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More than 2,000 articles published in the Society’s flagship magazine, The Naval Historical Review are available on this website. Using the search tool; articles can be located by key words, authors name or the following categories for a more general search.
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Occasional Paper 193: The First Naval Dockyard of the Royal Australian Navy Cockatoo Island, Shipbuilding, 1870 to 1986
Cockatoo Island is the largest Island in Sydney Harbour and is located at the junction of the Parramatta and Lane Cove Rivers, about 3.7 km west of the Sydney Harbour
Occasional Paper 192: Exploring a Diorama: The RAN Bridging Train at Suvla Bay during the Gallipoli Campaign
By Geoff Barnes The following story by Geoff Barnes who created a diorama of the RAN Bridging Team at Suvla Bay in 1915 was first published as a blog by
Occasional Paper 191: Aviation in the Royal Australian Navy, the first 65 Years, 1917 to 1982
The following story is based on a Royal Australian Navy News story first published on Friday 23 April 1982, page 4. Australian Naval aviation this month celebrated the 65th anniversary
Occasional Paper 190: Captain Cook Graving Dock 80th Anniversary: Engineering and Art
By Lorraine Fildes and Colin Randall This paper was compiled to mark the 80th anniversary of the opening of the Captain Cook Graving Dock at Garden Island in Sydney Harbour
Occasional Paper 188: Highlights of RAN History: Two Busy Decades 1950 to 1970
The following is adapted from the Royal Australian Navy News, 17 April 1970 edition, page 4. 1950 to 1960 From1950 onwards the post-war tempo Naval growth quickened. The outbreak of
Occasional Paper 185: Fiji Coup 1987 – RAN on the ground
By Commander David Jordan CSC RANR On 14 May 1987 the Military of Fiji took control of the country in a bloodless coup d’état. In response to the coup, the
Occasional Paper 184: History of HMA Naval Dockyard, Williamstown.
With the discovery of gold in Victoria in the decade 1851-1861, the population increased sevenfold. The large fleet of vessels that brought these people into the Port of Melbourne overwhelmed
Occasional Paper 183: The RAN Bridging Train – Dry Land Sailors
The Bridging Train which existed as a small but highly effective unit of the RAN operated essentially on dry land as field engineers between 1915 and 1917. They served with
Occasional Paper 182: Scriven Battery
By Vic Jeffery This paper was first published in the West Coast Bulletin- August September, October 2001 edition. Garden Island in Western Australia enjoys a rich military history and during
Occasional Paper 181: HMS Challengers on the Australian Station
From 1806 to 1981 the Royal Navy had eight ships named Challenger. Two had Australian connections. One was built in 1858 and commissioned to the Australia Station in May 1866.
Occasional Paper 180: HMAS Yarra (III): IKARA related Configuration Changes Through Life
Commissioned on 27 July 1961 HMAS Yarra underwent significant configuration enhancements during its 24 years of distinguished service in the Royal Australian Navy. Its major refits involved the installation of
Occasional Paper 179: A Boiler Without a Ship
By John Jeremy Warship design in the first two decades of the 20th Century advanced rapidly, with the early introduction of new technology (e.g. the steam turbine for propulsion) and
Occasional Paper 178: A Short History of Building 6
John Jeremy Occasional Paper 165 told the story of the three-storey green building on the top of Cockatoo Island in Sydney, Building 10 — the Drawing Office building — and
Occasional Paper 176: A Ship is Burning
By Ken Wright As the attractive blonde seventeen-year-old rode her push bike to work on the cold morning of 22 July 1942, the Japanese submarine I-11 had already torpedoed the American
Occasional Paper 175: Which Fairmile is that?
by Dr Tom Lewis The wreck of the Ataluma is a sight unknown to the many visitors to Darwin’s popular East Point. This is not surprising, for the wreck of
Occasional Paper 174: The Queensland Fraser Coast and Royal Australian Navy Historical Ties
The Queensland Fraser Coast and Royal Australian Navy Historical Ties The Queensland Fraser Coast has a rich maritime history and a long and entwined history, first with the Queensland Maritime
Occasional Paper 173: HMAS Magnetic
When in Townsville, a stroll along The Strand is a must. A walkway starts at historic Jezzine Barracks and ends at the current ferry terminal. The path follows the line
Occasional Paper 172: Dennis Adams, War Artist (1914 – 2001)
By Lorraine Fildes Dennis Adams was born in Sydney however when his father, a marine engineer, retired from the sea the family moved to a sheep property in Queensland. Stories
Occasional Paper 171 : Tasmanian leads the African Naval Expedition 1915-18
By Ross Gillett Some of the most exotic campaigns of the Great War (1914 to 1918) were fought in Africa. All but forgotten today, they are fascinating stories in their
Occasional Paper 169: HMAS Vendetta and Commander Eric Eugene Johnston RAN; Vietnam Deployment 1969 – 1970
By Bjarne (Barney) Kristensen The 18 August 2023 marked fifty years since the cessation of hostilities in Vietnam (The Vietnam War) with commemorations conducted throughout Australia. In this paper I