THE HISTORY OF WORLD naval aviation began, tentatively, in the lighter-than-air era. As far back as November 1861, during the American Civil War, the Union Army – employing maritime techniques – released the Washington balloon from a remodelled coal barge, the G.W. Parke Curtis, to observe the enemy at Budd’s Ferry. ...
HMAS Sydney I
Old Fighting Ships Began Navy Tradition
HMAS Sydney in the North Sea
The four photographs in this series are from the collection of Rear Admiral G. B. Moore, C.B.E. HMAS SYDNEY operated in the North Sea in the last years of World ...
Admiral Dumaresq-A Son of Australia
SYDNEY CAN CLAIM with a great deal of pride that it is the birthplace of a man who has made not only Australian, but Commonwealth Naval History. In the harbourside ...
Emden-Sydney Relics at Penguin
Relics of SMS Emden bask in the sunshine on the lawn of HMAS Penguin at Balmoral, Sydney. The principal relic is one of the German cruiser’s ten 4 1 inch ...
Australian Naval History on 8 May 1928
HMAS Sydney, cruiser, was paid off for breaking up at Sydney and on 10 January 1929 was delivered to Cockatoo Island for breaking up ...
Australian Naval History on 8 March 1928
HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), starred in a film, depicting SYDNEY’S victory over the German armed merchant cruiser Emden, in 1914. Australian producer Ken Page made the film at Jervis Bay, NSW. ...
Australian Naval History on 14 January 1928
The Fleet Air Arm was abolished by Parliament, and the RAAF was directed to provide air support to the RAN. This decision was overturned in 1948 with the re-establishment of ...
Australian Naval History on 10 June 1927
HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), visited Dili, Timor, on a flag-showing cruise. ...
Australian Naval History on 25 March 1925
The cruiser HMS CONCORD, (CAPT A. R. W. Woods, RN), joined the Australian Squadron for an exchange deployment. She was met by HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), at Broome Bay, WA. CONCORD’s ...
Australian Naval History on 10 December 1919
HMAS SYDNEY, (light cruiser), patrolled the Timor Sea as beacon ship for Ross and Keith Smith’s flight from England to Australia. The aviators recorded the cruiser was sighted exactly on ...
Australian Naval History on 18 July 1919
HMAS Sydney arrived in Sydney after sailing from Portsmouth on 9 April 1919 for the return passage to Australia calling at Gibaltar, Malta, Port Said, Port Suez, Aden, Colombo, Singapore, ...
Australian Naval History on 19 June 1919
CAPT H. P. Cayley, RN, led a landing party from HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), to put down a civil disturbance in Penang. ...
Australian Naval History on 9 April 1919
HMAS SYDNEY, five J class submarines, and the submarine depot ship HMAS PLATYPUS, departed England for Australia. The submarines had been gifted to the RAN by the British Admiralty, but ...
Australian Naval History on 21 November 1918
HMA Ships AUSTRALIA, (battle cruiser), SYDNEY, and MELBOURNE, (cruisers), were present at the surrender of the German Fleet in the Firth of Forth, Scotland. AUSTRALIA led the Port Division of ...
Australian Naval History on 11 November 1918
Germany signed the Armistice to end WWI. The RAN lost the submarines AE1 and AE2 during the war. Over 240 RAN personnel lost their lives during the war, both within ...
Australian Naval History on 1 June 1918
HMA Ships SYDNEY and MELBOURNE, were on patrol in the Heligoland Bight with British warships, (as part of the Harwich Force), searching for German minesweepers and destroyers, when they came ...
Australian Naval History on 14 December 1917
CAPT Dumaresq, RAN, commanding HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), signalled Scapa Flow Aerodrome:- ‘As DUBLIN’s pilot has to return shortly request that CAMPANIA may be asked to supply a pilot and Camel ...
Australian Naval History on 8 December 1917
HMAS Sydney launched the first aircraft to take off from an Australian warship. On arrival at Scapa Flow in December 1917, her Commanding Officer Captain Dumaresq, borrowed a Sopwith Pup ...
Australian Naval History on 9 July 1917
Boats from HMAS Sydney I rescued survivors when HMS Vanguard blew up at Scapa Flow on 9/7/1917. Two of Sydney’s crew were onboard HMS Vanguard and died in the explosion. ...
Australian Naval History on 4 May 1917
The cruiser HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. S. Dumaresq, RAN), in company with HMS DUBLIN and four destroyers, was attacked by the German zeppelin L43 in the North Sea. CAPT Dumaresq ...
Australian Naval History on 2 April 1917
A Sopwith Baby seaplane was embarked in HMAS BRISBANE, (cruiser), at Colombo, to hunt down the German raider WOLF. BRISBANE was the first ship of the RAN to carry an ...
Australian Naval History on 20 December 1916
HMA Ships SYDNEY and MELBOURNE, (cruisers), were damaged when the destroyers HOSTE and NEGRO collided and sank off Norway. Both ships lost a man and seven were injured when the ...
Australian Naval History on 1 December 1916
HMAS SYDNEY saw her first action in the North Sea. ...
Australian Naval History on 16 November 1916
HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), joined the 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron at Rosyth, Scotland. ...