The prolific naval author, James Edmond MacDonnell, was born in Mackay, QLD. He joined the RAN in 1934, and served until 1948, reaching the rank of Acting Gunner, (Warrant Officer). ...
Australian Units
Australian Naval History on 14 October 1917
The Australian destroyer flotilla, HMA Ships WAREGO, PARRAMATTA, YARRA, SWAN, TORRENS, and HUON, began patrol operations in the Mediterranean, at the mouth of the Adriatic Sea, from a base at ...
Australian Naval History on 12 October 1917
The auxiliary minesweeper, (trawler), HMAS BROLGA, was commissioned. ...
Australian Naval History on 10 October 1917
The Australian destroyer flotilla HMAS WARREGO, PARRAMATTA, TARRA, SWAN, TORRENS, and HUON arrived at Taranto, Italy. They were based at Brindisi, Italy and begun patrolling operations at the mouth of the Adriatic ...
Australian Naval History on 5 October 1917
HMAS SWAN, (torpedo boat destroyer), attacked a submarine disguised as a fishing schooner off Corfu. SWAN dropped depth charges, but the submarine dived and escaped, leaving her mast and sails ...
Australian Naval History on 3 October 1917
The Australian Government offered HMAS BRISBANE, (cruiser), to the Imperial Government for service overseas. ...
Australian Naval History on 16 August 1917
HMAS PARRAMATTA and HMAS TORRENS, (torpedo boat destroyers), attacked an Austrian submarine 100 miles east of Malta. The submarine submerged and escaped. ...
Australian Naval History on 6 August 1917
‘When a submarine is sighted, I am going for her,’ signalled CMDR Warren, RAN, commanding HMAS PARRAMATTA, in the Red Sea. Obviously impressed by Lord Nelson’s fighting spirit. ...
Australian Naval History on 18 July 1917
An observer aloft in a balloon from HMAS HUON, (torpedo boat destroyer), sighted an Austrian submarine on the surface in the Adriatic Sea. HUON closed the distance, but the submarine ...
Australian Naval History on 16 July 1917
HMA Ships PARRAMATTA, WARREGO, and YARRA, (torpedo boat destroyers), searched the coast off Diego Garcia for survivors from the merchant ships JUMNA and WORDSWORTH, which vanished without trace. ...
Australian Naval History on 10 July 1917
HMAT Seang Choon was sunk off coast of Ireland, 10 July 1917. She was torpedoed by U-87 ten miles southwest of Fastnet with the loss of 19 lives. Carried as ...
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 21 May 1917
HMS VAMPIRE, (destroyer), later to be commissioned HMAS VAMPIRE, was launched at White’s Yard, England. ...
Australian Naval History on 16 May 1917
HIJM Ships CHIKUMA and HIRADO, (cruisers), arrived in Australian waters to bolster naval defence in the area. At that point the majority of the RAN’s warships were serving overseas in ...
Australian Naval History on 9 May 1917
The Australian Government agreed to send HMA Ships WARREGO, PARRAMATTA, YARRA, SWAN, TORRENS, and HUON, to European waters, following and urgent request from Britain. This request clearly indicated Australia did ...
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 25 April 1917
HMAT Ballarat was torpedoed by a submarine in the English Channel 25 April 1917. Efforts made to tow the ship to shallow water failed and she sank off The Lizard ...
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 5 March 1917
HMAS SLEUTH, (armed yacht), joined the Torres Strait Patrol. The Australian Naval Board feared German raiders would mine the straits. ...
Australian Naval History on 18 February 1917
The Australian transport BERRIMA, formerly HMAS BERRIMA, (armed merchant cruiser), was torpedoed by a German submarine in the English Channel. ...
Australian Naval History on 12 February 1917
On 12 February 1917 HMAT Afric was sunk in the English Channel after being torpedoed by the German submarine SM UC-66, whilst sailing outbound between Liverpool and Plymouth, 12 miles ...
Australian Naval History on 13 January 1917
The armed yacht and patrol vessel HMAS SLEUTH was commissioned. As the steam-yacht ENA she was built in Sydney in 1901. ENA was requisitioned for patrol service in January 1917. ...
Australian Naval History on 25 December 1916
A spartan Christmas was the lot of HMAS HUON, (torpedo boat destroyer), in Malayan waters:- ‘On patrol-dirty weather -had bully beef and biscuits and some duff knocked up by ourselves’. ...
Australian Naval History on 20 December 1916
HMAT Itonus torpedoed and sunk near Malta in the Mediterranean by Austrian submarine U-38 on 20 Dec 1916 as she was making her way from Marseilles to Sydney with a ...
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 ...