On a steep, scrubby hillside at Flying Fish Cove, on Christmas Island, washed by the waves of the Indian Ocean, is the neglected grave of an unknown sailor who, some ...
HMAS Sydney II
Vice Admiral Sir John Collins, KBE, CB
Vice-Admiral Sir John Collins, who has died in Sydney aged 90, was Australia’s most celebrated sailor of the 1939-45 War. His destruction of the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni at the ...
Letters – Great Sea Battles
The list of Great Sea Battles of History published in the December, 1988 issue of the “Review” has omitted what must surely figure as one of England’s most memorable naval engagements. ...
Diary of John Ernest James – Part 1
Written whilst serving in HMAS Sydney II John Ernest James was born at Gateshead England, and came to Australia with his family in 1928. He joined the RAN when he ...
Lost Letter Throws New Light on Sydney-Emden Action
HMAS Manoora Enters the Pacific War
Extracts from the War Diary of former member, the late A.K. Chatto HMAS MANOORA sailed from Sydney at 1800 Saturday, November 22 1941. After clearing the swept channel we took ...
HMAS Australia – Visit to Gallipoli – 1936
During the Abyssinian crisis in 1936, H.M.A.S. Australia and Sydney were serving with the Mediterranean Fleet, the former having been on exchange with H.M.S. Sussex and the latter was temporarily serving ...
Bathurst Class Minesweepers (Corvettes)
HERMAN GILL IN HIS HISTORY of the Royal Australian Navy 1939-1942 stated that the Bathurst class minesweepers or corvettes were ‘an Australian modification of an Admiralty design’ and this view ...
Sydney’s Walrus in battle with three Italian fighters
IN RESPONSE TO THE ARTICLE ‘Pusser’s Bus’ which appeared in the December issue, Vice-Admiral Sir John Collins, Sydney’s Captain in the Mediterranean, writes: ‘I feel sure that Sydney’s Walrus should ...
This Man Howden – Captain Harry L. Howden, CBE, RAN
Captain Joseph Burnett RAN
Australian Naval History on 2 November 1945
CAPT Theodore Detmers, of the German raider KORMORAN, informed the Commandant of his Australian POW camp, of the whereabouts of film taken in the German raider at the time of ...
Australian Naval History on 15 August 1945
Hostilities with Japan ended at 12 noon. When HRH Duke of Gloucester made the announcement in Canberra, three flags were flown. They were the flag raised by Australian troops at ...
Australian Naval History on 20 February 1942
HMAS PLATYPUS, (depot ship), made the following signal to all RAN units in northern waters:- “Intention is to hold Darwin”. The signal was repeated during all subsequent Japanese air attacks ...
Australian Naval History on 6 February 1942
A Carley float containing the remains of Able Seaman Thomas Welsby Clark from HMAS Sydney II was discovered off Christmas Island. The body was brought ashore and buried in the ...
Australian Naval History on 17 January 1942
HMAS ECHUCA was launched at Williamstown Naval Dockyard, VIC. The lugger, HMAS ST. FRANCIS, (LEUT (Brother) Andrew Smith, RANVR), sighted a Japanese submarine on the surface off Melville Island. In ...
Australian Naval History on 1 December 1941
An RAN interrogation team, consisting of CAPT Farquar-Smith, CMDR Dechaineaux, CMDR Ramage, and LCDR. Salm, (Royal Netherlands Navy), questioned prisoners from the German raider KORMORAN. CAPT H. B. Farncomb conducted ...
Australian Naval History on 30 November 1941
The Australian Naval Board announced that six boats and two rafts, carrying a total of 315 German survivors from the raider KORMORAN, had been either picked up at sea, or ...
Australian Naval History on 28 November 1941
The Commanding Officer of the German raider KORMORAN, (CAPT T. Detmers), was interrogated at Carnarvon, WA. On the same day HMAS HEROS found a Carley float from HMAS SYDNEY. The ...
Australian Naval History on 27 November 1941
The sloop HMAS PARRAMATTA, (CMDR J. H. Walker, RAN), was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U559, while on passage to Tobruk. Of the ships complement of 162, there ...
Australian Naval History on 26 November 1941
CAPT Theodor Detmers, (German raider KORMORAN), claimed the last signal hoisted by HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), was the two flags IK:- ‘You should prepare for a hurricane or a typhoon’. The ...
Australian Naval History on 19 November 1941
HMA Ships HOBART NAPIER and NIZAM, (destroyers), supported the Battle Fleet in the bombardment of key German and Italian defences in the Halfaya Pass, Libya. The cruiser HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT ...
Australian Naval History on 17 November 1941
The cruiser HMAS SYDNEY, (CAPT J. Burnett, RAN), handed over the escort of the troop ship ZEALANDIA, to HMS DURBAN in Sunda Strait. ...
Australian Naval History on 11 November 1941
HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), sailed on her last voyage as escort to the transport ZEALANDIA. ...
Australian Naval History on 22 October 1941
CAPT J. Burnett, RAN, informed the crew of HMAS SYDNEY, (cruiser), that a German raider was operating in Australasian waters. The identity of the raider, STIERMARK, (the original name of ...