to ...
Australian Naval History on 2 December 1942
HMAS QUIBERON, (destroyer), with HM Ships ARGONAUT, AURORA, SINUS, and QUENTIN, sank the Italian destroyer FOLGORE, and four merchant ships, in a point-blank night attack off Skerki Bank, North Africa. ...
Australian Naval History on 1 December 1942
The minesweeper HMAS ARMIDALE, (LCDR D. H. Richards, RAN), was sunk by 12 Japanese bombers, 70 miles south of Betano Bay, Timor. ARMIDALE was involved in the re-supply of Australian ...
Australian Naval History on 29 May 1942
The destroyer HMAS NEPAL, (CMDR F.B. Morris, RAN), was commissioned at Woolston, England. A Japanese Navy seaplane from the submarine I-21, flew over Sydney and Newcastle, at night, to conduct ...
Australian Naval History on 27 May 1942
The lugger HMAS GRIFFIOEN, was commissioned. GRIFFIOEN was acquired on loan from the Royal Netherlands Navy. The auxiliary patrol vessel HMAS KURU, (LEUT J Joel, RANVR), made contact with the ...
Australian Naval History on 8 December 1941
HMA Ships VAMPIRE and VENDETTA, (destroyers), and BURNIE, GOULBURN, BENDIGO, and MARYBOROUGH, (corvettes), were at Singapore when Japan mounted her first air raid at 0300. MANOORA was also at Singapore, ...
Australian Naval History on 4 September 1939
HMAS KURUMBA, (fleet oiler), was commissioned. The ship had served with the RN between 1916 and 1919. She was later transferred to the RAN. KURUMBA was sold out of service ...
Australian Naval History on 11 March 1919
HMAS PLATYPUS was commissioned as a submarine depot ship, and HMAS KURUMBA as oiler for the flotilla of “J” class submarines presented to the RAN as a gift by the ...